Kentucky Court Rules Centene’s Subsidiary Cannot Terminate Medicaid Managed Care Contract Early Without Fines, Centene Appeals

On May 31, 2013, the Franklin County Circuit Court in Kentucky issued a summary judgment that Centene’s subsidiary that operates Kentucky Spirit Health Plan, one of the state’s Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs), does not have the contractual right to terminate, without incurring a fine, its contract with the Commonwealth of Kentucky before the end of the initial three-year term. On June 17, 2013, Centene filed an appeal, and announced plans to exit the Kentucky contract by September 2013. Centene's contract started in 2011 with its initial term ending in 2014. On November 1, 2011, Wellcare . . .