Walgreens accused of excessive fees in health plans lawsuit

Walgreens is being accused of a “grossly inflated” fee bid in a health plans lawsuit, where Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and other insurers have asked a U.S. judge to deny a request for legal fees from the national retail pharmacy chain arising from a dispute over evidence in a court case, reports Reuters. Walgreens is defending against the claims that it owes hundreds of millions of dollars to Blue Cross Blue Shield plaintiffs.

The health care plans contend Walgreens “sought prescription-drug reimbursements at amounts higher than what the retailer had charged to consumers through a savings program,” according to Reuters. 

The insurers said in a Chicago federal court filing that Walgreens’ attorneys are also seeking excessive fees of more than $103,000 for the work of 11 lawyers on a single court motion in the litigation.

In a related case in a Washington, D.C., federal court, Walgreens is fighting a $642 million arbitration award won by Humana over similar allegations for prescription drug reimbursements.