Centene makes $6.3B bid for fellow insurer Health Net

Centene has jumped into the mix of managed-care companies scrambling to bulk up as the health care overhaul changes their business with a $6.3-billion bid for fellow insurer Health Net.

The deal announced Thursday gives St. Louis-based Centene a chance to expand in two hot growth areas for health insurers, the state- and federally-funded Medicaid program for the poor and people with disabilities; and the federally-supported Medicare Advantage program, which has seen its overall enrollment triple over the past decade.

The health care overhaul is expanding Medicaid coverage to millions as it seeks to provide health insurance for more people.

Both the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg have reported, citing sources they have not identified, that Aetna is pursuing the Medicare Advantage provider Humana Inc., in a deal that would join the nation's third- and fifth-largest health insurers.

"The wave of consolidation sweeping the (managed care) industry is accelerating as players seek to establish their own market position," Leerink analyst Ana Gupte said in a note to investors announcing the Centene deal.