TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) announced today it appointed Anat Hakim to senior vice president, general counsel and secretary, effective September 26. Hakim will be responsible for leading the company's legal department. She will report to WellCare's CEO Ken Burdick.

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"I'm pleased to welcome Anat to WellCare," said Burdick. "I expect her depth of knowledge and extensive experience will build upon our legal team's already strong foundation and contribute to WellCare's mission to serve our members."

"I am excited to join WellCare and serve in a role that uniquely blends my legal and health care backgrounds," said Hakim. "I'm looking forward to working with the team to navigate today's ever-changing health care environment and to address the industry's most complex issues."

Most recently, Hakim served as divisional vice president, associate general counsel, litigation for Abbott Laboratories, a global diagnostics, medical device, nutrition and branded generic pharmaceuticals manufacturer. In this role, she had oversight of the company's commercial litigation; intellectual property litigation; government investigations; compliance internal investigations and remediation; and labor and employment counseling.

Prior to joining Abbott, Hakim spent 12 years with Foley & Lardner, LLP, an international law firm, including eight years as an equity partner, where she focused on patent, trademark, trade secret and complex commercial lawsuits. Before joining Foley & Lardner, she served as an associate with the law firm Latham & Watkins for five years.

Hakim holds a B.A. in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a J.D. from Harvard University.

About WellCare Health Plans, Inc.
Headquartered in Tampa, Fla., WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) focuses exclusively on providing government-sponsored managed care services, primarily through Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans, to families, children, seniors and individuals with complex medical needs. WellCare serves approximately 3.8 million members nationwide as of June 30, 2016. For more information about WellCare, please visit the company's website at www.wellcare.com or view the company's videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/WellCareHealthPlan.

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SOURCE WellCare Health Plans, Inc.