Overcharging for pills is denied
The leader of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California strongly denied allegations contained in a whistle-blower lawsuit unsealed last week that the group overcharged the state and federal government by at least $180 million for birth-control pills.
In a statement released Tuesday, Kathy Kneer, the group’s president and chief executive, called the allegations contained in the federal lawsuit “completely false.”
P. Victor Gonzalez alleges that he was fired in March 2004 as vice president of finance and administration of the Los Angeles affiliate after raising concerns about the “illegal accounting, billing and donations practices of Planned Parenthood.”
Kneer said the state had “thoroughly reviewed our billing practices and said that Planned Parenthood did not act improperly because we were given contradictory guidance on billing from the state.”
In 2004, the Legislature passed a bill that allows Planned Parenthood to bill at a higher rate for oral contraceptives.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
