An Inland Empire public agency overseeing a government-run health insurance program lied in order to keep money it wasn’t entitled to, alleges a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Department officials on Wednesday, Sept. 17, announced a lawsuit filed in federal court against Inland Empire Health Plan that alleges it broke federal law by making false claims regarding Medi-Cal, the state’s version of the federal Medicaid program that provides health coverage to the poor and disabled.
“Today’s lawsuit against IEHP shows our steadfast commitment to hold accountable insurers that brazenly compromise the Medicaid system,” Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a news release.
He added: “We will take every measure to restore integrity and accountability to the Medicaid system and ensure that patient care — not financial gain — is the primary focus of our health care system.”
A spokesperson for the health plan could not be immediately reached Wednesday afternoon for comment.
Based in Rancho Cucamonga and run by a governing board that includes county supervisors in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, the nonprofit health plan insures more than 1.8 million Inland residents.
As of June, 4 in 10 Inland residents were on Medi-Cal, though not all of them are enrolled through the health plan that is being sued.
According to the justice department’s release, the health plan “developed schemes to misuse” Medi-Cal funding made available through a 2014 expansion of the...
The California Department of Justice has sued Inland Empire Health Plan for allegedly submitting false claims to Medicaid. The lawsuit alleges IEHP misused funds and knowingly retained overpayment...