Five days later, Cole had a severe asthma attack, stopped breathing and collapsed. According to his family, he suffered ...

Bil Schmidtknecht blames pharmacy benefit managers for the death of his son. He won’t rest until he holds them accountable.

Cole Schmidtknecht, 22, had insurance but couldn’t afford to refill his asthma inhaler after the cost jumped from $70 to more than $500.

Cole Schmidtknecht, 22, had insurance but couldn’t afford to refill his asthma inhaler after the cost jumped from $70 to more than $500 at his pharmacy.

The parents of Cole Schmidtknecht, 22, are suing Walgreens and OptumRx, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, over the Wisconsin man's death in 2024.

In January 2024, the cost of Cole Schmidtknecht’s maintenance asthma inhaler, which had previously been covered by insurance, was raised from $65 to more than $500, according to his parents.