NBC News Transcripts
December 22, 2007 Saturday
SHOW: Saturday Today 7:00 AM EST NBC

Family accuses insurance company of causing teen’s death

ANCHORS: AMY ROBACH, LESTER HOLT

REPORTERS: PETER ALEXANDER

AMY ROBACH, co-host:

And now to a family mourning the loss of their teenage daughter and
accusing her insurance company of causing her death. NBC’s Peter
Alexander has more.

PETER ALEXANDER reporting:

Just hours after Nataline Sarkisyan’s death, her family spoke out,
heartbroken and angry.

Mr. KRIKOR SARKISYAN (Nataline’s Father): These Cigna people, they
cannot make people’s decision if they going to live or die.

ALEXANDER: For three weeks, 17-year-old Nataline, a leukemia patient,
was hospitalized and in a coma. Her health insurance company, Cigna,
refused to pay for the liver transplant she desperately needed,
claiming it wasn’t covered and experimental. On Thursday, dozens of
protesters, including nurses and friends, rallied outside the
company’s offices, convincing Cigna to reverse course. Nataline’s mom
broke the news.

Nataline’s Mother: Cigna just approved us.

ALEXANDER: But by then it was too late. Nataline died that night.

Mr. MARK GERAGOS (Family Attorney): Cigna Health Corporation
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literally, maliciously, killed her.

ALEXANDER: Geragos called Cigna’s actions callous and criminal,
claiming the company took Nataline off its transplant list twice.
He’s now pushing prosecutors to consider manslaughter or murder
charges.

Krikor Sarkisyan says his only daughter was his angel. After her
death, the Armenian immigrant says he, his wife and their son slept
in a single bed and wept.

Mr. SARKISYAN: I have a pain. I don’t know when it’s going to go
away. It’s never going to go away. They took my daughter.

ALEXANDER: Just before Thanksgiving, Nataline’s brother donated bone
marrow to help his sister.

Mr. BEDIG SARKISYAN (Nataline’s Brother): I never lost hope for her.
I swear to God I thought she was going to come home.

ALEXANDER: In a short statement, Cigna offered its deepest sympathies
to Nataline’s family.

TEXT:

"Our deepest sympathies are with Nataline’s family. Their loss is
immeasurable, and our thoughts and prayers are with them. We deeply
hope that the outpouring of concern, care and love that are being
expressed for Nataline’s family help them at this time."

ALEXANDER: On her Web site, a friend wrote, "Rest in peace,
sweetheart. If you only knew how many people fought for you." For
TODAY, Peter Alexander, NBC News,
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Los Angeles.

ROBACH: And now once again, here’s Lester.

LESTER HOLT, co-host:

Thanks, Amy.