Anthem Agrees To Acquire WellCare's Missouri And Nebraska Medicaid Plans

(RTTNews) - Centene Corp. (CNC) and WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (WCG) announced Thursday that, in connection with the previously announced merger agreement between Centene and WellCare, Anthem, Inc. (ANTM) has agreed to acquire WellCare's Missouri and Nebraska Medicaid plans.

The closing of the transaction with Anthem is subject to U.S. federal antitrust clearance, receipt of Missouri and Nebraska state regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, as well as the closing of the Centene - WellCare transaction.

In March 2019, Centene agreed to acquire WellCare in a cash and stock transaction for $305.39 per share for a total enterprise value of $17.3 billion to create a premier healthcare enterprise focused on government-sponsored healthcare programs and a leader in Medicaid, Medicare and the Health Insurance Marketplace.

The combination has received approvals from insurance and health care departments from 19 states including Missouri, Nebraska, California and Wisconsin.

Centene and WellCare continue to expect that the Centene - WellCare transaction will be completed by the first half of 2020.