From the canceling of nearly $2 billion in projects to a terminated contract with Tenet, here are nine Centene updates published by Becker's since Aug. 1.
1. Montgomery County, Md., officials invited St. Louis-based Centene to relocate its headquarters to the area, citing less restrictive abortion laws. The county sent letters to Centene and Louisville, Ky.-based Humana, which are both located in states where abortion is now banned. Companies that relocate may receive financial incentives.
2. Six people are suing Centene and its subsidiary, Celtic Insurance, for allegedly failing to pay for covered services and selling health plans on ACA marketplaces that have inaccurate provider networks.
3. Centene board chair James Dallas will step down from his role before the company's 2023 stockholder meeting, the payer said Aug. 1. Mr. Dallas intends to stay on as a company director and run for that position again next year, Centene said.
4. Centene is no longer moving forward with the remainder of a $775 million expansion of its corporate campus in Clayton, Mo. The first phase of the project was a 27-story office tower, which has been completed. The second phase was put on hold in December 2020. It included another tower, a hotel, a 1,000-seat civic auditorium and parking garages. The payer told Clayton officials it is no longer seeking to build the auditorium, which some public subsidies were contingent upon.
5, Centene canceled plans to build a $1 billion, 2.4 million-square-foot East Coast headquarters in North Carolina because of the shift to hybrid and remote work.
6. Centene subsidiary Health Net of California was one of three plans awarded contracts in Medi-Cal's first ever statewide managed care plan procurement process, but the insurer said it was disappointed to learn it did not win contracts in three counties it has a "deep history in serving."
7. Centene issued a notice of termination for its contract with Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare beginning next year over reimbursement rates, a move that would impact 3 million members nationwide.
8. Centene named Ashlee Knuckey as chief ethics and compliance officer. Ms. Knuckey has nearly 13 years of experience with handling regulatory issues, primarily in healthcare.
9. Centene agreed to pay $19 million to the state of Washington and $13 million to the federal government to settle allegations it overcharged the state Medicaid program for pharmacy benefit management services.