Health Insurer To Be Charged With Teen's Murder

[Refugee 7]

The family of a California teenager who died awaiting a liver transplant say they will sue the insurer who they blame for their daughter's death.

Nataline Sarkisyan, a 17-year-old from Glendale, Calif., died Thursday just a few hours after her insurer, CIGNA HealthCare, approved a procedure it had previously described as "too experimental."

Attorney Mark Geragos said that CIGNA "maliciously killed her" and that he hopes to press murder or manslaughter charges against CIGNA HealthCare for the death of Sarkisyan.

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

CINGA appears to have reversed its decision to deny the transplant after about 150 teenagers and nurses protested outside their Glendale office on Thursday. "Protestors are here, the war is here," Hilda Sarkisyan, the girl's mother, told the group hours before her daughter's death. "We have a war here."

The Sarkisyan family claims that CIGN first agreed to the liver transplant surgery and had secured a match weeks ago. After the teen, who was battling leukemia, received a bone marrow transplant from her brother, however, she suffered a lung infection, and the insurer backed away from what it felt had become too risky a procedure.

"They're the ones who caused this. They're the one that told us to go there, and they would pay for the transplant," Hilda Sarkisyan said.

Geri Jenkins of the California Nurses Association said the Sarkisyan had insurance, and medical providers felt comfortable performing the medical procedure. In that situation, the the insurer should defer to medical experts, she said.

"They have insurance, and there's no reason that the doctors' judgment should be overrided by a bean counter sitting there in an insurance office," Jenkins said.

Doctors at the UCLA Medical Center actually signed a letter urging CIGNA to review its decision. Nataline Sarkisyan was sedated into a coma to stabilize her as the family filed appeals in the case.

During the middle of Thursday's protest, Hilda Sarkisyan fielded a call from CIGNA alerting her that her daughter's procedure had been given the green light. CIGNA released a statement announcing the company "decided to make an exception in this rare and unusual case and we will provide coverage should she proceed with the requested liver transplant."

The cheers, however, soon gave way to concern as the the hospital called to say that Nataline's health had taken a serious downturn. The family was forced to make the decision to take her off life support, and she later died. The battle to convince CIGNA to support the medical procedure had taken too long.

"My daughter is, she's in God's hands right now," her father Greg Sarkisyan said.

[Echosoftom 3]

That is so sad and so unfortunate that they didn't approve this procedure sooner. I'll be interested to see the outcome of this case. I certainly hope that this Mark Geragos isn't the same attorney that represented Scott Peterson. That guy is a crackpot!

[emmie 2]

She was battling leukemia AND a liver disease? Hmmmm well was it the liver disease that killed her though or the leukemia. I would say that someone suffering from leukemia and who had undergone a bone marrow transplant sadly wasn't a good candidate for a good liver

[agirl 0]

I'm sick of these HMOs ignoring doctors, and I mean in the plural. They only care how much money they can make for their year end bonus. And Sharon I'm afraid that is the same Mark Geragos. There can't be two of them?? I also wonder how it will come out.

[agirl 0]

I saw the news last night and it is the same Mark Geragos. What a loon.