Â鶹ŮÓÅ

A Kansas City, Kansas, home health care agency and its owner will pay $1.8 million to settle allegations that it paid kickbacks in return for referrals of Medicaid patients to the agency. Best Choice Home Health Care Agency Inc. and its owner, Reginald B. King, will pay the federal government just more than $1 million and the state of Kansas $788,220 to resolve the case, according to court documents unsealed Monday. The case was filed under the False Claims Act by the recipient of the kickbacks, Christopher Thomas of Parkville, Missouri. The act allows citizens to sue on behalf of the government and collect a portion of any recovery if the government decides to intervene, which it did in this case. (Margolies, 10/25)

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Medi-Cal. Today, state leaders will honor the state-federal health insurance system for the poor, recognition that coincidentally coincides with Californians casting mail ballots on three Nov. 8 propositions that have major financial implications for the program. Medi-Cal is the largest insurer in the state and serves 13 million Californians – a number officials say ballooned in the wake of federal health care overhaul. (Luna, 10/25)