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


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

Michael Neidorff, the longtime chief executive officer of Centene has died, the company confirmed Thursday. He was 79.

Neidorff had taken a medical leave of absence two months ago and longtime Centene executive Sarah London was named chief executive officer last month, replacing Neidorff, who had been Centene’s CEO since 1996 and had taken on a new role as executive chairman until the end of 2022, the company announced in December. Centene previously announced in December Neidorff’s plan to retire later this year.

“After a lengthy illness, Michael F. Neidorff passed away on Thursday, April 7, 2022 surrounded by his family and friends,” Centene said in a statement and obituary released on behalf of Neidorff’s family. “Michael was Centene Corporation’s visionary leader for more than 25 years. He built a remarkable American business success story and his commitment to providing affordable, high quality health care to the most vulnerable people transformed lives across the globe.”

Under Neidorff, Centene has grown into a national healthcare giant with revenues that eclipsed $126 billion in 2021 as more Americans sign up for Medicaid, the health insurance for low income patients it manages via contracts with states and individual coverage under the Affordable Care Act known as Obamacare hits record levels. And Centene has expanded into the business of Medicare Advantage, the privatized health benefits myriad health insurers offer senior via contract with the federal government.

While other health insurers left the Obamacare business, selling individual coverage under the ACA, Centene not only continued to provide such health insurance, the company expanded and became the biggest provider of such subsidized coverage under the law. “(He) led the company in its remarkable trajectory from a $40 million single health plan to a multinational $125 billion health care enterprise serving 25 million members,” the company’s statement said.


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