Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Walgreens To Pay $269.2M To Settle Whistleblower Lawsuits Accusing Drugstore Of Overbilling The Government
Reuters: Walgreens Pays $269.2 Million To Settle U.S. Civil Fraud Lawsuits
Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc will pay $269.2 million to settle two whistleblower lawsuits accusing it of civil fraud for overbilling federal healthcare programs over a decade, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Tuesday. The pharmacy chain will pay $209.2 million to resolve claims it improperly billed Medicare, Medicaid and other federal programs from 2006 to 2017 for hundreds of thousands of insulin pens it dispensed to patients it knew did not need them. (Stempel, 1/22)
The Wall Street Journal: Walgreens To Pay $269 Million On Claims It Overcharged Federal Programs
In the first settlement, Walgreens agreed to pay $209.2 million to the U.S. and several state governments for improperly billing Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health-care programs for hundreds of thousands of insulin pens it dispensed to program beneficiaries who didn’t need them, according to U.S. officials. Federal prosecutors said Walgreens configured its electronic pharmacy management system to prevent its pharmacists from dispensing less than a full box of five insulin pens, even when patients didn’t need that much. (Thomas, 1/22)
Bloomberg: Walgreens Agrees To Pay $269 Million To U.S. In Fraud Accord
The accords come as scrutiny of health-care costs increases across the country. The Trump administration has been focused on trying to drive down prescription-drug costs, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have introduced bills aimed at capping pharmaceutical prices. States including California have also floated plans to try to rein in spending on prescription drugs. Walgreens is also confronting an increasingly competitive retail and pharmacy landscape after rival CVS Health Corp. agreed to acquire health insurer Aetna Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. bought online pharmacy PillPack. (Dolmetsch and Langreth, 1/22)
