Centene will offer buyouts to employees as it navigates a significant membership decline, a spokesperson confirmed to Fierce Healthcare.
The spokesperson said that on Monday the insurer announced a voluntary separation program designed to "to support employees who may be considering a transition." It's unclear how many people Centene is aims to reach with the program, but Centene employs about 61,000 people in total.
"Centene is positioning the company to lead the future of healthcare - working to deliver a simpler and better experience for our members and partners while meeting the realities of today's healthcare environment," the spokesperson said.
In the first quarter, Centene reported a significant membership decline across multiple key business lines, including Medicaid, which decreased from just shy of 13 million at the end of 2025 to 12.4 million as of March 31.
The starkest decrease was in its Affordable Care Act marketplace business, which boasted 5.6 million members at the end of last year. That fell to 3.6 million in Q1, with further decreases expected in 2026.
Centene CEO Sarah London cited the membership in a message to staff members on Monday, which was viewed by reporters at Bloomberg.
“When our membership shifts, we need to shift our organization accordingly,” London said, according to the Bloomberg report.
This is a developing story, and will be updated.