#vsp

I highly recommend reading up on the “One Big Beautiful Bill' signed recently. Understanding the details of this legislation provides a lot of insight into the broader industry shifts, which explains why the company is offering the VSP and discussing potential layoffs right now.

Does anyone know if you have tuition reimbursement if it has to be paid back for being RIF'd or if you decide to take the VSP?

So I been debating on writing this post all weekend. On Friday my team received updated information from our supervision team regarding what to expect, that they are willing to release that is. This information included that all VSP will be accepted, outside of those that cannot be due to "company needs" (whatever that means). That the expected member loss numbers for the coming year are to be between 100k-200k. That after they review the VSP that they will then re-evaluate the needed number to be laid off if enough people don't take the voluntary hit.
Speaking as an employee if I am being very frank... If management want to do this as quickly and willingly as possible, they might consider providing the language expected to be sent with the VSP contract and allow for it to be written as a Voluntary Separation in lieu of projected possible layoff. This would allow those that need to, to file for Unemployment Insurance without having to fight up-hill. Especially since most people in this economy are living paycheck to paycheck. Those that have saving know that it will only last so long considering the job market and current living costs due to inflation. Secondly, anyone who has been here longer than a year know that this is just one in many cycles of layoffs since the transition to current leadership. There is no reason to believe anything we are told at this point. What is the expectation, what is the projection for expectations following the layoffs? How are we to be expected to meet the already rising expectations and decreasing co-worker numbers?
Couple that with the fact that we were also notified as of Friday even with all of this that all employees are going to expected to meet all expectations, and metrics regardless of situation, stress, lowered numbers and that management is going to be expected to enforce this across the board. I am so confused, with very few exceptions the people I have met in my time here spend every waking minute going above and beyond for our members, while at the same time expectations are tossed onto the heap with no explanation other than get it done. The number of hours in the day hasn't changed, the amount of work has increased at least five-fold, the duties keep getting tossed on our backs and you think that means it just magically gets done... Last time I checked I don't have a magic wand, if I did, I definitely wouldn't be in this situation, and neither would my members are co-workers.
So I would suggest that maybe management instead of just looking at how much money they need for investors takes a good look at the toll those goals is having on its workforce. I am telling you right now as someone who can see the writing on the wall at some point we all break. At some point the expenses that you will be looking at will be in disability insurance claims for the toll of the emotional and physical stress that you cause your employees.
I know this is a long post and for that sorry not sorry... But holy he-l batman when are is anyone going to listen to what is really happening. The people in the trenches are crying out for help, under a mountain of work, while doing everything we can to help members that are losing everything around us. You cannot keep moving the goal post ahead and looking down saying we aren't doing enough. Then mock up by send a freaking survey out the week you notify us all that we are temporary at best and really don't matter, while in the same breath shouting that we better meet those metrics and goals. THE AUDACITY!
So lastly, may the odds be ever in our favor. The 2026 Hunger Games have begun. To my co-workers I see you and hear you, I care that you are struggling even if they don't. No matter what happens I see your value and the way you affect these members every day. No matter what happens, take care of yourself and make the decisions that will make you okay.

I saw in another thread on here that taking the VSP will save Centene money in the long run. If the next round of layoffs don’t include any severance, how would it be possible to save money for Centene through the VSP?

So let me get this straight. If you accept the vsp you get 4 extra weeks of pay. If you get laid off, you get severance but it’s 4 week smaller than the vsp check?

Anyone else is anxious or looking forward to July 15th or some sort of notification that your VSP was approved or is just me?

in the slim chance your VSP application is denied, what is your plan? I can’t decide whether to put in my two weeks immediately or wait for the layoff notification.

I’m leaning towards putting in my two weeks.

I don’t believe the business will deny the application to just decide to lay us off two weeks later. I do see the business trying to work us to death for a few more months, then decide they don’t need us and give us the boot then.

I already two the work of 2.5 FTEs, I’m not taking on anything more.

To think the VSP is the morally right thing to do and the company really doesn’t want to lay off people who want to stay. Maybe because I have seen jobs dissolve and they try to place those displaced in other positions.

Silly question that I probably know the answer to but for those taking the VSP do you think Centene would wipe our computers and let us keep them? It’s so much better than my personal computer lol.

