Affiliates of Kaiser Permanente, the healthcare consortium headquartered in Oakland, have agreed to pay $556 million to resolve allegations that they violated the federal False Claims Act by submitting invalid diagnosis codes for their Medicare Advantage Plan enrollees in order to receive higher payments from the government. The civil settlement includes the resolution of certain claims brought in lawsuits under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Ronda Osinek and Dr. James M. Taylor, former employees of Kaiser Permanente.
SAN FRANCISCO Kaiser Permanente affiliates will pay $556 million to settle a lawsuit that alleged the health care giant committed Medicare fraud and pressured doctors to list incorrect diagnoses on medical records to receive higher reimbursements, federal prosecutors said. The deal announced Wednesday came more than four years after the U.S. Department of Justice filed the legal claim in San Francisco that consolidated allegations made in six whistleblower complaints.
Check the inbox of the email account Kaiser has on file for you. On Monday, Jan. 12, emails were sent from Settlement Administrator with the subject line Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlement Kaiser Privacy Breach Settlement. Copy the Class Member ID Number that's at the top of the email, then click the link for the settlement website. There you can select the Online Claim Form tab and fill out the required form. The deadline to submit it is March 12.
Kaiser Permanente, the largest private health insurer in California, has announced it will make Covid-19 vaccinations available for free to all of its members over 6 months of age. The provider expects to have the new 2025-2026 vaccine in stock starting on September 15. The decision, the insurer said in a statement to The Oaklandside, "is based on the latest scientific evidence and clinical guidance from our physician experts and many other sources, including leading medical societies."
Sydney Simpson, a registered Kaiser nurse and member of the California Nurses Association, expressed deep concern over the lack of alternatives for transgender youth seeking care, stating, 'I've heard questions like, "Well, where can we go instead?" And the answer is, I don't know. And I don't know that there will be an answer any time soon.' This highlights the urgency and need for continued support for gender-affirming services as regulations shift.”},{
"Since January, there has been significant focus by the federal government on gender-affirming care, specifically for patients under the age of 19. This has included executive orders instructing federal agencies to take actions to curtail access and restrict funding for gender-affirming care..."
Michael G. Ryan filed a lawsuit against Kaiser Permanente San Diego after developing a life-threatening infection post-knee replacement surgery, alleging lapses in sterilization at Zion Medical Center.