Centene: Hiring, Background Check & Employment Verification FAQs

Centene traces its origins to 1984, when hospital bookkeeper Elizabeth "Betty" Brinn founded a nonprofit Medicaid plan called Family Hospital Physician Associates (also known as Managed Health Services) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, operating out of the basement of Family Hospital. After Brinn's death, the nonprofit was sold to investors, with proceeds supporting the Betty Brinn Foundation, which became a major Centene shareholder. Healthcare executive Michael Neidorff joined as president and CEO in the mid-1990s, and the company was renamed Centene Corporation in 1997, establishing its corporate headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, where it remains based today.

Centene became a publicly traded company in December 2001 with three health plans, $327 million in revenue, and 235,000 members. The company grew significantly over the following two decades through both organic expansion and major acquisitions, including US Script (a pharmacy benefits manager) in 2006, Health Net for $6.8 billion in 2016, and WellCare Health Plans in January 2020. By 2020, Centene served nearly 24 million members across all 50 states. Centene now ranks among the top 25 companies on the Fortune 500 list by revenue.

Centene operates across Medicaid managed care, Medicare Advantage, Health Insurance Marketplace plans (under its Ambetter brand), correctional healthcare services (through its Centurion joint venture), and pharmacy benefit management. The company's workforce spans care coordination and member services staff, claims processing and administrative personnel, clinical and behavioral health professionals, and corporate functions supporting its large, multi-line insurance business, employing more than 60,000 people.

Company culture and employee programs: Centene emphasizes its mission to transform community health by increasing access to integrated, culturally sensitive healthcare, particularly for underserved and low-income populations. The company has grown through a strategy of acquiring and integrating regional health plans while maintaining local market relationships. Benefits, training, and advancement opportunities can vary by role and business unit, so candidates should confirm specifics with a recruiter during the hiring process.

Yes. Employers in the managed healthcare and health insurance industry, including Centene, are legally permitted to conduct pre-employment background checks on job candidates, provided they comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws. In the United States, employment screening is governed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which requires employers to obtain written consent, provide disclosures, and follow adverse action procedures.

Centene is generally reported to conduct background checks as part of its hiring process, which is standard for health insurance and managed care employers, particularly given access to sensitive member health and financial information and the company's work with government healthcare programs.

The hiring process for roles at Centene typically includes an application, one or more interviews with hiring managers, and a background check prior to a final offer. Roles involving government contract work, such as correctional healthcare services, may involve additional screening requirements.

Background check timelines can vary based on the type of screening requested and how quickly records can be verified. Learn more about typical background check turnaround times to understand what factors can affect the process.

A typical pre-employment background check for a managed care or health insurance role may include:

Under the FCRA, criminal history reporting is generally limited to seven years for most background checks, though state laws and federal healthcare program requirements may extend or restrict this timeframe depending on the type of record and role.

Hiring decisions involving candidates with criminal records are generally made on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the nature of the offense, how much time has passed, and its relevance to the role, with additional restrictions potentially applying to positions supporting federal healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Some states have adopted "ban-the-box" laws that restrict when employers can ask about criminal history during the hiring process.

Candidates can generally expect to provide personal information such as full legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number, along with signed consent authorizing the background check, in compliance with FCRA requirements.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is a federal law that regulates how employers can use background check information in hiring decisions. It requires employers to notify candidates before running a check, obtain written consent, and follow specific adverse action procedures if a decision is made based on background check results.

Running a personal background check with Checkr lets you preview what Centene may see during the hiring process, helping you address any concerns before you apply. A personal background check can include:

Learn more about Checkr Personal Background Checks and explore your Checkr Profile to see what information may appear in your own background check.

If you're a candidate with a background check in progress through Checkr as part of your application to Centene or another employer, you can check your status through the Candidate Portal. For additional support, visit the Checkr Help Center.

The information provided in this article does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice. All information is for general informational purposes only. Checkr does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of this information and is not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the results obtained from the use of this information. This article may contain links to other third-party websites. Such links are only for the convenience of the reader. Checkr does not endorse the contents of the third-party sites and disclaims any affiliation with the companies mentioned in this article unless otherwise stated.