
Ambetter Health is the Health Insurance Marketplace brand of Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC), the largest Medicaid managed care company in the United States. Launched for the 2014 plan year, Ambetter is the largest on-exchange marketplace insurer in the country, serving 5.8 million members across 29 states and more than 1,700 counties as of open enrollment for 2026. The brand was renamed Ambetter Health as Centene consolidated its individual-market products under one national identity.
Parent Company
Founded
2014
Status
Publicly Traded
Headquarters
| Brand | Parent Company | Ownership Type |
|---|---|---|
| Ambetter Health | Centene Corporation | Wholly owned |
Ambetter launched for the 2014 plan year when Affordable Care Act marketplaces opened for individual coverage. Centene built the brand on its Medicaid managed care infrastructure, entering markets where its existing provider networks could support an exchange product. Many early marketplace insurers exited after losses in 2015 to 2017, but Centene stayed, making Ambetter the dominant brand for subsidized enrollees.
Membership grew from about 200,000 in the first years to roughly 2 million by 2020 and accelerated as enhanced premium subsidies under the American Rescue Plan (2021) and Inflation Reduction Act expanded eligibility to higher incomes. By the 2025 plan year, Ambetter had become the number one on-exchange issuer nationally.
In 2024 and 2025, Centene unified the brand as Ambetter Health and added Ambetter Health Solutions, an off-exchange business offering ICHRA-compatible individual plans for employers adopting defined-contribution health benefits. For plan year 2026, Ambetter Health operates in 29 states with 5.8 million members, filing significant premium increases as the enhanced premium tax credits expired at the end of 2025, raising net premiums for many enrollees and shrinking marketplace enrollment nationally.
Is Centene a subsidiary of another company?
No, Centene Corporation is an independent, publicly traded corporation with no parent company. The company operates independently with its own management structure and board of directors, though it has grown through numerous acquisitions throughout its history, including the transformative $17.3 billion acquisition of WellCare Health Plans in January 2020.
Is Centene publicly traded?
Yes, Centene Corporation is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol CNC. The company has been publicly traded since its IPO in 2001, when it had three health plans, $327 million in revenue, and 235,000 members. As of 2025, the company is ranked No. 23 on the Fortune 500 list.
When was Centene founded?
Centene traces its origins to 1984 when Elizabeth Brinn founded Managed Health Services as a non profit organization in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The company was renamed Centene Corporation in 1997 when Michael Neidorff was named President and CEO, and the corporate office was established in St. Louis, Missouri. The company went public in 2001.
Who founded Centene?
Centene was founded by Elizabeth Brinn in 1984 as Managed Health Services, a non profit organization focused on providing healthcare services to Medicaid populations in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After her death, the organization was converted to a for profit company. Michael Neidorff was named CEO in 1997 and grew Centene from a local health plan to a national healthcare leader over 25 years.
What is Centene's annual revenue?
For fiscal year 2025 (ended December 31, 2025), Centene reported total revenue of $194.8 billion, a 19% increase from $163.1 billion in FY2024. Premium and service revenues were $174.6 billion, up 20% year over year. The company recorded a GAAP net loss of $6.7 billion, primarily due to a $6.7 billion non cash goodwill impairment charge. Adjusted diluted EPS was $2.08, down from $7.17 in FY2024.
What is Centene's market position?
Centene is the largest Medicaid managed care organization in the United States, the longest running carrier in the Health Insurance Marketplace, and a national leader in Medicare Prescription Drug Plans. The company serves 27.6 million members across all 50 states as of December 31, 2025, with revenue from Medicaid (57%), Commercial (21%), Medicare (19%), and Other (3%) segments. Centene is ranked No. 23 on the Fortune 500 and No. 42 on the Fortune Global 500.
Who is Centene's CEO?
Sarah M. London has served as Chief Executive Officer of Centene Corporation since 2022. She is the first woman to lead the company. Under her leadership, Centene has refocused on three core lines of business: Medicaid, Medicare, and the Health Insurance Marketplace. In 2025, London navigated the company through significant challenges including the $6.7 billion goodwill impairment, Marketplace risk adjustment shortfall, and elevated Medicaid medical cost trends.
What is the WellCare acquisition?
In January 2020, Centene completed the acquisition of WellCare Health Plans in a $17.3 billion transaction (enterprise value). WellCare shareholders received 3.38 shares of Centene common stock and $120 in cash for each share of WellCare common stock. The acquisition made Centene a nationwide company serving all 50 states with approximately 24 million members, expanded its Medicare platform, and extended its Medicaid offerings. WellCare became a wholly owned subsidiary of Centene and continues to operate as a brand under the Centene umbrella.
Ambetter plans cover all ACA essential health benefits, with preventive care at no member cost share, mental health services, maternity care, and prescription drug coverage. The brand offers telehealth benefits, healthy-living rewards programs, and bilingual member services aligned with Centene's health equity framework.
Ambetter's subsidized pricing model has made it the default entry point for low-to-middle-income individual coverage in much of the country. Its scale gives Centene data on underserved populations that informs benefit design.
Ambetter Health is the number one on-exchange marketplace issuer in the United States based on 2025 CMS issuer enrollment data and 2026 state filings. Multiple Ambetter plans hold NCQA accreditation, and the brand's state entities have been recognized by state insurance departments for network adequacy and consumer-protection compliance.