I truly do not understand some of the negative comments on these posts to people trying to navigate through this scary time. We are scared and stressed about what to do. We are all looking for just a little compassion and understanding depending if we take the VSP or not, but no need to be rude to people who are deciding to take it. Trust me I am struggling with the decision which I bet most of us are! A little niceness goes a very long way with people who are nervous and scared

Wonder how many ppl did apply for the VSP. I feel like not that many will. I am the only one on my team that is. I'm actually excited about this possibility. I was so back and forth about it all at first but I have made my mind up and just hope I get approved. Sianaura sukas lol

…or are they afraid to many people will take it

Here is what I am thinking and I’d like to know if it even makes sense. What are your thoughts on if you apply for the VSP and you get approved, you were probably going to be laid off later. But if you don’t get approved, that means you’re needed and you probably won’t get laid off later. What do you all think? Wishful thinking?

June 2026
The New Board Member
Last week — on June 19, 2026 — Centene quietly expanded its Board of Directors from 9 to 10 members, appointing Lauren M. Tyler. She comes from over two decades at JPMorgan Chase, where she held roles including Global Head of HR for Asset and Wealth Management, Global Firmwide Chief Auditor, and Global Head of Investor Relations. She also sits on the boards of Cencora and Guardian Life.
On paper, this looks like a routine governance move. But the timing tells a different story.
Tyler is landing on two specific committees: Audit and Compensation and Talent. The Compensation and Talent Committee is the committee that oversees workforce decisions and pay structures — the exact committee with oversight over something like, say, a Voluntary Separation Package going out company-wide.
The Context Nobody Is Saying Out Loud
Centene reported a loss of nearly $6.7 billion in 2025. Medicaid redeterminations have been chipping away at membership for the past two years. ACA subsidy uncertainty is real. And now, with the current administration's push to reduce federal Medicaid funding, the core of Centene's business model — which is roughly 70%+ Medicaid managed care — is under direct pressure.
The VSP is not a surprise. It is a logical first move when a company needs to reduce headcount costs without triggering the optics of hard layoffs. The question everyone should be asking is: what comes after the VSP if not enough people take it?
The Macro Picture
The health sector broadly is in a tough spot right now — and this isn't just a Centene problem. Managed care organizations that depend heavily on government-sponsored programs are caught between:
Federal Medicaid funding proposals that could significantly reduce reimbursement
Rising medical costs that squeezed margins across the industry in 2024–2025
A regulatory environment that is increasingly unpredictable
Centene has actually shown some improvement — they raised their 2026 earnings guidance after Q1 results came in better than expected, largely due to successfully wrestling down medical costs. So it's not all bad. But the workforce reduction is clearly part of that margin protection strategy.
What This Means for Employees
If you are weighing the VSP, here are the honest things to consider:
Evaluate the package terms carefully. Look at severance weeks per year of service, how long COBRA coverage extends, and whether unvested equity is being paid out. Don't just look at the headline cash number.
The job market for healthcare tech is still active. Skills in Go, Kubernetes, observability tools, and cloud infrastructure are in demand outside of managed care. Your experience doesn't disappear when you leave.
Waiting may not be safer. If VSP participation is lower than targets, involuntary reductions often follow. That changes your negotiating position significantly.
The board is tightening its grip, not loosening it. Bringing in a JPMorgan finance and HR veteran onto the Compensation committee right now is a signal about the direction of governance — not a signal that things are about to get more employee-friendly.
Final Thought
The people who built this company and kept it running through a $6.7 billion loss year deserve better than a rushed exit package. But the reality is that the strategic decisions being made right now are being made at the board level, not by your direct manager or even your VP.
If you can swing it financially, taking the VSP and controlling your own exit is better than waiting to see what comes next. If you can't swing it, start building your options now regardless.
Wishing all Centene employees the best — whatever you decide.
This article reflects publicly available information and personal observations. All financial figures sourced from Centene's public SEC filings and press releases.

I will not reveal who I am or what I do in the company. I have heard some concerning numbers for the VSP and layoffs.
Is it true they're aiming for 12,000-18,000 layoffs?

Those of us taking VSP should wear a Hoody on our last week in conference calls in honor of the fearless leader. 😄

Centene are you freaking serious???? Sending out surveys asking for our opinions right now??? You don’t care about us and leaving us in limbo for weeks not knowing what to do or expect and you send out a satisfaction survey. Please save your time and maybe update your staff on the VSP and if what you expected to take it has vs has not so maybe we will have a better idea of what to do. Shove your stupid survey up your butt.

The VSP makes sense for me. I am fortunate and I know it. And I get the fear of everyone. I have heard via a high ranking person within the company that pretty much everyone that asks for it will get it. They might be kept beyond the 9/1 date due to a project or something.
I get what is happening, but the people who don't place the blame 90% on the shoulders of Sarah London and the BOD are misguided. Last week we saw the BOD firming up their grip on power by bringing in another person on their side. This is unfortunate for the employees and probably the stockholders as well.
I wish all my coworkers well, but if you can swing it, take the VSP and move on.

