Family sues CIGNA Healthcare over teen's death

This story is now starting to gain big interest. Seventeen-year-old Nataline Sarkisyan died just hours after her health insurance company, CIGNA Healthcare, reversed its decision to pay for a liver transplant she needed to combat leukemia. The doctors said that Sakrisyan needed the liver transplant, but CIGNA first denied payment for the transplant, but then reversed itself in the face of mounting protest against the company offices in Glendale California.

Well, in the aftermath of Nataline Sarkisyan's death, the family is suing CIGNA. According to MSNBC News:

GLENDALE, Calif. - The family of a 17-year-old girl who died hours after her health insurer reversed a decision and said it would pay for a liver transplant plans to sue the company, their attorney said Friday.

Nataline Sarkisyan died Thursday at about 6 p.m. at the University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center. She had been in a vegetative state for weeks, said her mother, Hilda.

Attorney Mark Geragos said he plans to ask the district attorney to press murder or manslaughter charges against Cigna HealthCare in the case. The insurer “maliciously killed her” because it did not want to bear the expense of her transplant and aftercare, Geragos said.

District Attorney spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons declined to comment on the request for murder or manslaughter charges, saying it would be inappropriate to do so until Geragos submits evidence supporting his request.

I don't know what evidence Geragos has to support his request to press murder charges against CIGNA, but I would imagine it is the document and letters between the Sarkisyan family and CIGNA over Nataline's transplant request. All I can say is that this story is getting real interesting now.