United States Ex Rel. Sikkenga v. Regence Bluecross Blueshield

LUCERO, Circuit Judge.

Concerned that “two companies [were] bilking the United States out of millions of dollars,” Edyth Sikkenga brought suit under the False Claims Act (“FCA”), 31 U.S.C. § 3729(a), alleging that her former employer, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah (“Regence”), three Regence managers, and Associated Regional and University Pathologists (“ARUP”) presented false Medicare claims to the Government. Sikkenga also presented the claim that Regence submitted a false budget payment request to the Health Care Financing Authority (“HCFA”),1 the agency that manages Medicare, and…