I wanted to put something in writing rather than let it sit, because I know a lot of you are feeling this too.
Based on some of the comments posted It's been suggested that people should be more upbeat about the VSP/ISP changes, and I don't think that's fair. Nobody made a decision like accepting a separation package lightly. For a lot of us, this isn't just a job ending — it's years, sometimes decades, of investment in this organization that we once felt was serving our members and communities. Being asked to greet this change in your livelihood with a cheerful face doesn't erase what it actually feels like, and downplaying it doesn't reflect well on whoever is asking for the cheerfulness. In this industry we all are aware that change is inevitable. But being reassured by your PL your team is safe and suddenly advised your last day is in two weeks hurts.
Caring about how this is handled doesn't mean someone isn't grateful for their time here or isn't committed to doing good work until the day they leave. Staying professional and finishing strong is not the same as pretending this doesn't hurt — both things can be true at once.
I'd also ask that people keep in mind: many of us aren't just colleagues to each other. We may well end up as members on the other side of the services we've spent our careers building. That connection — and that responsibility — doesn't disappear because a title does. Please always remember elevators work both ways. You may be headed up one day and down the next. Learn that a kind word and a small bit of empathy for all will go a long way. I wish everyone well
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Thank you for putting this into words. After many years with Centene, I retired on September 4 through a separation process that felt more like forced retirement than a meaningful choice. Whether I was ready or not, I thought someone in leadership might at least say, “Thank you for your service,” or “We hope you enjoy your retirement.” Instead, there was silence. That lack of basic recognition said a great deal about how employees are valued once they are no longer needed.
What makes this harder to accept is seeing the enormous salaries, bonuses, stock awards, and other benefits provided to C-suite executives while longtime employees are pushed out with little empathy. At the same time, Centene and its subsidiaries have paid substantial settlements and penalties to states involving allegations that Medicaid programs were overcharged, including through pharmacy benefit practices. This was public money intended to provide healthcare to vulnerable Medicaid and Medicare members. Employees should not be expected to ignore that history or pretend it has nothing to do with leadership.
I also recently read reports concerning Centene’s political and charitable contributions in Indiana while seeking continued state business, even as the company faced scrutiny over pharmacy charges. In Florida, reporting concerning the state’s $56.7 million Centene settlement stated that $10 million was directed to a charitable initiative associated with the governor’s wife. Regardless of how these arrangements were legally structured, employees and taxpayers have every right to question the appearance, priorities, and accountability involved.
I have lost a great deal of respect for Centene’s leadership and, frankly, for the leadership practices seen across many managed care organizations. Centene is not alone, but that does not excuse its conduct. These companies receive billions of taxpayer dollars to serve people who are poor, elderly, disabled, or medically vulnerable. They should be held to a higher standard, not rewarded for treating public healthcare programs as opportunities to maximize executive compensation and corporate profit.
Many employees devoted years of their lives to serving members because we believed in the mission. We deserved honesty, gratitude, and basic human dignity when our service ended. A simple thank-you would not have fixed everything, but the failure to offer even that made the organization’s values painfully clear.
As the original writer said, elevators work both ways. Leadership positions, salaries, and titles are temporary. How people are treated when they are vulnerable or no longer useful is what reveals an organization’s true character.
@ap wanna bet i wont still be here long after ur gone? Wait….you are gone already huh? That’s why you are so bitter? Go fix up that resume!!!!! 🕺🏽
@ap ok grammar police 🤣🤣🤣🤣 dum--ss
@ap This is either just some immature giggly teenager or else an Indian. Don’t bother replying to them. Complete waste of your time.
@aj You still going to be boot licking when they give you the boot in the future? Get off of here shill.
And it is " You", not " U".
@ab bull and you know it!!! Slashing aca subsidies was deliberately political game! If u felt so strongly about a corporation being so corrupt then why are u still here?! Or are you?!!! Politics is why things are the way they are now but u magats would rather blame the company that employee or employed you…..go ask 47 for a job then🤣
@ab first before you tear apart something that is in place you have a replacement. Just like you don’t willingly quit a job without having a job lined up. If you want to talk about fraud please consider the providers that are committing fraud over the members that need the service. But again I will say I hope you never fall off your high horse and need a helping hand.
Thank you for your service and if you are ever on the other side of needing Medicaid sponsored insurance, do not pick a plan under the Centene umbrella. Count your years of service and knowledge in how you make your decision for a plan. Everything that happens in the dark will always come to the light and that is in this company’s future, unfortunately; especially from those who know the reality from within firsthand.
@a6 So one election creates years of fraud and abuse in a system that is already very corrupt. Maybe you need to blame all those that led us to this point. Maybe, just maybe they are trying to preserve what is left for those that actually need it instead of catering to those that refuse to help themselves.
You were never “serving your members and communities”. You were helping morally deraigned corporate executives syphon government money away from people who needed healthcare.
See i never believed all the false sense of security- the very night of the election in 2024 knew big horrible changes were coming to memberships. I kept asking in meetings and was reassured that we were ok I was watching the news and keeping updated and realized this was all gonna crash one day so I decided to change my career upscale learn new things and pivot and that helped me move on without a glitch and a nice severance sum.
@OP perfectly said! And agree I know I feel this way 100%. I did not take the VSP lightly, but for me being closer to side of retirement although a few years from it, it might help someone younger to stay a bit longer. Nobody should shame anyone taking it or not taking it! We all made the decision we felt was right for us.
The lesson here is that there is no loyalty to be had at a job. If you start a company yourself, that's a different story. A job is just a transactional means to an end. It doesn't define you as a person. Treat it as such and enjoy your life and the freedom that comes with the philosophy.
If you need to have your identity tied to your work, become a business owner.