Bass, Berry & Sims was honored to be named a winner in two categories at the 19th Annual M&A Advisor Awards. The firm was recognized in the following two categories for its involvement in the $17.3 billion merger between WellCare and Centene: Healthcare and Life Sciences Deal of the Year (Over $1B) and Corporate/Strategic Deal of the Year (Over $1B).

WellCare Merges with Centene for $17.3 Billion

The Bass, Berry & Sims team, led by Angela Humphreys, represented WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (formerly NYSE: WCG) in the transformative $17.3 billion merger with Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC). Centene’s intention for the WellCare acquisition was to position the combined company as the nation’s leader in government-sponsored healthcare with increased scale and diversification both geographically and in its managed care service offerings, and offer enhanced access to high-quality services for their members. The combined company now serves more than 24 million members in all 50 states and will be headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, though it will still maintain operations in Tampa, Florida, where WellCare is currently headquartered.

“These award winners are the standouts of the year, representing the finest deals and professionals within the M&A industry,” said Roger Aguinaldo, Founder of The M&A Advisor. “This period was ripe with challenges, but also abundant with M&A activity, and these professionals were able to rise above the noise executing transactions representing several hundred billions of dollars of enterprise value.”

The awards will be distributed at a Virtual Awards Gala on February 4, 2021. To view a full list of the 19th Annual M&A Advisor Award winners please click here.

“We are grateful to be recognized again by M&A Advisor for our role in this transformative merger,” said Angela Humphreys, chair of the Bass, Berry & Sims Healthcare Practice Group and co-leader of the Healthcare Private Equity Team. “It is an honor to be included among so many other distinguished firms and companies in this year’s recognition from M&A Advisor.”

The M&A Advisor

The M&A Advisor was founded in 1998 to offer insights and intelligence on M&A activities. Over the past 22 years M&A Advisor has established the premier global network of M&A, Turnaround and Finance professionals. To learn more visit www.maadvisor.com.

About Our Healthcare Practice

Marked by an integrated approach and unmatched regulatory knowledge, the healthcare practice of Bass, Berry & Sims is a team of more than 225 experienced attorneys who leverage their diverse strengths to meet the unique demands of our clients. Our team encompasses the multitude of legal specialties necessary to service one of the largest, most highly regulated industries in the U.S. Because of this depth, the firm is nationally ranked, for the fifth straight year, by Chambers USA and is ranked as the fourth largest healthcare law firm in the U.S. by Modern Healthcare (2020). Learn more here.