Business Segments · Medical costs
Medicare — Medical costs
Centene Medicare — Medical costs decreased by 5.0% to $8.77B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 16.1%, from $7.56B to $8.77B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Medicare — Medical costs shows an upward trend with a 22.4% CAGR. This is a positive signal — lower values indicate better performance for this metric.
Analysis
StatementSegment
CategoryProfitability
SignalLower is better
VolatilityModerate
First reportedQ1 2021
Last reportedQ1 2026
Rolls up toMedical costs
How to read this metric
An increase relative to revenue suggests rising medical inflation or higher utilization, which may compress margins.
Detailed definition
Reflects the direct costs incurred for medical services provided to members enrolled in Medicare plans, including hospit...
Peer comparison
Comparable to 'Medical Claims Expense' or 'Health Benefits Expense' in the Medicare segment of peer insurers.
Metric ID:
cnc_segment_medicare_medical_costsHistorical Data
20 periods
| Q2 '21 | Q3 '21 | Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $3.81B | $3.81B | $3.81B | $5.05B | $4.83B | $4.73B | $4.77B | $5.01B | $4.88B | $4.46B | $5.04B | $5.39B | $5.33B | $4.97B | $4.75B | $7.56B | $8.59B | $8.85B | $9.23B | $8.77B |
| QoQ Change | — | +0.0% | +0.0% | +32.4% | -4.4% | -2.0% | +0.8% | +5.0% | -2.5% | -8.6% | +13.0% | +6.9% | -1.0% | -6.8% | -4.4% | +59.2% | +13.7% | +3.1% | +4.3% | -5.0% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +26.6% | +24.1% | +25.1% | -0.8% | +1.2% | -5.7% | +5.7% | +7.6% | +9.2% | +11.3% | -5.8% | +40.2% | +61.0% | +78.2% | +94.5% | +16.1% |
Range$3.81B – $9.23B
CAGR+19.2%
Avg YoY Growth+24.3%
Median YoY Growth+13.7%
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Centene's medicare — medical costs?
- Centene (CNC) reported medicare — medical costs of $8.77B in Q1 2026.
- How has Centene's medicare — medical costs changed year-over-year?
- Centene's medicare — medical costs increased by 16.1% year-over-year, from $7.56B to $8.77B.
- What is the long-term trend for Centene's medicare — medical costs?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Centene's medicare — medical costs has grown at a 22.4% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $15.25B to $34.23B.
- What does medicare — medical costs mean?
- The total amount spent on healthcare services for Medicare members.