ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI (February 28, 2005) — Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) has appointed Kimberly Tuck as President and CEO of NurseWise, a subsidiary of Centene's specialty company, CenCorp Health SolutionsTM. Ms. Tuck is based out of the Company's St. Louis corporate office and reports to James Donovan, Senior Vice President, New Products and New Markets. She will be responsible for developing NurseWise and identifying new markets for future expansion.

Ms. Tuck has more than 24 years of healthcare experience, with 11 of those in national managed care companies including PacifiCare, Health Net and Amerigroup. Most recently, she was Vice President of Health Plan Services for Outlook Associates, Inc. A Registered Nurse, Ms. Tuck's career includes consulting on provider and clinical operations and extensive experience in Medicaid health related issues.

Mr. Donovan stated, “Kimberly's experience and expertise will be an asset to NurseWise. We look forward to benefiting from her broad background in healthcare as we strive to develop specialized health solutions for patients and providers.”

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: Lisa M. Wilson
Senior Vice President, Investor Relations
(212) 759-3929

Robert J. Schenk
Director, Corporate Marketing and Communications
(314) 725-4477