Michael Carson serves as the President and CEO of Wellcare, Centene Corporation’s Medicare & Duals business. In this role, Carson is responsible for guiding the strategic positioning and performance of Centene’s national Medicare and Dual Eligible products and services leveraging his nearly three decades of seasoned leadership, operational and industry expertise in payer, provider, and population health solutions.
Carson has held numerous President and CEO roles including at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Bright Health Care, Tufts Health Plan, Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield Medicare and CareAbout, a value-based, primary and multi-specialty care company as well as COO roles at Amerigroup Medicare and ConcertoHealth, also a risk-bearing value-based care delivery organization serving complex care patients. Within these capacities, he has led the development of transformational complex care population health solutions, value-based care provider network partnerships, operational and financial turnarounds, and innovative product and growth strategies.
He has a passion for business optimization and solutions sharply focused on overcoming barriers to health for underserved communities and complex health and social need populations. Health care can be hard, and he believes healthcare leaders have a responsibility for transforming how healthcare is accessed, aggregating our fragmented system wherever possible, and guiding communities to better health.
Born and raised in Germany, Carson began his career in the United States Air Force, where he served for seven years before transitioning to corporate roles at Anheuser-Busch and his first healthcare role with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico.