Bob covers the money in health care, focusing on health insurance and hospitals. His stories delve into Medicare Advantage, opaque prescription drug benefits, and how much executives actually make. He is also the author of the Health Care Inc. newsletter. You can reach Bob on Signal at bobjherman.09.

Peter Haytaian, a former top executive at health insurance company Elevance Health, will have to sit for a deposition in the federal government’s case that alleges Elevance committed fraud in its Medicare Advantage plans, a judge ruled late Wednesday.

The decision is a victory for the Department of Justice, which initiated the highly watched case six years ago and has sought to interview Haytaian since February. It also creates a rare chance for a high-ranking official to discuss, under oath, how a Medicare plan operates.

Headshot photo of Peter HaytaianPeter HaytaianCourtesy Elevance

Elevance has blocked the DOJ from accessing Haytaian for a deposition, arguing he “lacks personal knowledge of the business practices at issue” even though he oversaw Elevance’s government health plans for more than four years — which included the period when Elevance allegedly overbilled the government for its Medicare Advantage plans.

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