NEW YORK, May 31 (Reuters) - Health insurer Centene's ( CNC )

Chief Executive Sarah London said on Friday that turnover in

people enrolled in Medicaid plans had led to a shift in its

membership health profile, to patients who were sicker, but

stood by its 2024 earnings and cost forecasts.

Around 30% of Medicaid members who lost their membership

when re-enrollment started last year had been taken off the list

"inappropriately" and their return now is causing uncertainty

for the health insurer, London said at a Bernstein investor

conference.

The decline in enrolled members was also a factor, London

added.

Chief Financial Officer Drew Asher said the company believed

it could adjust its 2025 Medicaid contract bids for the change

in use of health services.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, insurers were required to

keep Medicaid members enrolled beginning March 2020. States

began redetermining eligibility in 2023, following the

termination of that policy, and the process is still underway

for some.

In addition to Medicaid plans for people with low incomes,

Centene ( CNC ) manages health insurance plans for the U.S. Medicare

program for people aged 65 and older or those with disabilities.

Two-thirds of states for which the insurer manages coverage have

completed their re-enrollment cycle, London said on the call.