If we knew that once this is all over, once VSPs and involuntary layoffs are done, we're good. We can relax, we can do our jobs without worrying. Sadly, we all know that even after all the stressing and anticipation, once this is over, we'll just move on to the next round, or next reorg, or next something that'll threaten our jobs. And that su-ks.

As a PL I have to say from Director to front line we are all in the same boat. If you accept the VSP you may or may not get it. If you dont you will either be retained as a business need or next round of non Vsp layoffs with severance benefits but not on the same level as VSP offer. Business need based on contractual expectations so take that into account in your own analysis. Plan accordingly and know that Corp will do what is right for the bottom line and not you but that is business. Give yourself some grace as well as your PL as we all navigate our individual decision (unless they have been a true micromanager). Also be kind, there are some arguments on this forum and there is no reason for that. Remember as Yoda says "fear is the pathway to the darkness"

Has anyone heard any further updates?? Any idea to how many is applying for the VSP? What are they considering “critical roles?” This waiting and not knowing is about to get to me. I cannot focus on anything but this.

So there has been employees hired less than a year ago, how do they size up to those who have been here a lot longer? Based on certain comments here seems like there is quite a bit of individuals who didn’t get the VSP. So I’m like what does that mean for them?

if your position is not business critical, the business has no reason to reject your VSP application. business critical positions have already been identified.

why did everyone get the VSP? simple... to reduce the risk of discrimination claims.

the only way your VSP application is getting denied is if the elimination of your position will increase risk for the business or if too many people on your team applied. it will not get denied because your PL wants to keep you here (those words came from my PL). if the work can be redistributed to your team, it will be.

someone on my team applied for the VSP and the discussion of how their work is going to be redistributed has already been had. those of us who are staying will have to prepare for things to get a lot worse before they get better.

Basically asking what my chances of being denied are if I do apply for VSP.

How productive are you the last 2 weeks? Are you able to focus or get anything accomplished? Are they actually watching what we are doing at this time? In her email Tanya McNally wrote "For our people leaders, our ask is to afford your eligible team members the space and time to contemplate whether the VSP makes sense for them".

What is being said there?

I put this in a reply to another thread but thought it was something that might be it's own topic. VSP is not for the benefit of the employee, it's for the benefit of the Company, Board and Shareholders

Something I don't think anyone is considering, and a point that Centene would like to keep quiet is Unemployment benefit requires you to lose your job through "no fault of your own". (check your state) If you resign or take a standard severance package on your own, you generally won't qualify. So if you do take VSP you should plan on making that money go as far as possible since Unemployment is not going to be an option.

Asking the AI the question, how long someone in our position could expect to be out of work.

In 2026, laid-off professionals from health insurance giants like Centene or Molina can typically expect a job search to last 4 to 6 months. While the general timeline to secure a role can stretch to 5–6 months on average, specialized roles often take longer to fill. Navigating a job search after leaving a payer company involves several factors.

General Insurance Market Average: In the broader white-collar and insurance sector, the typical duration ranges from 3 to 6 months.

Healthcare Specifics: Because of strict credentialing, compliance requirements, and extensive application reviews, hiring processes within the healthcare sector can be slower, sometimes taking up to 8 months to fill specific roles.

Company-Specific Context: Centene (which offered Centene Offers Staff Buyouts Ahead of Potential Layoffs) and Molina (which filed WARN notices for their headquarters Molina Healthcare Layoffs 2026 - 156 Jobs Cut) have recently navigated structural downsizing. This means many former colleagues may be applying for similar roles at competing payers like CVS Health, Elevance Health, or UnitedHealth Group, temporarily increasing competition for equivalent roles.

It is my understanding that all severance pay will be taxed similarly to annual bonuses (around 22% federal + state/ss/medicare, totaling somewhere around 35-45% in NY). Are there circumstances where employees can opt to reduce the amount of taxes taken up front? Can anyone speak to this? Any HR reps in here?

I can’t be the only person having an incredibly difficult time focusing on work right now.

I’ve invested nearly 10 years here, earned multiple “Exceeds Expectations” reviews, and always taken pride in being a strong contributor wherever I work. But with so much uncertainty surrounding what’s next, I find myself struggling to stay motivated. The constant unknowns are starting to interfere with my ability to focus on the day-to-day work that’s expected of me.

And we will have over 3 weeks before we hear anything about these VSPs

Silence should no longer be an option. Since "leadership" is ignoring the call to step down, it’s time to turn up the volume. Let’s keep this conversation front and center until they finally acknowledge the need for a change.

