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Centene Corporation has appointed two executives to new group president roles under CEO Sarah London. Daniel Finke joins as group president for markets and commercial, whilst Michael Carson becomes group president for Medicare and specialty. Finke brings over 20 years of healthcare experience, most recently serving as CEO of Convey Health Solutions. He previously held senior positions at CVS Health and Aetna, overseeing Medicare, Medicaid and commercial insurance operations. At Centene, he will oversee the Medicaid and commercial segments. Carson, who joined Centene in January 2024 as Wellcare CEO, will now have expanded oversight of Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, Duals and specialty businesses. He has nearly 30 years of healthcare leadership experience, including CEO roles at Bright Healthcare and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care.

Centene latest health insurer to shakeup management ranks. ByBruce Japsen, Senior Contributor. Bruce Japsen writes about healthcare business and policy. Apr 06, 2026, 08:26am EDT Apr 06, 2026, 09:00am EDT Centene is bolstering its management team by creating two new senior executive positions as health insurers battle higher costs and new policies at the federal level. Like many of its rival health insurers, the company has been battling rising medical expenses from customers in its health plans and its stock price has been hit hard. In Centene's case, the company is also facing policy changes after the Republican-led Congress and the Donald Trump White House refused to renew enhanced subsidies for millions of Americans who buy individual coverage under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Centene said Monday it has created two "new executive leadership positions" which will report to company chief executive Sarah London, hiring Daniel Finke as group president, markets and commercial as well as Michael Carson as group president, Medicare and specialty. Both have extensive experience in the health insurance industry, Centene said. Finke's background includes work as CEO of Convey Health Solutions and a top leadership role at CVS Health's Aetna, the nation's third-largest health insurance company. Meanwhile, Centene said Carson "will have expanded oversight of Centene's Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, Duals, and Specialty businesses." Carson, who joined Centene in January of 2024, was CEO of "Bright Healthcare and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, as well as CareAbout, a multi-specialty, value-based care delivery organization," the company said. "We are pleased to recognize Michael's continued leadership and excited to leverage Dan's deep industry expertise and track record of strategic execution," said Sarah London, Chief Executive Officer of Centene. "Their collective experience will be instrumental as we continue to strengthen performance across the portfolio and deliver sustainable, profitable growth." Several other health insurers have been bringing in new executives or replacing CEOs in the last two years. Just last week, Elevance Health made several changes to its management ranks at both the health insurance business and its Carelon health services that includes new chief finance officers at each unit. MORE FOR YOU In February, Centene reported a loss of more than $1 billion in the fourth quarter of last year as the company continued to struggle with rising healthcare costs in the government-subsidized health plans it administers and sells. Centene is seeing rising costs among health plan members in all three government-subsidized benefits it helps manage: Medicaid, Medicare Advantage for older adults and Obamacare. In addition, Centene said the company's Obamacare enrollment is down more than 1.5 million from just a few months ago in what many analysts see as a sign Americans can no longer pay for health insurance and are dropping coverage. The Prompt: Get the week's biggest AI news on the buzziest companies and boldest breakthroughs, in your inbox. London told analysts and investors that the company, which is historically the largest publicly traded provider of Obamacare, was on track for "roughly 3.5 million members by the end of the quarter with still some movement as we work through the grace period in March." That's down from more than 5 million enrollees in Centene's Ambetter brand plans who purchased coverage on the ACA's marketplaces for last year. The big dip in Centene's enrollment is what Democrats in Congress and health insurance industry analysts said would happen after Republicans in Congress and the Donald Trump White House wouldn't agree to extend enhanced tax credits for buyers of Obamacare. A KFF analysis last fall said middle income Americans "as well as those with low incomes" will see "major out-of-pocket premium increases" if tax credits aren't extended. And they are with customers reporting a doubling and even tripling of premiums for this year. The subsidies, or tax credits, made health insurance premiums more affordable for individuals and were enhanced by the Biden administration and the Democratic-controlled Congress, which passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, allowing more Americans to buy coverage. The enhanced subsidies helped enrollment in the ACA's individual coverage, also known as Obamacare, eclipse a record 24 million Americans and help its popularity hit all-time highs. The Trump administration, via the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said in late January that 23 million consumers "have signed up for 2026 individual market health insurance coverage through the Marketplaces since the start of the 2026 Marketplace Open Enrollment Period on November 1, 2025." Read our community guidelines. LOADING VIDEO PLAYER... Video unavailable FORBES' FEATURED Video Less than $1.50/week. Become a Forbes Member. Unlock limitless insights and exclusive benefits.

Centene creates two new executive leadership roles. It's the latest in a flurry of executive appointments from health insurers looking to strengthen their leadership teams amid regulatory headwinds and elevated medical costs. Published April 6, 2026 Dive brief: * Centene has created two new executive leadership positions to consolidate oversight of its Medicaid, Medicare and Affordable Care Act businesses as the insurer copes with rising costs and looming policy challenges. * Centene has hired longtime health insurance executive Daniel Finke as its inaugural group president of markets and commercial, the company announced Monday. Centene also named Michael Carson, the CEO of its Medicare business, as group president of Medicare and specialty. * Both executives will report to Centene CEO Sarah London. Centene did not respond to a request for comment about when the appointments are effective. Dive insight: Centene is the largest insurer in both the Medicaid and ACA markets, with its almost 28 million members heavily concentrated in those businesses. As such, the company is significantly exposed to policy changes in those programs, and is currently working to digest recent policy changes that threaten its finances. Centene reported a loss of almost $6.7 billion on revenues of almost $195 billion last year, mostly from recording a massive charge to reflect its waning value amid challenging market conditions, including Republican cuts to the healthcare system. Still, the company issued a higher earnings outlook for 2026 than market watchers had expected, betting that it can stabilize elevated medical costs and weather policy turmoil coming out of Washington. The GOP's "Big Beautiful Bill" enacted last summer is set to cause millions of individuals to lose Medicaid through new work requirements, stricter eligibility and enrollment processes and lower federal funding. Meanwhile, the ACA marketplaces contracted this year after Congress allowed more generous subsidies for coverage to expire, and efforts by the Trump administration to combat fraud are also expected to boot more individuals off the exchanges. In a statement, London said the two new executives will be "instrumental" as Centene looks to strengthen its performance. Finke, who will oversee Centene's Medicaid and ACA segments, joins Centene from health technology and services company Convey Health Solutions, where he was CEO. Prior to joining Convey in 2024, Finke spent roughly a decade in various leadership roles at CVS and its health insurance division Aetna. Carson, who has been the chief executive of Centene's Medicare business Wellcare since 2024, will have expanded oversight of Centene's MA, prescription drug, dual-eligible and other Medicare businesses as group president of Medicare and specialty, the company announced. It's the latest in a flurry of executive appointments from health insurers as the companies contend with regulatory headwinds and rising costs. Elevance beefed up its roster of mid-level executives last week after reshuffling its C-suite earlier this year. Recommended reading. Filed Under: Payer