PR Newswire·Jul 9, 2026, 7:00 AM ET

CENTENE SUBSIDIARY MERIDIAN HEALTH PLAN OF ILLINOIS AWARDED ILLINOIS MEDICAID CONTRACT

Centene Corporation's Illinois subsidiary, Meridian Health Plan of Illinois, was selected by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services to continue providing HealthChoice Illinois Medicaid managed care services.
The new four-year contract is scheduled to begin on January 1, 2027, and run through 2030.
Meridian serves approximately 596,000 Medicaid enrollees as of May 2026 within a statewide program covering 2.4 million eligible individuals across six managed care organizations.
Under the renewed agreement, Meridian will maintain access to integrated primary, maternal, and behavioral health care for Medicaid enrollees.
The organization employs a whole-person approach that partners with community-based entities to address social drivers of health across all 102 counties in Illinois.
Meridian received a top 5-star rating in the 2024 HealthChoice Illinois Report Card for Access to Care, Living with Illness, and Women's/Children's Health.
This award extends Meridian's nearly 20-year history of serving vulnerable populations in Illinois communities.