Great Leaders Lead By Example
Therefore, I expect Sarah to be the first to take the new Voluntary Separation Program. But we all know she won’t. She got totally outplayed by the Trump administration and now far too many are going to pay the price for her ineptitude.

I get it. This is hard. Nobody wants to see their team shrink, nobody wants uncertainty, and nobody signs up for a job hoping to navigate a VSP or a RIF (This is not a layoff folks).

But I've been watching this forum and I want to offer a different perspective, one I don't see getting much airtime.

Companies don't offer voluntary separation packages because they hate their employees. They do it because the alternative is involuntary. A VSP with real severance, extended benefits, and time to plan your next move is genuinely a sign of a company trying to do right by people, even when the business decision behind it is painful. They could have just surprised 20% of us with RIF notices on August 1st. You can disagree with the strategy and still recognize the humanity in how it's being executed.

The personal attacks on leaders here are something else entirely. These are human beings making decisions in a brutally difficult macro environment. One that no one fully controls. Venting is understandable. But some of what I'm seeing crosses a line that doesn't reflect well on us, not on them.

Some of what I have seen has honestly made me realize there are areas where this company can RIF, with some of the narrow sighted and uninformed nonsense I have seen these past couple of weeks.

We're professionals. We can be honest about how hard this is without burning the place down on the way out.

My people leader was always so laid back and chill- now its emails about everything regarding production- time-claims, etc. I understand he's stressed but still... is this a paper trail for layoffs? Is it to stop me from getting VSP? T to fire me before hand? I plan on taking it anyway.. are people leaders told to be stricter or is this her way of saving her own job? I feel so discouraged now.

Does anyone know how high up the chain the decision of if your VSP will be accepted or declined?? Is it Director or Higher?? I decided to take the offer and move on from the company. 10+ years and its time for me to walk away. No regrets..yes I will miss all my friends that are staying, but sometimes you just need to walk away. And no matter what you choose to do its the best decision either way. Good luck everyone

advantages/disadvantages of now informing your PL (you have a great relationship with. Mutual respect). Common courtesy?

I think all of them are crazy. Who would want to stay in this mess? Okay, I can understand some people who are worried about health insurance and stuff like that, but isn't that going to be just as much of a problem if they're laid off after VSP is wrapped up?

We've been here before. Multiple times.

From my prospective, we've never truly addressed the issues in the company that causes it to bleed. Every time they run into money problems, they do layoffs to keep the stock shiny. The underlying issues are procedural and technical, but instead of fixing it while they have the staff to do so, they fire the staff first and expect the remaining staff to try to continue to work inside the flawed system.

It's a downward spiral that really doesn't see a solution at the end, and if the intention isn't to course correct, what's the endgame? I know they have a ton of directors and up in meetings to figure stuff out, but this wasn't fixed in the last six years, I don't know what six weeks will do.

My thought is that the massive employee liquidation is a precursor to a sale. Centene is a mismanaged company, and might be looking to sell and be done. At this point dumping the books of business to a viable management company may be the best option on the table. If not all of the business, perhaps slivers.

If that's the case, the buyer is already going to have most of the staff required to run what they buy. I'm not sure where that leaves us. If they only sell parts and I manage to survive the apocalypse, how long before I'm looking at the same situation again. That VSP isn't looking so bad.

Been trying to stay optimistic since last week's announcement, but reality has set in.
Here are the facts from my purview: layoffs are inevitable if VSP numbers fall short. Months ago, my PL requested a detailed breakdown of every one of my direct report's duties, along with a performance ranking completely outside our normal review cycle.
There are no coincidences.
Leadership kept this VSP rollout strictly need-to-know at the very top. As a PL, I was left completely in the dark, though looking back, I can admit I ignored the signs.

Why would Centene want to keep any VSP applicant (approved or denied) until Sept 1. And then the layoffs August 1, would they work to 9/1? That’s a lot for any company to take at one time (not that I care). People leaving (voluntarily) and others laid off (fired), only leaves those staying (those doing the actual work) with extremely low moral. For those that want to leave let them go as soon as they wish. Work out for both parties. Those forced to leave let them coordinate a date with their PL. Give them a break. Don’t make them work to 9/1. Prospective new employers can’t wait that long. Don’t let them miss these opportunities. I know Centene doesn’t care and that is sad, very sad. Karma.

Not because of the looming layoffs or any other reason. Just because I'm completely fed up with this job and this company. Completely burnt out. I'm sure others have their own reasons, but for me, the decision is easy.