CVS Will Dole Out $5 Million To Consumers Who Paid Too Much For Medicare Prescriptions

CVS Caremark Corp. has agreed to cough up a cool $5 million to settle FTC claims it charged seniors and disabled consumers as much as ten times the true value for a host of prescription drugs.The complaint, which also targets Walgreens, alleges the ubiquitous drugstore chain misrepresented the prices of drugs listed under a Medicare Part D package, some of which are used to treat breast cancer symptoms and epilepsy.Not only did the customers pay an inflated price but the mistake caused them to hit their reimbursement limit for Medicare sooner than they expected, leaving them with inadequate coverage. (See how Californians are battling hospital price gouging.) "This settlement puts money back in the pockets of older Americans who struggle to pay for their medications," said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz. "With the cost of health care on the rise, the FTC is especially focused on protecting consumers from any deceptive claims that would cause them to pay more than they should."The $5 million will go toward refunding all affected customers, CVS said Thursday.  In a statement posted to its website, the company pinned the snafu on RxAmerica, a subsidiary it acquired in 2008. Consumers use RxAmerica's website to order prescriptions for their Medicare drug plans from a number of retailers, including CVS and Walgreens."During the course of this two year investigation, our company cooperated fully with the FTC and provided to the government millions of documents as well as access to numerous members of our management team who participated in voluntary interviews and depositions," said Douglas A. Sgarro, in-house counsel for CVS.This is probably the tip of the iceberg when it comes to price gouging regulation. In December, the Obama Administration issued a final rule ordering drug manufacturers that produce "certain critical drugs" to report any interruptions or delays in production to the FDA.The government's take is that any shortage of widely-used drugs could spur companies to artificially hike prices.Now see 7 ways the economy has made Americans healthier > Please follow Your Money on Twitter and Facebook.Join the conversation about this story »See Also:Connecticut Workers Are Getting Paid To Call In Sick, Thanks To A New Law A College Savings Site Got Burned For Allegedly Lifting Bank Account And Personal Information From UsersINFOGRAPHIC: This Is How Women Are Staying Fit Without Ever Going To The GymPresented By:Win New Customers Ads by Pheedo

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