Cigna accused of defrauding Medicare Advantage program

U.S. prosecutors in Manhattan said on Oct. 17 they filed a civil lawsuit against Cigna Corp. accusing the health insurer of overcharging the government's Medicare Advantage program by making it appear patients were more ill than they actually were, Reuters reports. Prosecutors said Connecticut-based Cigna obtained tens of millions of dollars in Medicare funds between 2012 and 2019 by submitting false diagnoses for patients in cases in which providers retained by the company had not conducted the necessary tests.