To Bolster Coronavirus Frontline, Centene Pays Health Workers ‘Medical Reserve Leave’

Health insurer Centene will provide up to three months paid leave for employees who choose to join “a medical reserve force” as the demand for heath workers grows on the frontlines of the Coronavirus strain COVID-19.

Employee benefits analysts say they expect more companies to launch policies similar to Centene’s as COVID-19 cases surge and worries mount that healthcare workers will get sick or need reinforcements to avoid burnout.

Centene said its new “Medical Reserve Leave” policy is designed to support clinical staff who want to volunteer to join a medical reserve force. To be able to take advantage of the benefit, the employee’s assistance first must be requested by state officials.

“This is a black swan event and calls for a different approach for what you do,” Centene president and CEO Michael Neidorff said in an interview Monday after the company announced plans to roll out several new benefits to workers.

Centene, which bought WellCare Health Plans earlier this year, is now a national health plan providing benefits to 1 in 15 Americans and the largest provider of individual coverage known as Obamacare under the Affordable Care Act. Centene said it has more than “10,000 licensed professionals for whom this policy would apply,” a company spokeswoman said.

“Our medical reserve leave policy will ensure our clinical staff are paid and that their benefits are protected during their time of service,” Neidorff said. “Our employees have a deep commitment to take care of their communities in times of need and we will always support their passion to serve.”

Centene is also one of the nation’s largest providers of Medicaid coverage and therefore has networks of doctors and clinicians that could be of particular benefit in inner cities where Coronavirus cases are lately more concentrated. The insurer, which is based in St. Louis, has an established presence in major markets across the nation including so-called Coronavirus hot spots like New York where Centene two years ago bought Fidelis Care.

“In New York, we have already seen about 25% of our teams express interest in supporting (Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s) request.”