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Little_John_Cupp
Death by Denial
Little John Cupp’s doctor recommended cardiac catheterization to test for artery blockage. His insurance denied the test as “not medically necessary.”

After a second denial, Cupp died of a massive cardiac arrest. The company that denied his doctor’s recommendations is United Healthcare, and the denial was made using an AI algorithm.

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Nataline_Sarkisyan
Death by Denial
Nataline Sarkisyan died at 17.

After CIGNA denied Nataline's critical liver transplant, her family organized a protest that drew nationwide attention. Only then did CIGNA reverse its decision, but the delay cost Nataline her life.

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forrest_vanpatten
Death by Denial
Forrest VanPatten had an aggressive form of lymphoma. His insurance company denied coverage of a clinically proven treatment—his last shot at extending his life.

They broke the law. He died not knowing his home state of Michigan had long required health insurers to cover clinically proven cancer drugs. 

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THERE IS NO JUSTICE FOR THE DEAD

A LEGAL LOOPHOLE ALLOWS INSURANCE COMPANIES TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER

Nataline Sarkisyan died after CIGNA denied a critical liver transplant in 2007. Little John Cupp died in 2024 of a massive cardiac arrest after UnitedHealth Care repeatedly denied his doctor's requests for a test for blocked arteries. Both of their families sought to sue the insurers, but neither with success. Families of those who die due to denied treatments have little legal recourse.

One reason federal courts heavily favor insurers is because of a provision of ERISA, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. Nataline's mother, Hilda Sarkisyan, has stated that her life's goal is to repeal it so that insurance companies can be held accountable for the deaths of patients like Nataline, who should have lived. 

ERISA is also the reason Cupp's family found no justice after his death. Per ProPublica: "Cupp's daughter sued United Healthcare, EviCore, the Adena Regional Medical Center and Cupp’s doctor, accusing them of malpractice, among other allegations. Cupp’s attorney, John Markus, later decided to drop United and EviCore. Lawsuits against employer-funded health plans, like the one Cupp had with United, must be tried in federal court, where case law favors insurance companies. For instance, insurers found at fault do not pay punitive damages, only the cost of treatment."

What this means is that, although his family filed a wrongful death suit, ERISA ensures that damages are limited to the cost of the denied procedure. That meant around $25,000 for losing his life. 

ERISA IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL SHIELDS IN AMERICAN LAW

ERISA has been shielding insurers from accountability for decades. In 1989, Florence Corcoran’s fetus died after United Healthcare refused to approve a hospital stay in the last weeks of a high-risk pregnancy. Corcoran sued. Because of ERISA, the court said, ''the Corcorans have no remedy, state or federal, for what may have been a serious mistake.''  

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INSURERS BREAK THE LAW 

LITTLE TO NO LEGAL REPERCUSSIONS

Regulators never intervened when Forrest VanPatten’s insurer failed to provide coverage for his cancer treatments, even though the law should have protected him. He died without knowing his treatment should have been covered. An investigation by ProPublica found that even when states enact laws to protect patients, state regulatory agencies lack the resources necessary for enforcement. When agencies do step in, it's usually because a policyholder files a complaint, but one study found this happens less than 1% of the time. Patients often do not know which regulatory agency to contact or how to navigate the complex bureaucracy.

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For insurance corporations, breaking the law can be immensely profitable. In one egregious recent example, UnitedHealth Group, along with CVS and Cigna, have been caught charging patients a markup for key life-saving drugs that could easily exceed their cost by a factor of ten or more, according to findings from the Federal Trade Commission. These corporations have raked in an extra $7.3 billion by price gouging.

A CLEAR CASE OF CORPORATE FRAUD

The Department of Justice is investigating UnitedHealth following allegations that the company profited off false diagnoses. Medicare Advantage, which is run by private insurers, covers nearly half of the 68 million Americans on Medicare. Insurers receive payment per patient but they receive more for patients with complex health conditions. Reportedly, UnitedHealth added diagnoses to patients’ records for conditions those patients were never actually treated for, fraudulently collecting an extra 8.7 billion dollars.

THE DOJ INVESTIGATES UNITEDHEALTH

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