How to Respond if Your Company Attempts to Push You

National pharmacy chain Walgreens recently settled a pair of False Claims Act (FCA) lawsuits with the federal government for a total of $269 million. The claims involved allegations of improper billing.

In the first lawsuit, Walgreens was alleged to have billed federal healthcare programs (including Medicaid and Medicare) for distributing insulin pens to hundreds of thousands of people who never actually received them. This was the larger of the two settlements, culminating in a $209.2 million payment to the federal government. The CIA alleged Walgreens routinely allowed pharmacists to dispense less than a box of five insulin pens, after which the company would submit false reimbursement claims information showing the total daily doses of insulin did not exceed the limits of the program. As a result, Walgreens received millions of dollars it should not have.

The second claim featured allegations that Walgreens overbilled Medicaid by failing to disclose a drug discount program that offered lower prices. For that claim, the company settled and agreed to pay $60 million.

You can start a False Claims Act case

As a private citizen, you have a right to bring a False Claims Act lawsuit yourself against a company or other individual on behalf of the federal government. The government can then decide if it wishes to join in on the suit, and compensate you in the event of a successful case for your role in initiating the court action.

If you have information about fraudulent schemes being conducted by a company of any size or kind, speak with a skilled whistleblower attorney at Kardell Law Group right away.