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Was Company at Fault in Teen's Death?

Edwards champions cause of young patient, but case is not clear

By Caroline Zimmerman, Newser User

Posted Jan 7, 2008 2:20 PM CST

(Newser) – Seventeen-year-old Nataline Sarkisyan, who died waiting for a liver transplant in December, has become the poster girl for John Edwards' call for a government-run health plan. Insurance giant Cigna denied her family's claim for the procedure, then reversed its decision a month later. She died shortly thereafter. But the story isn't as clear-cut as Edwards suggests in his stump speeches, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Cigna had approved coverage for a bone-marrow transplant for Sarkisyan, who had been fighting leukemia for 3 years, but her liver failed almost immediately. Medical experts disagree on the merits of another extreme procedure, which at best would have increased her life by a few months. Cigna says it doesn't have a financial interest but only administers the employer's plan.

[Images (4)]

[Videos (1)]

Krikor Sarkisyan, right, father of Nataline Sarkisyan, speaks as his son Bedros listens, during a news conference in Los Angeles, Friday, Dec. 21, 2007. The family of the 17-year-old girl, who died hours... (Associated Press)

A photo of Nataline Sarkisyan is shown during a news conference in Los Angeles, Friday, Dec. 21, 2007. The family of the 17-year-old girl, who died hours after her health insurer CIGNA reversed a decision... (Associated Press)

Democratic presidential hopeful, former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., hugs a member of the audience following a campaign stop in Keene, N.H., Jan. 6, 2008. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) (Associated Press)

Democratic presidential hopeful, former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., addresses the audience at a campaign stop in Keene, N.H., Sunday, Jan. 6, 2008. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) (Associated Press)

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Was Company at Fault in Teen's Death?