Atlanta Business Chronicle by Carla Caldwell, Morning Call Editor

Date: Tuesday, December 25, 2012, 6:11am EST – Last Modified: Tuesday, December 25, 2012, 8:48am EST

WellPoint, Inc., (NYSE: WLP) has completed its acquisition of Amerigroup Corporation (NYSE: AGP), WellPoint announced Monday.

“By leveraging our combined clinical capabilities, resources and expertise, WellPoint’s competitive position in the Dual Eligible and Medicaid markets will be enhanced and will help create more value for state governments and their program beneficiaries,” the company said in a statement.

With Amerigroup, WellPoint’s affiliated Medicaid health plans now serve approximately 4.5 million beneficiaries of state-sponsored health care programs in 20 states, bringing the company’s total medical enrollment to approximately 36 million members in all affiliated plans. WellPoint also now has a presence in several states with significant dual eligible managed care opportunities.

Amerigroup will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary within WellPoint. Amerigroup’s management team will lead the combined Medicaid businesses.

According to a statement released by WellPoint, the company has approximately 36 million people in its affiliated health plans, and approximately 66 million people are served through its subsidiaries. As an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, WellPoint serves members as the Blue Cross licensee for California; the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensee for Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City area), Nevada, New Hampshire, New York (as the Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in 10 New York City metropolitan and surrounding counties and as the Blue Cross or Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in selected upstate counties only), Ohio, Virginia (excluding the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.), and Wisconsin.

In a majority of the service areas, WellPoint plans do business as Anthem Blue Cross, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia and Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, or Empire Blue Cross (in the New York service areas). WellPoint also serves customers throughout the country as UniCare and in certain markets through its Amerigroup and CareMore subsidiaries.

SOURCE: http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/morning_call/2012/12/wellpoint-inc-acquires-amerigroup.html