California Marines Caught Up In $67M Kickback Scheme Involving Compound Drugs
The investigation is part of a larger effort to revamp how TRICARE bills for such drugs, which are custom-made by pharmacists to tailor to a patient’s specific needs.
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Pharmacy And Medical Practice Accused Of Using San Diego Marines In $67 Million Healthcare Fraud
A small pharmacy in Utah and a doctor’s office in Tennessee have been implicated in an alleged kickback scheme that used San Diego County Marines to defraud the military’s health insurance provider out of at least $67 million, according to court records filed in San Diego by federal authorities. The allegations add to a growing number of investigations into fraudulent prescriptions of compound medications – high-priced drugs custom-made by pharmacists to tailor to a patient’s specific needs. The investigations have led to arrests in similar cases across the country and a change in how TRICARE — which serves 9.4 million active, retired and reserve military and their families — bills for such drugs. (Davis, 8/18)
In other news from across California —
KPBS Public Media:
San Diego Seniors Plan Protest Of Proposed Medicare Cuts
The House Republicans' proposed budget would cut Medicare by $487 billion over 10 years. A group of San Diego seniors called the Senior Action Movement says no way. A group of San Diego seniors called the Senior Action Movement says no way. The group plans to demonstrate Aug. 23 during the afternoon rush hour near the corner of Genesee Avenue and Nobel Drive in La Jolla.(Goldberg, 8/21)
Sacramento Bee:
Religious Leaders Demand Comprehensive Plan For Ending Homelessness In Sacramento
Sacramento’s spiritual community, citing an alarming increase in homelessness, has issued a “call to action” for a comprehensive, collaborative plan to get thousands of people off the streets in the capital city and beyond. ... A recent census documented that more than 3,600 people are homeless on any given night in Sacramento County, a 30 percent increase since 2015. (Hubert, 8/20)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. Warns Homebuilders, But Not Residents, Of Traffic Pollution Health Risks
For five years, Los Angeles has been issuing health advisories to housing developers, warning of the dangers of building near freeways. But when the city moved to alert residents as well, officials rejected it. Planning commissioners axed a provision to require traffic pollution signs on some new, multifamily developments from an environmental ordinance on the grounds that it would burden developers and hurt market values. (Barboza, 8/20)
Modesto Bee:
Two Residents Stricken By Neurological Illness In Stanislaus County
As Stanislaus County confirmed the first two cases of West Nile disease this year, mosquito abatement districts said regulators have shut down their aerial spraying used to control mosquitoes that spread the debilitating illness. The county Health Services Agency said Friday that a 53-year-old woman and 64-year-old man had been hospitalized with the life-threatening form of West Nile. (Carlson, 8/18)