ST. LOUIS, June 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Centene Corporation
(NYSE: CNC) announced today the launch of a new initiative to
encourage Centene health plan members, as well as all Americans, to
receive the COVID-19 vaccine. This week, Centene will begin working
with network physicians to deploy a call campaign to its health
plan members nationwide. The call will ask recipients whether they
have been vaccinated, and will help those who have not to arrange
an appointment. The top 100 providers with the highest increase in
vaccination rates as a result of this initiative will each receive
a $5,000 grant for medical
equipment.
In addition, Centene will be launching a new public service
announcement (PSA) focused on the importance of getting vaccinated
for the benefit of an individual's family and other loved ones. The
PSA will remind people to get vaccinated for their loved ones:
their grandparents, their parents, and their friends, all whom they
would rather visit, than go to a visitation.
"Uncertainty around the COVID-19 vaccine could lead some people
to avoid or delay receiving the shot. We continue to be concerned
that this could have significant consequences for their health and
the health of their families," said Michael
Neidorff, Chairman, President and CEO of Centene. "Through
these two new initiatives, as well as other previously announced
campaigns, we want to continue to empower people to actively
contribute to their health and well-being by informing them about
the benefits of the vaccine."
This announcement builds on numerous previous efforts to educate
individuals about the COVID-19 vaccine and overcome vaccine
hesitancy. Over the past several months, Centene and its health
plans have already been reaching out individually to members,
especially those at high risk, to encourage them to get vaccinated.
Health plans have also arranged transportation where appropriate
and provided assistance in scheduling appointments.
In March, Centene announced a partnership with the Pro Football
Hall of Fame on a PSA campaign featuring Hall of Famers
Anthony Muños, Darrell Green, Aeneas
Williams, Drew Pearson,
Jerome Bettis, Derrick Brooks, Richard
Dent, Ty Law, Emmitt Smith, Hall of Fame Selector and TV
broadcaster Lisa Salters, and
friends of the Hall Dawn Staley, a three-time Olympic gold medal
winner and coach of the 2017 national champion University of South Carolina women's basketball
team, and Iman McFarland, Chief
Operating Officer for 21st Century Expo Group and an ambassador for
the Hall and Centene's joint "Strong Youth Strong Communities"
programming.
More than 160 TV stations across the country agreed to air the
30-second spots, in which Hall members highlight the people in
their lives who are counting on them to get vaccinated. Centene and
its health plans also have been running the PSAs across their
social media channels. Meanwhile, Louisiana Healthcare Connections,
SilverSummit, Sunshine and Superior Health Plans have all held
in-person events with featured Hall of Famers to encourage
vaccinations.
Centene's local health plans have also partnered on numerous
vaccination efforts across the country, including recent events and
initiatives in Kentucky,
New Mexico and California.
About Centene Corporation
Centene Corporation, a Fortune 25 company, is a leading
multi-national healthcare enterprise that is committed to helping
people live healthier lives. The Company takes a local approach –
with local brands and local teams – to provide fully integrated,
high-quality, and cost-effective services to government sponsored
and commercial healthcare programs, focusing on under-insured and
uninsured individuals. Centene offers affordable and high-quality
products to nearly 1 in 15 individuals across the nation, including
Medicaid and Medicare members (including Medicare Prescription Drug
Plans) as well as individuals and families served by the Health
Insurance Marketplace, the TRICARE program, and individuals in
correctional facilities. The Company also serves several
international markets, and contracts with other healthcare and
commercial organizations to provide a variety of specialty services
focused on treating the whole person. Centene focuses on long-term
growth and the development of its people, systems and capabilities
so that it can better serve its members, providers, local
communities, and government partners.
