February 9, 2023
Centene Corp. has agreed to pay more than $215 million to resolve California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s allegations that the health care company defrauded the Golden State’s Medi-Cal program by falsely reporting higher prescription drug costs incurred by two of its managed care plans, Bonta announced Wednesday.
The St. Louis, Missouri-based company, which is the country’s largest provider of Medicaid insurance plans, agreed to the nine-figure deal, roughly half of which will be paid to the Medi-Cal program in restitution, without admitting liability and in doing so, resolved Bonta’s claims against it under the California False Claims Act.
Bonta said in a statement Wednesday that Medi-Cal is a lifeline that provides access to free or affordable health care services for millions of Californians, and when companies overcharge the Medi-Cal system, it drains valuable resources from the people who rely on the program.
“Today’s settlement is a win — it brings resources directly back to our state,” Bonta said. “At the California Department of Justice, we will continue using every tool we have to fight for California’s vulnerable communities.”
Read Centene Cuts $215M False Claims Act Deal With Calif. AG.
Cohen Milstein was Relator Counsel in this matter.