Statement in Response to March 26th Texas House Committee Hearing

Mark Sanders, then-President and CEO of Centene’s Texas subsidiary, Superior HealthPlan, testified before a Texas House Committee on March 26. He was asked about actions he took between 2017 and 2019 involving the use of an investigative firm to conduct background checks on stakeholders. 

Centene issued the following statement:

Centene recognizes that rebuilding trust requires more than words. Following the hearing, Centene immediately launched an internal investigation to examine the conduct in question and to ensure our current practices are fully aligned with our core values and ethical standards. In addition, Mark Sanders is no longer with the company.   

Our investigation to date indicates that all research in question was conducted through publicly or commercially available resources and limited to desk-based research. 

Background research has many business uses, including meeting preparation as well as helping to identify conflicts of interest and potential fraud, waste, and abuse, which is part of our duty as a government-sponsored healthcare organization. The research in question included irrelevant and unnecessary personal information. That was inappropriate and never should have happened. This occurred prior to 2019 and does not reflect the values or standards of our current leadership. For that, we offer our sincere and unequivocal apology. 

We have found no evidence of any legal violations, and no individual was ever followed or photographed. Suggestions that these materials were used for leverage or blackmail are completely false. 

We are taking concrete steps to reinforce ethical standards across the organization and ensure that all partners and practices reflect the integrity we expect of ourselves. We are committed to transparency, accountability, and to earning back the confidence of our stakeholders.