A 16-year-old boy died of a drug overdose after his health insurer allegedly refused to pay for him to go to a residential substance abuse program – an “outrageous” decision the late teen’s heartbroken family say killed their son.
In a scathing federal lawsuit obtained by The Independent, the Tennessee couple accuse UnitedHealthcare of, among other things, gross negligence, recklessness, and intentional misconduct, arguing the company breached its duty to provide their child with the “medically necessary” inpatient addiction treatment he needed.
About two months before “John Doe” died, UnitedHealthcare sent his legal guardians a “callous denial letter” in response to their “desperate pleas” to get Doe a bed at a recovery facility that would also furnish much-needed psychotherapy, according to the suit.
Residential treatment for addicted teens should be the standard of care. We need more such programs.
