Amerigroup History at a Glance

In 1994, Amerigroup was founded to respond to the growing need for private-sector partners in states managing health care programs for lower-income families and people with disabilities. Since its inception, Amerigroup has been a proven leader in meeting the states’ objectives of providing accountability and improving access to health care while still controlling care costs. Today, Amerigroup is the largest publicly-traded company focused exclusively on meeting the needs of those enrolled in publicly-funded health care programs such as Medicaid and Medicare.

1994

• Company founded under the name AMERICAID Community Care

1995

• Develops health care systems
• Begins applications process

1996

• Launches health plan in Fort Worth, Texas
• Launches health plan in Chicago, Illinois
• Launches health plan in New Jersey

1997

• Company name changes to AMERIGROUP Corporation
• Launches health plan in Houston, Texas

1998

• Membership breaks 100,000
• Acquires Oxford Health Plan's New Jersey Medicaid business

1999

• Membership breaks 250,000
• New Service Center opens in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
• Wins National Health Information Award of Merit for audio Health Tips on Hold and Member Newsletter
• Acquires Prudential HealthCare's Washington D.C. Medicaid business
• Dallas, Texas health plan opens
• Acquires Prudential HealthCare's Maryland Medicaid business.
• Founder Jeffrey L. McWaters awarded Virginia Entrepreneur of the Year

2000

• Membership exceeds 330,000
• Opens new Technology Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
• National associates exceed 1,000
• Receives the National Health Information Award of Merit for children's educational activity sheets
• Launches AMERIKIDS health care product in Dallas and Houston, Texas 
• Launches Social Security Income (SSI) health care product in New Jersey

2001

• Joins NASDAQ under the symbol AMGP
• Receives the Silver National Health Information Award for Women's Healthy Connections 2000+
• Acquires Humana Health Plan of Texas' Houston Medicaid business
• Prime Health Corporation's Maryland Medicaid business is transferred
• Receives the Urban League of Hampton Roads, Virginia, Whitney M. Young Corporate Diversity Award

2002

• Acquires MethodistCare's Houston, Texas Medicaid business
• Acquires Capital Community Health Plan's Medicaid line of business in Washington D.C.

2003

• Acquires Physicians Healthcare Plans, Inc., adding 190,000 members
• Listed on NASDAQ under the symbol AGP
• Completes acquisition of the Medicaid line of business in Florida known as St. Augustine Medicaid, a Division of AvMed, Inc., adding 28,000 members
• Completes additional public offering of common stock
• Achieves 3-year accreditation by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Care for Amerigroup Florida

2004

• Achieves overall rate increases on a companywide weighted average of 5 percent.
• Celebrates its first decade and opens new 106,000-square-foot National Support Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia
• Announces its first stock split, a two-for-one distribution, effective early in 2005
• Announces acquisition of CarePlus Health Plan in New York, boosting membership to over a million, effective Jan.1, 2005

2005

• Membership exceeds 1 million
• Completes acquisition of New York's CarePlus Health Plan Jan.1, 2005, adding approximately 115,000 members
• Named one of "America's Best Managed Companies" by Forbes Magazine in its annual survey of the country's most successful businesses
• Submits Medicare Special Needs Plan application to serve Houston, Texas dual-eligibles beginning in 2006
• Opens two new offices in Boca Raton and Miami Lakes, Florida 
• Expands services throughout Texas, including Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, Corpus Christi and El Paso
• Wins bids in four of six Georgia regions
• Begins operations in Northern Virginia
• Expands services in the Cincinnati, Ohio

2006

• Begins operations in Georgia
• Selected to provide health care coverage to low-income and medically vulnerable Ohio residents who are aged, blind and disabled in the state’s southwest region
• Chosen to offer health care coverage to low-income residents in Cincinnati, Dayton and 16 surrounding counties in Ohio 
• Wins federal approval to manage health care for members in Houston, Texas enrolled in both Medicaid and Medicare

2007

• Membership exceeds 1.5 million
• Begins operations in Tennessee, where its subsidiary enrolls 170,000 members
• Accredited by the National Committee for Quality Assurance and awarded Commendable status, certifying that its District of Columbia health plan offers high-quality services to its 40,000 members
• Forms of Amerigroup's National Advisory Board on Improving Health Care Services for Seniors and People with Disabilities (NAB) for consultation and collaboration in serving seniors and people with disabilities
• Expands its Social Security Income health care product to San Antonio and Austin, Texas, and Cincinnati, Ohio
• Wins federal approval to manage health care for members in Baltimore, Maryland enrolled in both Medicaid and Medicare
• James G. Carlson becomes the second Chief Executive Officer in Amerigroup's 13-year history
• Acquires TLC Family Care Health Plan in Memphis, Tennessee

2008

• Awarded New Health Plan Accreditation by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for the Georgia health plan
• Awarded New Health Plan Accreditation by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for Amerigroup's Virginia health plan
• James G. Carlson is elected Chairman of the Board of Directors for Amerigroup
• Successfully completes competitive bidding process to expand coverage in the Florida Healthy Kids Program through the company's Florida subsidiary
• Begins operations in New Mexico, serving members in the state's Coordination of Long-Term Services program for Medicaid, as well as offering a Medicare Advantage plan for those eligible for Medicare only and a Medicare Advantage plan for those eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid
• Named among the "Best Places to Work in Healthcare" by Modern Healthcare magazine

2009

• Begins operations in Nevada, serving approximately 53,000 financially vulnerable Nevadans in Clark and Washoe counties.
• Amerigroup Texas is named one of the “Best Companies to Work For” by the Best Companies Groups
• Amerigroup Disease Management Programs earns 3-year Accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)
• Amerigroup Community Care of Ohio is awarded New Health Plan Accreditation from NCQA
• Amerigroup Community Care of Tennessee is awarded New Health Plan Accreditation from NCQA.
• Wins the Governor’s Volunteerism and Community Service Award in the business category in Virginia
• Earns honorable mention in the “Best Overall Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Practices” category for companies under 25,000 employees
• Honored by PRNews as a finalist for its 2009 CSR Awards
• Amerigroup establishes the Public Policy Institute, which is a joint venture of the Company and the Amerigroup Foundation that examines a wide range of issues related to Medicaid, Medicare and other government programs that provide health care to nearly 100 million Americans. The Institute’s goal is to identify, assess and promote innovative solutions that help these Americans live healthier, more independent lives and also help to control the cost of public health care programs
• NAB releases its six key principles for independence with the issuing of its new white paper, Declaration for Independence: A Call to Transform Health and Long Term Services for Seniors and People with Disabilities

2010

• Receives CSR Award by PR News for Real Caring and Real Solutions initiatives
• Amerigroup CEO James G. Carlson recognized at the Crystal Ball for a Cure event as an honorary "hero" for his leadership in advancing Lou Gehrig's research
• Completes acquisition of University Health Plans in New Jersey, acquiring an additional 38,000 members
• Amerigroup leaps onto Fortune 500 list for first time in company's 15-year history.