Centene drawn to private Medicaid expansion

Now that Arkansas has passed legislation to privatize its Medicaid expansion, one insurer, Centene, is sharing its enthusiasm to participate, Kaiser Health News reported. Although Centene isn't currently operating in Arkansas, it sees a huge opportunity there now. "We are very capable of doing an Arkansas-type model," Centene CEO Michael Neidorff said Tuesday. "That's something that would be a sweet spot for us." The insurer already administers Medicaid plans for low-income consumers in several states and it's now ready to provide coverage to consumers with higher incomes through health insurance exchanges. "We believe we can achieve increased profitability in 2014 upon the commencement of the ACA," Neidorff told stock analysts Tuesday. "The exchange market represents the largest growth opportunity for Centene over the next several years, estimated at $52 billion in our existing markets." Article