Just a Kid

Once again the private health Insurance Industry shows how inhuman they are.It is about the cold blodded murder of a teenage girl by Bean Counters and greed- People need to read this! You can't just celebrate Merry Christmas & Happy New Year remain blind to the cruelty that surrounds us from the #### of this Earth- This family just wanted the best for their child , just like any of us would have wanted- We are a "sick" society-

GLENDALE, California (AP) -- A 17-year-old died just hours after her health insurance company reversed its decision not to pay for a liver transplant that doctors said the girl needed.


Krikor Sarkisyan holds a picture Friday of his daughter, Nataline, who died the day before.

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

"She passed away, and the insurance (company) is responsible for this," she said.

"They took my daughter away from me," said Nataline's father, Krikor, who appeared at a news conference Friday with his 21-year-old son, Bedros.

Mark Geragos, attorney for the girl's family, 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. Watch as the family takes on CIGNA »

Nataline had been battling leukemia and received a bone marrow transplant from her brother. She developed a complication, however, that caused her liver to fail.

Doctors at UCLA determined she needed a transplant and sent a letter to CIGNA Healthcare on December 11. The Philadelphia-based health insurance company denied payment for the transplant.

On Thursday, about 150 teenagers and nurses protested outside CIGNA's office in Glendale. As the protesters rallied, the company reversed its decision and said it would approve the transplant.

Despite the reversal, CIGNA said in an e-mail statement before she died that there was a lack of medical evidence showing the procedure would work in Nataline's case.

"Our hearts go out to Nataline and her family, as they endure this terrible ordeal," the company said. " ... CIGNA HealthCare has decided to make an exception in this rare and unusual case and we will provide coverage should she proceed with the requested liver transplant."

In their letter, the UCLA doctors said patients in situations similar to Nataline's who undergo transplants have a six-month survival rate of about 65 percent.


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

Officials with CIGNA could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday night

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