From announcing a gold card program to filing a lawsuit over its 2027 Medicare Advantage star ratings, here are 10 updates on Centene that Becker’s has reported since Sept. 23:
1. Centene CEO Sarah London said on the company’s third-quarter earnings call that its Medicare Advantage business is on track to break even in 2026, one year earlier than expected.
2. Jeff Davis is joining Centene’s Louisiana Healthcare Connections, a Medicaid plan, as its plan president and CEO.
3. Centene’s headcount dropped 11.8% between the end of 2025 and the third quarter of 2026, down from 61,100 to 53,900 employees.
4. Centene filed a lawsuit against HHS and CMS alleging its 2027 Medicare Advantage star ratings will cost it $448 million.
5. Centene’s ‘Ohana Health Plan is leaving Hawaii’s Medicaid managed care program, QUEST, on Dec. 31.
6. Centene is expanding Custom Health Option and Individual Care Expense Arrangements, formerly known as individual coverage health reimbursement arrangements, to all of its Ohio and Oklahoma employees in plan year 2027.
7. Centene is launching its National Performance-Based Gold Card Program.
8. A Florida appellate court ruled Oct. 7 to expunge a grand jury report regarding a $10 million Centene donation to the Hope Florida Foundation, tied to Florida’s first lady, Casey DeSantis.
9. Centene, UnitedHealthcare and Cigna are among the initial participants in a national shared provider credentialing program.
10. Centene hired Steven Kelts as AI ethicist. Mr. Kelts said he is implementing ethical decision-making frameworks across the insurer’s workforce and is working with a team to build AI governance standards.
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