WellCare acquires Arizona health plans, names new leadership
Medical insurance company WellCare Health Plans has acquired two Arizona health plans and named a new executive to oversee the transition.
WellCare, headquartered in Tampa, Florida, now wholly owns Care1st Health Plan Arizona and its sister program One Care, both subsidiaries of Blue Shield of California covering 115,000 Medicaid and Medicare members in Maricopa and Pima counties, according to a statement from the company. WellCare serves 3.8 million members nationwide.
As part of the transition, Scott Cummings, who worked as the chief administrative officer for Care 1stArizona for nearly 10 years, was named WellCare’s state president of Arizona.
“I am excited to join WellCare, which shares our strong commitment to delivering high-quality care for Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries," Cummings said in a statement. "We will continue to support our members' healthcare needs through our integrated, community-oriented approach."
He will be responsible for WellCare’s Medicaid and Medicare Advantage businesses across Arizona.
"We are pleased to announce the completion of this acquisition and welcome Care1st Arizona to our family of health plans," said WellCare CEO Ken Burdick in a statement. "This acquisition marks our entrance into our eleventh Medicaid state, further geographically diversifying our business in an attractive market."
Senior Writer
As a Senior Writer for TriMed Media Group, Katherine primarily focuses on producing news stories, Q&As and features for Cardiovascular Business. She reports on several facets of the cardiology industry, including emerging technology, new clinical trials and findings, and quality initiatives among providers. She is based out of TriMed's Chicago office and holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Columbia College Chicago. Her work has appeared in Modern Healthcare, Crain's Chicago Business and The Detroit News. She joined TriMed in 2016.