AG Bonta in collaboration with the United States Department of Justice, today announced a settlement with national pharmacy chain CVS Pharmacy, Inc. over its submissions of false claims to the Medi-Cal program for excessive dispensing of insulin pens. The settlement resolves allegations that between January 2010 and December 2020, CVS broke the law by submitting fraudulent claims to Medi-Cal, intentionally giving patients more insulin than prescribed and lying about refill timelines to get paid for unauthorized, unnecessary medication. The settlement agreement requires CVS to pay $36.5 million total with California’s share being over $2.7  million.

“Today’s settlement holds CVS accountable for its fraudulent drug dispensing and billing practices. Pharmacies have an important responsibility to ensure all claims they submit to Medi-Cal are true and accurate to ensure that Medi-Cal funds go to people who actually need them. My office is committed to protecting the integrity of the Medi-Cal program and recovering ill-gotten funds.” -AG Bonta