Centene Corporation reports news on its government-sponsored managed care business, including Medicaid, Medicare, individual exchange coverage and Medicare Part D plans. Company updates commonly cover quarterly results, EPS guidance, membership by line of business and health-plan subsidiary activity across state markets.
Centene news also includes initiatives from the Centene Foundation and operating companies such as Health Net, Superior HealthPlan, Home State Health, Sunshine Health, Buckeye Health Plan, Carolina Complete Health and WellCare of Kentucky. Recurring themes include affordable housing, medically tailored meals, provider accessibility, workforce development, community health, social services and programs that address drivers of health for managed care members.
Ambetter from Meridian (CNC) announced its return to Metro Detroit’s Health Insurance Marketplace for the 2027 plan year. Coverage options will be available to individuals and families in Wayne, Oakland, Monroe and Macomb counties. Open enrollment for 2027 Marketplace coverage began November 1, 2026. Consumers can explore coverage options, compare plans and review benefits at AmbetterHealth.com.
Meridian Health Plan of Illinois, a Centene (CNC) company, announced a $1,185,000 multiyear maternal-health partnership with March of Dimes. The partnership is intended to expand access to maternal and infant health services across Chicagoland.
Funding will support community events, with $1,100,000 allocated to help grow March of Dimes' Mom & Baby Mobile Health Center program. A new mobile unit is scheduled for programming in early 2027. The collaboration began with three pop-up clinics and has expanded through virtual and in-person events.
National Healthcare and Housing Advisors (NHHA) marked five years of operation with care campuses across California and further expansion underway. Its campuses provide recuperative care, a place to recover after hospital discharge for people without safe housing.
In June 2026, Health Net, a subsidiary of Centene (NYSE: CNC), and the Centene Foundation announced a $10 million investment supporting expansion of NHHA's Long Beach campus, including a Children & Families program serving Medi-Cal members. Sacramento approved 100 additional beds, bringing planned capacity to 150; a $100,000 Anthem Blue Cross grant helped launch its first 50 beds. Sacramento and Imperial Valley are undergoing expansion. NHHA expects hundreds more beds to come online before year-end and has active development underway in five other states.
Centene (NYSE: CNC) raised its full-year 2026 adjusted diluted earnings guidance to greater than $5.20 per share after reporting third-quarter results. The adjusted outlook increased by $0.40; GAAP diluted EPS guidance rose to greater than $3.46. Third-quarter GAAP loss per share narrowed to $0.14 from $13.50 a year earlier, while adjusted EPS increased to $0.58 from $0.50.
Premium and service revenues increased 0.5% to $45.105 billion. The health benefits ratio, medical costs relative to premium revenues, remained at 92.7%. Centene improved its expected full-year ratio midpoint by 15 basis points to 90.75%. Quarterly operating cash outflow was $3.669 billion, primarily reflecting payment timing. Debt fell by $1.1 billion since June 30, including October's full redemption of the 2027 senior notes. Marketplace membership fell to 3,403,300 from 5,828,100 a year earlier.
Home State Health, McCormack Baron Salazar and Urban Strategies announced a collaboration connecting Preservation Square families with healthcare and resident services. The effort serves current, former and future residents and coincides with the final-phase groundbreaking and near completion of Phase IV. Preservation Square is part of a broader redevelopment plan encompassing approximately 695 mixed-income housing units across nine St. Louis city blocks.
The final phase receives support through the Centene Foundation’s existing multiyear partnership with McCormack Baron Salazar, which provides below-market-rate loans for predevelopment design and planning. Resident outreach and service connections are already underway. Home State Health and Urban Strategies are also exploring medication-support and workforce-development connections with additional organizations.
Centene (NYSE: CNC) announced Ambetter Health’s 2027 Marketplace offerings, including new heart failure coverage and expanded condition-specific insurance plans.
Ambetter will expand into 55 additional counties for 2027. New Enhanced Congestive Heart Failure Care plans will be offered in North Carolina and Ohio. Enhanced Diabetes Care plans will expand to Louisiana, Mississippi and Indiana, while Enhanced Asthma and COPD Care plans will expand to Georgia. The condition-specific plans include $0 costs for selected medications and services, with benefits varying by plan. Ambetter currently serves more than 3.5 million members across 27 states. Open enrollment begins Nov. 1, 2026.
Centene (NYSE: CNC) will release its third-quarter 2026 financial results on October 27, 2026, and host an earnings call that day. Results are scheduled for approximately 6:00 a.m. ET, followed by the call at 8:30 a.m. ET. A live audio webcast will be available in the Investors section of the company website.
Centene (CNC) announced the expansion of its CHOICE Arrangements employee benefit program to Ohio and Oklahoma for plan year 2027.
The program, formerly called ICHRA, launched for Indiana-based employees in 2026. Centene said the expansion is intended to give employees greater flexibility and choice in their health coverage.
Centene (CNC) subsidiary PA Health & Wellness earned national recognition among the top 17 Medicaid health plans for a second consecutive year.
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) evaluates health plans on clinical quality, member experience and efforts to improve health outcomes. Its ratings help consumers evaluate health plan performance. PA Health & Wellness serves participants in Pennsylvania's Community HealthChoices program, which provides managed long-term services and supports to help eligible individuals maintain independence and remain in their homes and communities whenever possible.
Centene (CNC) will launch its National Performance-Based Gold Card Program in November 2026 for qualifying providers nationwide offering select outpatient services.
The program will initially be available to more than 160,000 qualifying providers. Centene intends to expand it to other service types and additional providers over time, with the aim of simplifying prior authorization while maintaining clinical and quality standards. Development incorporated anonymous provider feedback across 24 states. Operation may vary with state and federal requirements; providers who do not initially qualify will retain standard review and have future opportunities to qualify.