Teen died of an overdose after UnitedHealthcare denied addiction treatment, heartbroken family says
A 16-year-old boy died of a drug overdose after his family's insurer allegedly refused to pay for him to go to a residential substance abuse program – an 'outrageous' decision the late teen's heartbroken parents 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 parents 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.
The missive from UnitedHealthcare, the suit goes on, 'gave this shocking reason for denying the request: 'You have not tried all lower levels of care available in your area. You can learn to control your behaviors and stay at home. You can learn coping skills in your home. Your family can support you as you get treatment.''
However, UnitedHealthcare's argument fell flat, the lawsuit contends. The need for residential care 'was glaringly obvious from John Doe's medical history and condition,' it says.
'Because he did not receive the medically necessary treatment… John Doe died of a drug overdose on May 30, 2024,' it states, describing UnitedHealthcare's denial of coverage as 'the proximate and actual cause' of Doe's death.
'UnitedHealthcare's denial of treatment for this boy was absolutely mind-blowing,' the family's attorney, Malcolm B. Futhey III, told The Independent. 'His past treatment clearly indicated he needed residential mental-health care. UnitedHealthcare coldly refused such treatment suggesting that he 'learn to control [his] behaviors and stay at home.' He then soon died. All that's left to show for his death so far are UnitedHealthcare's savings. His family intends to change that.'
A UnitedHealthcare spokesperson, as well as the lawyer defending UnitedHealthcare in the lawsuit, did not respond to requests for comment.
Doe's parents, who are identified in court filings as Jane Doe 1 and John Doe 2, and his sister, Jane Doe 2, declined, via Futhey, to be interviewed.
Amid deep resentment among Americans at health insurers, primarily over denied claims, UnitedHealthcare reported record profits in 2024. According to data compiled by the Kaiser Family Foundation, UnitedHealthcare rejects claims at a 33 percent rate, the second-highest in the nation. (The company says it in fact pays 'about 90 percent of medical claims upon submission.') UnitedHealthcare is presently embroiled in a class-action suit involving allegations it used a faulty AI algorithm to wrongfully deny member claims; at the same time, the cost of health insurance has hit historic highs.
Last December, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally gunned down in Midtown Manhattan as he headed to an annual investors' conference. Luigi Mangione, the Ivy League-educated Pennsylvania man accused of the crime, subsequently became a folk hero to some. Mangione, who is facing the death penalty and has pleaded not guilty, was not insured by UnitedHealthcare, according to the company. Investigators have not publicly released an official motive for the killing.
'Thoughts and deductibles to the family,' one online commenter wrote. 'Unfortunately, my condolences are out of network.' Others posted horror stories about their own experiences with UnitedHealthcare.
'Remembering the day United Healthcare denied a one-night hospital stay for my 12yo child as 'medically unnecessary' following ASD heart repair surgery,' one mother posted on social media. 'I was apoplectic with rage.'
'Today I'm thinking about the time United Healthcare suddenly decided to stop paying for my chemotherapy and didn't bother telling me, so the nurses had to tell me when I checked in at the cancer center for my next treatment,' someone else posted.
In John Doe's case, his parents had 'repeatedly requested' that UnitedHealthcare approve a stay to treat his drug and mental health issues in a residential treatment center, a level of care their lawsuit says was medically necessary. Doe was covered by TennCare, Tennessee's state Medicaid program for low-income families, which is administered and managed by UnitedHealthcare, according to the suit.
Under the arrangement, Tennessee pays UnitedHealthcare a set monthly amount for each TennCare recipient. UnitedHealthcare earns a profit if it pays out less in provider fees than it gets from the state, the lawsuit explains.
'John Doe had a drug addiction for which he had repeatedly received… acute treatment,' the suit states. 'However, UnitedHealthcare never approved the medically necessary [residential treatment]... UnitedHealthcare's wrongful actions caused the death of 16-year-old John Doe.'
Doe's parents and sister are now seeking compensatory damages of at least $10 million from UnitedHealthcare, for pain, mental anguish, suffering, loss of companionship, medical expenses, and lost wages, and double that amount in punitive damages.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Low-calorie diets linked to surprising mental health effect, new research shows
Embarking on a low-calorie diet could potentially lead to negative mental health, researchers in Toronto, Canada, have revealed. A new study, published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health, investigated how the adoption of restrictive diets could instigate depressive symptoms. Using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, researchers analyzed nearly 29,000 adults who reported their dietary habits and also completed a mental health questionnaire. Rates Of Dementia Are Lower In People Who Eat This Specific Diet, Research Shows Nearly 8% of these adults reported depressive symptoms. Compared to those who did not follow a specific diet, those who stuck to a calorie-restrictive diet — including overweight individuals — saw an increase in depressive symptom severity, the study found. Read On The Fox News App People who followed a nutrient-restricted diet saw a larger increase in symptoms, while men who followed any diet reportedly showed "higher somatic symptom scores" compared to non-dieters. The researchers concluded that there are "potential implications of widely followed diets on depressive symptoms, and a need for tailored dietary recommendations based on BMI and sex." Judith S. Beck, PhD, president of the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy in Pennsylvania, reacted to these findings in an interview with Fox News Digital. The expert, who was not involved in the research, noted that it only showed an association between low-calorie diets and depression. 