ST. LOUIS, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 3, 2005--Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) announced today that it will present at the JPMorgan 23rd Annual Healthcare Conference, which will be held January 10-13, 2005, at the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco, California.

Michael F. Neidorff, Centene's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, will present on Monday, January 10, 2005 at 2:00 p.m. (PST). The presentation will be available as a live, audio webcast at http://equityconferences.jpmorgan.com, then archived for on-demand listening for 15 days. After logging on to the site, please select the "JPMorgan Healthcare Conference" webcast link approximately five minutes prior to the Centene presentation. Upon registration, the conference "Welcome Page" will appear. Click on the "Live Webcast" link to the left, and then click on "Centene."

About Centene Corporation

Centene Corporation provides multi-line managed care programs and related services to individuals receiving benefits under Medicaid, including Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The Company operates health plans in Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin. In addition, the Company contracts with other healthcare organizations to provide specialty services including behavioral health, nurse triage and pharmacy compliance. Information regarding Centene is available via the Internet at www.centene.com.

CONTACT: Centene Corporation Lisa M. Wilson, 212-759-3929 www.centene.com

SOURCE: Centene Corporation