Death by spreadsheet

by: Scarce

Fri Dec 21, 2007 at 14:13:48 PM EST

In today's Hartford Courant there was a rather nondescript story filed ironically in the Business section. It began like this:

As a protest was being staged against CIGNA HealthCare on Thursday, the company reversed its denial and agreed to pay for a liver transplant for a California girl who is critically ill.

CIGNA had initially refused to cover the transplant for Nataline Sarkisyan, calling it experimental in her case. The 17-year-old, who has recurring leukemia, has been on a waiting list for a new liver because she developed complications after a bone marrow transplant and chemotherapy.

Late last night Nataline died.

GLENDALE, Calif.(CBS) ― A 17-year-old girl from Northridge died Thursday night, just hours after insurance giant CIGNA reversed itself and agreed to approve a liver transplant for the cancer survivor.

CIGNA declined to pay for the transplant for Nataline Sarkisyan because her plan does not cover "experimental, investigational and unproven services," her doctors said.

The reversal was announced at the rally attended by a crowd estimated by organizers at 150. Hundreds of telephone callers also clogged lines at CIGNA offices around the nation Thursday on Nataline's behalf.

http://cbs2.com/local/nataline...

The second video was put on YouTube by her brother a few days ago.