Health Insurer's U-Turn Too Late For Girl

[Guest guest]

From Sky news

A 17-year-old girl has died just hours after her health insurance

provider finally agreed to pay for a liver transplant.

CIGNA reversed their decision after mounting pressureNataline

Sarkisyan passed away on Thursday night at UCLA medical centre in

California, US.

Her insurance firm had initially refused to fund the operation

before reversing its decision and promising to cough up for the

procedure.

But the last minute u-turn came too late for the teenager and her

mother blames the company for Nataline's death.

She had been in a vegetative state for weeks, said her mum Hilda.

" She passed away, and the insurance (company) is responsible for

this, " she insisted.

Nataline had been battling leukemia and received a bone marrow

transplant from her brother.

But she developed a complication that caused her liver to fail.

Doctors at UCLA determined she needed a transplant and sent a letter

to insurer CIGNA on December 11.

But the Philadelphia-based health insurance company initially

refused to fund the operation.