A newly unsealed lawsuit shows that Attorney General Dave Yost accuses health-care giant Centene and two subsidiaries of taking part "in a conspiracy to wrongfully and unlawfully obtain ... tens of millions of dollars" in Medicaid payments meant to help the most vulnerable Ohioans.
Aside from seeking damages triple what Yost said was improperly taken, Yost proposes a potentially bigger blow: barring the three companies from participating in Ohio's federal-state Medicaid program, which could cost them hundreds of millions of dollars.
It's the most serious accusation yet in Ohio's drive to go after pharmacy benefit managers and related entities that have caused financial and legal headaches in Ohio for years — especially related to the $3.9 billion allocated for prescription drugs under Medicaid, which provides health-care coverage for the poor and disabled.