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Founded in 1984 as a nonprofit Medicaid plan by a former hospital bookkeeper, Elizabeth “Betty” Brinn, Centene has grown into a $60 billion company that employs over 69,000 people and covers 23 million managed care members
Over the years it has acquired a variety of healthcare businesses including Opticare, a vision management services company; US Script, a pharmacy benefit management services company; and Cardium, a disease management services company. These companies currently operate as Envolve. In 2011, Centene formed a correctional healthcare services company that operates under the name Centurion.
In 2014, the Ambetter brand was introduced which offers Health Insurance Marketplace products and in 2016, Centene acquired Health Net and launched the Envolve brand for specialty whole-health solution companies.
Finally, in 2020, Centene joined forces with WellCare and is now serving more than 23 million members across all 50 states in the U.S.
Centene’s main audience is uninsured, underinsured, and low-income individuals. Centene is currently the largest Medicaid managed care organization in the country, and a leader in California, Florida, New York, and Texas, four of the largest Medicaid states.