Medicaid-focused managed care company Centene is adding to its portfolio a data-drive health engagement platform, a sign of the increasing interest in wellness for both commercial and publicly-insured populations.
St. Louis-based Centene has acquired LiveHealthier, an eight-year-old company selling health incentive and wellness programs to large employers. Financial terms have not been disclosed.
Founded and led by a former Washington Post executive, Mary Moslander, Bethesda-based LiveHealthier offers the gamut of wellness services, from health risks assessments and disease management to lifestyle coaching and rewards programs. LiveHealthier clients range from Fortune 50 companies to nonprofits, including several universities, and the total population using its services is around one million.
Centene said that LiveHealthier will keep focusing on the commercial market with behavior-change and integrated health solutions, while also complementing the insurer's existing condition management and triage services and its subsidiary Nurtur.
Centene has partnered with LiveHealthier in business already, and the acquisition could be an opportunity to bring new and expanded wellness solutions to its primary membership bases, Medicaid beneficiaries, across 17 states.
"As the healthcare industry evolves, forward-looking companies, like Centene, are proactively engaging their members to keep the well well and ensure those facing chronic conditions have the tools and motivation they need to get and stay on track," said Moslander, who will remain as CEO.
"We believe that consumer engagement is one of the key elements of a successful healthcare system," said Centene executive vice president Jesse Hunter.