Centene uses its investor relations website to publish important
information about the Company, including information that may be
deemed material to investors. Financial and other information about
Centene is routinely posted and is accessible on Centene's investor
relations website, http://investors.centene.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
All statements, other than statements of current or
historical fact, contained in this press release are
forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing,
forward-looking statements often use words such as "believe,"
"anticipate," "plan," "expect," "estimate," "intend," "seek,"
"target," "goal," "may," "will," "would," "could," "should," "can,"
"continue" and other similar words or expressions (and the negative
thereof). Centene (the Company, our, or we) intends such
forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe-harbor
provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and we are including this
statement for purposes of complying with these safe-harbor
provisions. In particular, these statements include, without
limitation, statements about our future operating or financial
performance, market opportunity, growth strategy, competition,
expected activities in completed and future acquisitions, including
statements about the impact of our proposed acquisition of Magellan
Health (the Magellan Acquisition), our recently completed
acquisition of WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (WellCare and such
acquisition, the WellCare Acquisition), other recent and future
acquisitions, investments and the adequacy of our available cash
resources. These forward-looking statements reflect our current
views with respect to future events and are based on numerous
assumptions and assessments made by us in light of our experience
and perception of historical trends, current conditions, business
strategies, operating environments, future developments and other
factors we believe appropriate. By their nature, forward-looking
statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and
are subject to change because they relate to events and depend on
circumstances that will occur in the future, including economic,
regulatory, competitive and other factors that may cause our or our
industry's actual results, levels of activity, performance or
achievements to be materially different from any future results,
levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or
implied by these forward-looking statements. These statements
are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks,
uncertainties and assumptions. All forward-looking statements
included in this press release are based on information available
to us on the date hereof. Except as may be otherwise required by
law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise the
forward-looking statements included in this press release, whether
as a result of new information, future events or otherwise,
after the date hereof. You should not place undue reliance on
any forward-looking statements, as actual results may differ
materially from projections, estimates, or other forward-looking
statements due to a variety of important factors, variables and
events including, but not limited to: the impact of COVID-19 on
global markets, economic conditions, the healthcare industry and
our results of operations and the response by governments and other
third parties to COVID-19; the risk that regulatory or
other approvals required for the Magellan Acquisition may be
delayed or not obtained or are subject to unanticipated conditions
that could require the exertion of management's time and our
resources or otherwise have an adverse effect on
us; the possibility that certain conditions to the
consummation of the Magellan Acquisition will not be satisfied or
completed on a timely basis and accordingly the Magellan
Acquisition may not be consummated on a timely basis or at all;
uncertainty as to the expected financial performance of the
combined company following completion of the Magellan
Acquisition; the possibility that the expected
synergies and value creation from the Magellan Acquisition or the
WellCare Acquisition will not be realized, or will not be realized
within the respective expected time periods; the risk that
unexpected costs will be incurred in connection with the completion
and/or integration of the Magellan Acquisition or that the
integration of Magellan Health will be more difficult or time
consuming than expected; the risk that potential litigation in
connection with the Magellan Acquisition may affect the timing or
occurrence of the Magellan Acquisition or result in significant
costs of defense, indemnification and liability; a downgrade of the
credit rating of our indebtedness, which could give rise to an
obligation to redeem existing indebtedness; the
inability to retain key personnel; disruption from the
announcement, pendency, completion and/or integration of the
Magellan Acquisition or from the integration of the WellCare
Acquisition, or similar risks from other acquisitions we may
announce or complete from time to time, including potential adverse
reactions or changes to business relationships with customers,
employees, suppliers or regulators, making it more difficult to
maintain business and operational relationships; our ability to
accurately predict and effectively manage health benefits and other
operating expenses and reserves, including fluctuations in medical
utilization rates due to the impact of
COVID-19; competition; membership and revenue declines
or unexpected trends; changes in healthcare practices, new
technologies and advances in medicine; increased healthcare costs;
changes in economic, political or market conditions; changes in
federal or state laws or regulations, including changes with
respect to income tax reform or government healthcare programs as
well as changes with respect to the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Affordability
Reconciliation Act (collectively referred to as the ACA) and any
regulations enacted thereunder that may result from changing
political conditions, the new administration or judicial actions,
including the ultimate outcome in "Texas v. United States of America" regarding the
constitutionality of the ACA; rate cuts or other payment reductions
or delays by governmental payors and other risks and uncertainties
affecting our government businesses; our ability to adequately
price products; tax matters; disasters or major epidemics; changes
in expected contract start dates; provider, state, federal, foreign
and other contract changes and timing of regulatory approval of
contracts; the expiration, suspension, or termination of our
contracts with federal or state governments (including, but not
limited to, Medicaid, Medicare, TRICARE or other customers); the
difficulty of predicting the timing or outcome of pending or future
legal and regulatory proceedings or government investigations;
challenges to our contract awards; cyber-attacks or other privacy
or data security incidents; the possibility that the expected
synergies and value creation from acquired businesses, including
businesses we may acquire in the future, will not be realized, or
will not be realized within the expected time period; the exertion
of management's time and our resources, and other expenses incurred
and business changes required in connection with complying with the
undertakings in connection with any regulatory, governmental or
third party consents or approvals for acquisitions, including the
Magellan acquisition; disruption caused by significant
completed and pending acquisitions making it more difficult to
maintain business and operational relationships; the risk that
unexpected costs will be incurred in connection with the completion
and/or integration of acquisition transactions; changes in expected
closing dates, estimated purchase price and accretion for
acquisitions; the risk that acquired businesses will not be
integrated successfully; restrictions and limitations in connection
with our indebtedness; our ability to maintain or achieve
improvement in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
Star ratings and maintain or achieve improvement in other quality
scores in each case that can impact revenue and future growth;
availability of debt and equity financing, on terms that are
favorable to us; inflation; foreign currency fluctuations and risks
and uncertainties discussed in the reports that Centene has filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This list of important
factors is not intended to be exhaustive. We discuss certain of
these matters more fully, as well as certain other factors that may
affect our business operations, financial condition and results of
operations, in our filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC), including our annual report on Form 10-K,
quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. Due
to these important factors and risks, we cannot give assurances
with respect to our future performance, including without
limitation our ability to maintain adequate premium levels or our
ability to control our future medical and selling, general and
administrative costs.
View original
content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/centene-announces-nationwide-vaccination-education-and-outreach-initiative-301307369.html
SOURCE Centene Corporation