U.S. Attorney Joints Ill. Lawsuit Against AmeriGroup:

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald has filed a request to join a whistleblower lawsuit against AmeriGroup Illinois that accuses the insurer of defrauding Medicaid, the government health plan for the poor, as means of boosting profit.

The case centers on former AmeriGroup employee Cleveland Tyson, who charges that the insurer submitted false claims for Medicaid reimbursement.

Tyson says the insurer sought Medicaid money from the government even though it avoided enrolling pregnant women and other people with expensive health conditions. Medicaid is funded by both federal and state governments and is administered by state officials.

Fitzgerald will present a motion to intervene in the case last month. He would join Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who also joined the civil lawsuit.