Texas Man Dies by Suicide After Walgreens Delay of Crucial Medication

A 78-year-old Texas man died by suicide days after Walgreens informed his wife that a prescription for his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) medication was delayed due to an insurance query. Kenney Blewett shot himself in his home on June 7, according to KFF Health News.

His wife, Cindy, stated that Blewett had been struggling with his mental health, which worsened as his COPD symptoms deteriorated. She described his flare-ups as "the scariest thing in the world." Blewett had lost 45 pounds and was largely house-bound due to his condition.

Five days before his death, Blewett had seen his pulmonologist, who prescribed a new medication intended to reduce the frequency of his COPD flare-ups. However, Blewett never received the medication.

A Walgreens employee informed Cindy Blewett after her husband's death that the pharmacy had attempted to process the prescription but was awaiting a diagnosis code from the doctor. Blewett's pulmonologist later told Cindy that they never received a request for a diagnosis code from Walgreens.

Cindy Blewett learned that her husband's local Walgreens had flagged the liquid medication as requiring preauthorization two days after his appointment. When she inquired about the delay, she was told about the preauthorization requirement but not which part of her husband's Medicare plan was involved. Blewett had Medicare Parts A and B, a private Part D plan for drug costs, and a supplemental plan through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas.

Following Blewett's death, his wife discovered that Medicare Part B had no record of the medication, despite it being covered under the plan. A Walgreens district pharmacy supervisor later told her that the pharmacy had attempted to process the medication through Part B but could not due to a missing diagnosis code on June 2, the day of Blewett's appointment.

Cindy Blewett expressed uncertainty about the exact circumstances that led to the delay. In his suicide note, Blewett cited his deteriorating health as the reason for his actions. He wrote about his wife's qualities as a spouse and mother but stated that his health had become an unbearable burden.

Weeks after Blewett's death, his wife received a package containing a second COPD medication that had also been ordered by her husband's doctor. "Perhaps, just perhaps if he had received both medications in a timely manner, he would be here today, and we would have had many more years together," Cindy Blewett told KFF Health News. "He was hopeful that it would work. I wish we had the chance to find out."

Walgreens stated to KFF Health News that it could not comment on matters involving specific individuals.