Michael F. Neidorff, who as chief executive officer of Centene Corp. transformed a tiny medical insurance firm serving three counties in 1996 into a nationwide giant in government-backed health coverage, died Thursday after what his family described as a long illness. He was 79.
Mr. Neidorff recently took medical leave and had signaled last year a plan to retire in 2022 from the CEO job he held for more than 25 years. Centene announced in March the appointment of Sarah London, who had been vice chairman, to succeed him as CEO.
