Consent
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The
Board
of Directors
Centene
Corporation:
We
consent to the incorporation by reference in the registration statement
on Form
S-3 (No. 333-119944) on Forms S-8 (No. 333-108467, 333-90976, 333-83190)
of
Centene Corporation of our reports dated February 22, 2007, with respect
to the
consolidated balance sheets of Centene Corporation as of December 31, 2006
and
2005, and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’
equity and cash flows for the years then ended, the related financial statement
schedule as of and for the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005, management’s
assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting
as
of December 31, 2006, and the effectiveness of internal control over financial
reporting as of December 31, 2006, which reports appear in the December
31, 2006
annual report on Form 10-K of Centene Corporation.
As
discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, during 2006,
the
Company adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standard No. 123 (revised
2004), “Share Based Payments.”
/s/ KPMG
LLP
St.
Louis, Missouri
February
22, 2007