Narrow Networks: Consumer advocates and regulators have periodically criticized Ambetter for limited provider networks relative to employer plans, including narrow hospital systems in some markets and prior-authorization requirements common to marketplace HMO products.
Premium Increases: Ambetter filed substantial 2026 premium increases in most states as enhanced federal subsidies expired, drawing public attention. Centene disclosed that marketplace risk adjustment and margin pressure contributed materially to its $6.7 billion Q3 2025 goodwill impairment.
Balance Billing and Denials: Like other marketplace insurers, Ambetter entities have faced complaints over claim denials, prior-authorization delays, and directory accuracy, addressed through state-market conduct examinations and corrective actions.
Agent and Broker Fraud: The marketplace's growth through broker channels produced fraudulent enrollment activity industry-wide in 2023 to 2025; CMS tightened agent-of-record rules partly in response to unauthorized plan switching affecting Ambetter and competitors.
These competing brands operate in the same categories and provide similar products or services. Compare key attributes to understand market positioning and competitive landscape.
| Brand | Parent Company | Country | Founded | Market Position | Primary Market | Gender Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humana | USA | 2014 | Discontinued | United states | All-ages | |
| Centene | USA | 1993 | Market leader | United states | All-ages | |
| Centene | USA | 1977 | Mass market | United states | All-ages | |
| Cvs Health | United States | 1853 | Mass market | North america | All Genders | |
| Cigna | USA | 1982 | Mass market | United states | All Genders | |
| Humana | USA | 1961 | Secondary line | United states | All-ages |
Healthcare PharmaceuticalsOwned by Humana Inc.
Humana's former individual health insurance marketplace line, which the company exited effective 2018 and no longer offers.
Healthcare PharmaceuticalsOwned by Centene Corporation
Centene Corporation's New York State health plan, founded in 1993 by the Catholic bishops of New York and acquired for $3.75 billion in July 2018, serving more than 2.4 million members.
Healthcare PharmaceuticalsOwned by Centene Corporation
Centene Corporation's California health plan brand, founded in 1977 and acquired for approximately $6.8 billion in 2016, serving about three million members through Medi-Cal, Medicare, marketplace, and commercial plans.
Healthcare PharmaceuticalsOwned by CVS Health Corporation
American managed care and health insurance company offering medical, dental, pharmacy, and behavioral health plans, operating as a subsidiary of CVS Health Corporation.
Healthcare PharmaceuticalsOwned by The Cigna Group
American health insurance brand providing medical coverage, health plans, and wellness services for individuals, families, and employers through The Cigna Group.
Healthcare PharmaceuticalsOwned by Humana Inc.
Humana's employer group insurance line providing medical, dental, vision, life, and disability coverage to businesses across the United States.
Market Positioning: Ambetter Health competes with 6 brands in the same categories, ranging from mass market to luxury positioning.
Geographic Distribution: Competitors are headquartered across multiple regions, indicating global competition in this market segment.
Brand Heritage: Competitor brands range from established heritage brands to newer market entrants, with founding years spanning several decades.
Looking for brands with different ownership structures? These similar brands are not owned by Centene Corporation, giving you alternative choices that support different corporate structures.
Healthcare PharmaceuticalsOwned by Walgreens Boots Alliance
Boots is the UK's leading pharmacy-led health and beauty retailer, founded in 1849, now operating as The Boots Group under Sycamore Partners since August 2025.
Boots is privately owned, unlike Ambetter Health which is under a publicly traded parent company.
Healthcare PharmaceuticalsOwned by Walgreens Boots Alliance
Duane Reade is a New York City drugstore chain owned by Walgreen Co. under Sycamore Partners, operating approximately 90 stores across the five boroughs.
Duane Reade is privately owned, unlike Ambetter Health which is under a publicly traded parent company.
Healthcare PharmaceuticalsOwned by Chempro Chemists
Australian online pharmacy operated by Chempro Chemists from Molendinar, Queensland. Offers prescription medications, health products, and wellness items through digital platforms and mail-order delivery.
Pharmacy Direct is privately owned, unlike Ambetter Health which is under a publicly traded parent company.
Healthcare PharmaceuticalsOwned by IBSA Institut Biochimique S.A.
IBSA Institut Biochimique SA's branded levothyroxine softgel capsule (Tirosint) and liquid solution (Tirosint-SOL), FDA approved for hypothyroidism, formulated without dyes, gluten, lactose, alcohol, or sugar, providing an excipient-free alternative to conventional levothyroxine tablets for patients with sensitivities or absorption issues.
Tirosint is privately owned, unlike Ambetter Health which is under a publicly traded parent company.
Healthcare PharmaceuticalsOwned by Walgreens Boots Alliance
Walgreens is the largest U.S. pharmacy retail brand, operating roughly 8,000 stores. It went private in August 2025 under Sycamore Partners as a standalone company.
Walgreens is privately owned, unlike Ambetter Health which is under a publicly traded parent company.
Healthcare PharmaceuticalsOwned by Amgen Inc.
Master biotechnology brand of Amgen Inc., the world's largest independent biotech, covering its full portfolio of biologic medicines.
Amgen operates independently without a large parent corporation.
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