ASHEVILLE, N.C. and TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- WellCare of North Carolina, a subsidiary of WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG), a leading provider of Medicaid and Medicare services, announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Mission Health.

Mission Health is a robust system that includes six hospitals, numerous outpatient and surgery centers, post-acute care provider CarePartners, long-term acute care provider Asheville Specialty Hospital, and the region's only dedicated Level II trauma center.

"Mission Health is a strong care partner and we look forward to working with them to help our members live better, healthier lives," said Gregg MacDonald, senior vice president, division president at WellCare.

Mission Health has been recognized by Truven Health Analytics/IBM Watson Health as a "Top 15 health systems" five of the last six years between 2012-2017, and is the only health system in North Carolina to achieve this recognition.

"We've finalized the details of a new agreement that is mutually beneficial for both organizations," said Ronald A. Paulus, M.D., President and CEO at Mission Health. "More importantly, both organizations recognize and appreciate a collaborative and fair agreement that allows Mission Health to continue providing the highest level of services to the communities we serve."

As of June 30, 2017, WellCare serves approximately 33,000 Medicare Prescription Drug Plan members in North Carolina.

To learn more about the company, please visit www.wellcare.com or call toll-free 1-877-841-6072.

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 4.4 million members nationwide as of June 30, 2017. 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.

About Mission Health
Mission Health, based in Asheville, North Carolina, is the state's sixth-largest health system. For the fifth time in the past six years, Mission Health has been named one of the nation's Top 15 Health Systems by Truven Health Analytics, an IBM Company and part of IBM Watson Health in 2017. We are the only health system in North Carolina to achieve this recognition. Mission Health operates six hospitals, numerous outpatient and surgery centers, post- acute care provider CarePartners, long-term acute care provider Asheville Specialty Hospital, and the region's only dedicated Level II trauma center. With approximately 12,000 team members and 2,000 volunteers, Mission Health is dedicated to improving the health and wellness of the people of western North Carolina. For more information, please visit mission-health.org or @MissionHealthNC.

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SOURCE WellCare Health Plans, Inc.