10 Best Diets Of 2025 As Chosen By Nutrition Experts "This is an important distinction, [because] correlation does not equal causation, and having a few depressive symptoms does not mean you have the condition of depression," she said. Beck noted that depression and negative emotions can also be caused by multiple cognitive, emotional or behavioral factors that are "more directly associated with depressive symptoms." Certified holistic nutritionist Robin DeCicco in New York City commented that most Americans would benefit from losing weight, as 70% of Americans are overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This can be done by reducing the intake of sugary drinks and processed foods, and learning how to incorporate more whole foods like lean protein, vegetables, fruits and nuts, recommended DeCicco, who also was not involved in the study. This Weight Loss Plan Performs Better Than Traditional Dieting, Study Finds The nutritionist also warned against following fad diets. "It's not sustainable or healthy to follow these trends because, most often, they are not educating the public on the type of nutrients you need to function mentally and physically, which is why it doesn't surprise me that people can experience depressive and cognitive-affective symptoms when losing weight." The quality of calories "matters dramatically," DeCicco noted. "While weight loss is about calories in and calories out, it's also about the type of calories and what we need for fuel, protection against disease, and mental and physical satisfaction," she said. "Food has the power to help us or harm us, and if we're not eating certain foods known to promote mental well-being, we will definitely suffer from cognitive impairment and unstable mood." As an example, cutting out fats because they're high in calories — like salmon, avocado, olive oil and nuts — also cuts out nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, which can reduce inflammation, prevent disease and improve cognition, mood and brain health, DeCicco noted. "If someone wants to lose weight but also has a health history of cognitive decline or is diagnosed with depression, it is even more important to emphasize the food groups mentioned above," DeCicco added. Click Here To Sign Up For Our Health Newsletter Beck echoed the importance of eating in a "very healthy way," while also recommending that people consider cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). For more Health articles, visit "CBT helps people learn the cognitive (thinking) and behavioral skills they need to eat as healthily as possible given their circumstances, and to change their thinking so they can make long-term changes in their eating and improve their overall health," she said. Fox News Digital reached out to the study researchers for article source: Low-calorie diets linked to surprising mental health effect, new research shows
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
Republicans May Find They Need to Get Behind the ACA
House Republicans' reconciliation bill seeks to pay for $5 trillion of tax cuts by slashing health-care spending, potentially leaving millions of Americans uninsured. The job of averting this self-inflicted disaster now falls to the Senate. The legislation seeks to cut $793 billion from Medicaid, the health program for the poor. Half this sum will come from requiring beneficiaries under 65 to work, look for employment or volunteer, with some exemptions. The new rules are slated to start in late 2026 — moved up from 2029 — after some lawmakers objected that savings wouldn't materialize soon enough.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
‘Japanese walking' trend may be better than 10,000 steps a day — and you only need 30 minutes
Americans love to say they're too busy to break a sweat — but a viral fitness trend is blowing that excuse out of the water. Enter 'Japanese walking,' a simple, science-backed exercise routine that promises serious gains in just 30 minutes. 'All movement is medicine, but if you're short on time or want to get the most bang for your buck, this is for you,' strength training coach Eugene Teo said in a recent TikTok. 4 A majority of Americans don't meet the CDC's weekly exercise recommendations. bignai – It's long been said that taking 10,000 steps per day is the key to better health, with research linking regular walking to improved cardiovascular fitness, improved sleep quality and even a lower dementia risk. But that magic number isn't rooted in science. Instead, it originated from a marketing campaign to promote a Japanese pedometer in the 1960s. And let's be real, carving out the two hours it takes to hit that mark isn't going to happen for most Americans. In surveys, nearly half say they're too busy with work and other obligations to exercise at all. Japanese walking might be the solution, offering a more efficient way to achieve the health benefits typically linked to 10,000 steps a day in a fraction of the time. In a 2007 study, Japanese researchers recruited 246 adults with an average age of 63 and divided them into three groups. One group did no walking at all. Another group walked at a steady, moderate pace, aiming for 8,000 or more steps a day at least four times per week. 4 It takes the average person between 1.75 and 2.5 hours to walk 10,000 steps. oasisamuel – The third group practiced interval walking by walking slowly for three minutes, then walking quickly at a hard effort for three minutes. They repeated this cycle for 30 minutes, four or more days per week. Researchers found that interval walking was superior to continuous walking for improving blood pressure, blood glucose levels and body mass index. It also led to the greatest improvements in leg muscle strength and aerobic capacity, which measures the maximum amount of oxygen the body can take in and use during exercise. The low-impact regimen might even hold the key to staying in shape as you get older. A longer-term study found that the Japanese walking method helps protect against the decline in strength and fitness that naturally occurs with aging. 4 Japanese walking can be tailored to fit all fitness levels. lordn – Interval walking is 'one of the most overlooked yet incredibly effective tools for improving long-term health, especially among middle-aged and older adults,' Dr. Ramit Singh Sambyal, a general physician, told Verywell Health. 'By simply alternating between short periods of brisk walking and slower-paced recovery, we engage the cardiovascular system in a much more dynamic way,' he added. Another perk: completing the 30-minute Japanese walking routine four times a week puts you just thirty minutes short of the CDC's recommendation that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week. Add just one more walking session, or incorporate one of these 30-minute workouts, and you'll be among the few Americans who actually hit that target. 4 Interval walking may be more effective than traditional walking for improving cardiovascular fitness. bongkarn – Tips and tricks to master Japanese walking To make sure you're hitting the right pace, use a fitness tracker that measures your heart rate. During those three minutes of brisk walking, aim for 70% to 85% of your maximum heart rate. When you slow down, let it drop to 40% to 50%. No tracker? No problem. Try the 'talk test.' At a brisk pace, you should be able to say a few words but need to catch your breath quickly. At a leisurely pace, you should be able to chat comfortably. And if you're worried about keeping up a brisk pace for a full three minutes, experts say it's okay to start small. 'Try walking at your regular pace for a few minutes, then pick up the speed for 20 to 30 seconds, and repeat,' Dr. Sarah F. Eby, a sports medicine specialist, told Healthline. 'As your body adapts to this new exercise stimulus, you can gradually increase the duration of the faster walking bouts,' she added.
