By Douglas V. Gibbs
We've all heard the stories. Women on the abortion table who changed their minds, and then are forced to have an abortion anyway. Pro-life nurses forced to participate in abortion procedures. And of course there are the accusations that Planned Parenthood affiliates have been fraudulently overbilling the state and federal governments for birth control drugs, resulting in the taxpayer paying more than $180 million.
A case where federal whistleblowers have a lawsuit against the California Planned Parenthood facilities has been reinstated, reversing the original ruling that the whistleblower did not have standing.
The specific allegations include Planned Parenthood affiliates in California marking up the cost of various birth control drugs while seeking government reimbursement. State audits in California and Washington have found proof of Planned Parenthood affiliates overbilling. Knowingly defrauding state and federal taxpayers carries stiff penalties.
The False Claims lawsuit alleges that Planned Parenthood’s irregular billing practices began in the late 1990s and continued until 2004, when Planned Parenthood was able to persuade the state legislature to change the law and allow it to bill the higher rates.
The prosecution is surprised that the reinstatement even was considered, since the decision came from the usually left-leaning Ninth Circuit Court.
Planned Parenthood still has several options. They can still appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, ask that the case be reheard before the entire Ninth Circuit, or challenge the fraud allegations when the case is reconsidered in the district court.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
A Big Win Against Planned Parenthood - American Center for Law and Justice
No comments:
Post a Comment