Ohio AG Files Suit Against OptumRx for Alleged Overcharging

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost went ahead with his threat to sue OptumRx, filing a lawsuit alleging that the pharmacy benefit manager overcharged patients for prescription meds.

Yost accused the company in February of failing to provide contractually-obligated drug discounts as part of an arrangement with the state. The AG alleges that the company owes the state Bureau of Workers’ Compensation $15.8 million in overcharges resulting from the missing discounts to state agencies.

“Our review of PBM practices throughout state government is still ongoing,” Yost said. “These are the first raindrops, but there’s a storm a-comin’.”

Ohio has been spearheading a pushback against alleged unfair practices by PBMs for the past year. Its state Medicaid program announced in August that it would ban the practice of “spread pricing” arrangements in favor of a more transparent “pass-through” pricing model.