WellCare to acquire Universal American

Kenneth Burdick, WellCare’s chief executive officer, said in a public memo about the deal that Erin Page, the head of Universal American’s Medicare Advantage unit, will continue to lead that team. He said Jeff Spight, the head of the Universal American ACO team, will keep that role.

The Universal American deal “expands our Medicare position and valued relationships with loyal provider and agent partners in key markets, including Texas, New York and Maine,” Burdick wrote in the memo.

“WellCare is a people-focused company,” Burdick added. “That means we know what it takes to build the kind of deep and personal relationships that Universal American has with its employees, members, providers, agents and brokers like you. It’s truly exciting to think about what we can do together.”

Richard Barasch, the chairman and chief executive officer of Universal American, confirmed in a similar memo to his company’s employees that Page and Spight will stay with the business.

“Please know that I would not support a transaction that did not further our mission of providing exceptional care of our Medicare members and beneficiaries and to being reliable partners with the doctors who place their trust in us,” Barasch wrote.

Barasch also praised Universal American employees’ commitment to the beneficiaries. He said that, over the years, “through good times and bad, every person in the company has answered every bell… While there may be changes along the way, our highest priority is to communicate timely and to fairly treat our employees, physician partners, agents and brokers.”

Related:

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