Michael Niedorff, Longtime CEO Of Health Insurer Centene, Dies At 79

Michael Neidorff, the longtime chief government officer of Centene has died, the corporation verified Thursday. He was 79.

Neidorff had taken a health care depart of absence two months ago and inner Centene govt Sarah London was named main govt officer previous thirty day period, changing Neidorff, who experienced been Centene’s CEO since 1996. Neidorff experienced taken on a new purpose as government chairman until the conclude of 2022 and he prepared to retire afterwards this year, the company experienced declared in December.

“After a prolonged health issues, Michael F. Neidorff handed away on Thursday, April 7, 2022 surrounded by his household and mates,” Centene claimed in a assertion and obituary released on behalf of Neidorff’s family members. A induce of death was not disclosed.

“Michael was Centene Corporation’s visionary chief for more than 25 years,” the organization statement claimed. “He crafted a exceptional American company success tale and his commitment to delivering economical, substantial high quality wellness treatment to the most susceptible people transformed life across the world.”

Underneath Neidorff, Centene grew into a national health care giant with revenues that eclipsed $126 billion in 2021 as more Us residents signed up for Medicaid, the health and fitness insurance coverage for low cash flow patients it manages through contracts with states and person protection beneath the Cost-effective Care Act recognised as Obamacare strike file degrees in the course of the pandemic. And Centene less than Neidorff expanded into the small business of Medicare Advantage, the privatized health and fitness gains myriad well being insurers give seniors via contracts with the federal authorities.

Whilst other wellness insurers left the Obamacare small business, selling specific protection beneath the ACA, Centene not only ongoing to offer this sort of health insurance plan through a rough period of time in 2016 and 2017, the company expanded and is right now the most significant service provider of these kinds of subsidized protection under the regulation.

In 2016, for case in point, there had been specific marketplaces where so numerous health and fitness insurers were being pulling out of the business enterprise that there was a hazard no approach would offer coverage in a unique sector. These types of was the scenario in the Phoenix region.

But Andy Slavitt, former head of the Facilities for Medicare & Medicaid Providers all through the Obama administration, claimed he identified as Neidorff at that time and the CEO agreed to enter Maricopa County, Arizona, the premier current market in the condition that includes Phoenix.

“When our backs were from the wall, hundreds of thousands of people today were being heading to drop coverage,” Slavitt reported in an job interview Thursday. “Without asking any queries, Michael said, ‘whatever you want us to do to lower disruption, we will do it.’ And he did. No inquiries requested.”

His fellow health insurance policies enterprise executives praised his work, contacting him among the the to start with to deal with individuals in “under-represented and underserved communities,” stated Matt Eyles, president and CEO of America’s Well being Insurance Ideas (AHIP), the trade and foyer for the wellness insurance plan marketplace.

“He was among the initial to drive a transformation from health and fitness insurance coverage to wellness care options – focusing on entire-person well being and holistic nicely-staying bodily, mentally, and economically for the thousands and thousands of people today that Centene served,” Eyles stated. “It was that eyesight that grew Centene from a regional small business to a single of the nation’s leading well being coverage vendors, providing improved health and fitness each individual one working day for so many People.”

Neidorff was described by the St. Louis Submit-Dispatch in a report Thursday as “a pillar of the St. Louis business enterprise community” who turned Centene into “a significant philanthropic donor in the area.”

“Michael designed diversity and inclusion a central target of his leadership, building an worldwide company wherever women, people today of colour, LGBTQ, veterans, and persons with disabilities all have opportunities to direct and excel,” the firm statement claimed.

Centene stated a private loved ones service will be held and a memorial provider for family and friends will be held at a later on date.