Texas COPD patient dies by suicide days after insurance issue delayed new medication

Kenney Blewett of Kyle, Texas, who had lived with lung disease for more than a decade, died by suicide on the night of June 7, hours after a flare-up of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). 1 2 His wife, Cindy, said his flare-ups had become more frequent, he had lost 45 pounds, and his health, tied to decades of smoking, was worsening. 1 2 On June 2, his pulmonologist, Rajesh Shetty of LungDocs, prescribed a new liquid medication to be inhaled through a nebulizer, but it was not filled immediately; two days later Walgreens emailed that, "due to an insurance issue that we're working to resolve," it was delayed. 1 2

Cindy Blewett said a Walgreens employee told her the prescription required prior authorization, but she did not know which of her husband's insurers was involved: he had Medicare Parts A and B, a private Part D plan through Wellcare Value Script, and a Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas Medigap plan. 1 2 Because the drug is inhaled through a nebulizer, it fell under Medicare Part B's durable medical equipment benefit rather than Part D, and Medicare told Cindy by phone that it had no record of the prescription being billed to Part B; Medigap plans do not require prior authorization. 1 2 Accounts of the cause conflict: a Walgreens district supervisor told Cindy the pharmacy tried to process the prescription through Part B on June 2 but it lacked a physician's diagnostic code and a request was sent to the pulmonologist's office, while an employee of that practice said they saw no fax from Walgreens. 1 2

Walgreens spokesperson Carmen Lopez said the company "cannot comment on matters involving specific individuals", and spokespeople for Centene, Wellcare Value Script's parent company, would not answer questions. 1 2 Cindy said the local Walgreens seemed understaffed for months after the chain's acquisition by a private equity firm, and that she has sought answers from Medicare, the Part D plan, the doctor's office and Walgreens without establishing who was responsible; she said, "Short of getting attorneys involved, I'm not sure how to find out what really happened." 1 2 Cindy said her husband had long struggled with his mental health and had attempted suicide once years earlier, and that a note he left said his health was too poor to continue living. 2

The article places the case in wider concerns about insurance delays: a January KFF poll found nearly 7 in 10 adults call them "a major problem", the 2025 voluntary insurer pledge on prior authorization carries no penalties, and Medicare began a six-state pilot, including Texas, using AI to preapprove some services, which does not currently cover COPD medications. 1 Mike Hess of the COPD Foundation said confusion over Part B and Part D rules is common even among medical office and pharmacy staff. 1