Two Medicare Advantage insurers in Florida, which were accused of exaggerating patient illnesses in order to over-bill the government, have settled a lawsuit for nearly $32 million. The lawsuit was filed in 2009 by whistleblower Darren Sewell, who worked as medical director for the Tampa-based insurers, Freedom Health and Optimum HealthCare. Sewell said the insurers would claim that patients were treated for conditions they didn’t have, among other allegations, in order to get more money from the government. The insurers’ attorney said it was settling the suit “without any admission of liability in order to avoid delay and the expense of litigation.”
