English
Arabic
French
Spanish
Portuguese
Deutsch
Turkish
Dutch
Italiano
Russian
Romaian
Portuguese (Brazil)
Greek
Our take
Molina Healthcare offers plans under Medicaid and Medicare and through the state health insurance marketplace.
It may not be available in your state, yet those customers who get their insurance through Molina give it high marks for trustworthiness and the company has a respectable 3 out of 5 stars from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). NCQA evaluates healthcare plans on, among other things, member satisfaction.
Overall, Molina ranked No. 9 in Insure.com’s list of the Best Health Insurance Companies for 2023 with a star rating of 3 (or, more precisely, 2.96) out of 5 stars.
Below is Insure.com’s review of the company. It’s based on third-party metrics and our in-depth survey of insurance customers. Find the full methodology here, including an explanation of our survey scores.
Pros and Cons
- It has earned its members’ trust
- The vast majority of customers plan to renew their policies
- Coverage is limited to government-sponsored programs
- Coverage is available in less than 20 states
How much does Molina health insurance cost?
Although the company was founded to provide low-income people with affordable healthcare, it didn’t score especially well here. However, we found that Molina does offer cheaper coverage in some markets.
| Insurance company | Survey score for low premiums |
|---|---|
| Molina | 7 |
| Aetna | 1 |
| UnitedHealthcare | 2 (tie) |
| Cigna | 2 (tie) |
Below is a look at how Molina rates in Michigan compare with those of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for a similar plan. These are 2023 healthcare exchange rates for a single, 40-year-old male in excellent health with an annual income of $70,000.
| Insurance company | Rate/Month | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Molina | $316 | Constant Care Silver 8 250 – HMO |
| Blue Care Network of Michigan | $427 | Blue Cross Select HMO Silver Saver |
How Molina scores for customer satisfaction
Molina received one of the lower scores among the top insurers in our survey for customer satisfaction. Still, 80% approval in this category is fairly high. Most members say they will renew their policies, which indicates they expect some drawbacks with the price. Kaiser Permanente is the top-ranked company in this category, followed by Blue Shield of California.
| Insurance company | Percent of customers who are satisfied with the company overall | J.D. Power overall satisfaction score (out of 1,000) |
|---|---|---|
| Molina | 80% | Not available |
| Kaiser Permanente | 93% | 766 |
| Blue California | 91% | 738 |
How Molina scores for policy offerings
Large competitors offer more choices. Molina’s offerings are limited to Medicaid, Medicare, or other state-sponsored plans. Generally, customers were OK with that. However, Blue Shield of California and Kaiser Permanente led this category.
| Insurance company | Percent of customers who score their insurance company highly for policy offerings |
|---|---|
| Molina | 80% |
| Blue California and Kaiser | 91% |
| UnitedHealthcare | 84% |
Would customers recommend Molina to others?
Yes, Molina ranked fairly well in this category with 85% of customers saying they would recommend the company to others. There may be some recognition that while most customers are willing to make some sacrifices, others may not be. Molina ranked behind Kaiser, which led this category.
| Insurance company | Percent of customers who would recommend their health insurance company to others |
|---|---|
| Molina | 85% |
| Kaiser Permanente | 96% |
| Cigna | 80% |
How trustworthy is Molina?
Molina has earned customers’ trust. It was in the top companies in our survey, with 75% of respondents saying they trust the company. But this was a tough category. Eight of the 10 companies we ranked saw between 70-80% of their customers give them high marks for trust. Kaiser Permanente led the way at 87%.
| Insurance company | Percent of customers who say they trust their health insurance company |
|---|---|
| Molina | 75% |
| Kaiser Permanente | 87% |
| Humana | 72% |
Do current Molina customers plan to renew?
Most say yes. Customers seem to recognize they get good value for their money, with 90% saying they would renew. Anthem was the top ranked company here.
| Insurance company | Percent of customers who plan to renew with their health insurance company |
|---|---|
| Molina | 90% |
| Anthem | 95% |
| UnitedHealthcare | 89% |
Molina health insurance coverage options
- Medicare, Medi-Cal and Medicaid plans
- Other state-sponsored plans
Other services offered
- Children’s Health Insurance programs (CHIP)
States where Molina Healthcare offers coverage
Company background
The company was founded in 1980 by C. David Molina, an emergency room doctor in Long Beach, California. Molina grew alarmed by a steady stream of patients to his emergency room for common illnesses that could have been treated in primary care centers. The patients were showing up in emergency rooms because they were being turned away from doctors who wouldn’t accept the state’s Medi-Cal health insurance.
He established a primary care clinic in Long Beach to treat low-income patients. There was a clear void to fill, and by the end of the decade, Molina became the state’s largest primary care management provider for Medi-Cal patients. Molina continued to grow and expand to other states, sticking to its roots of offering Medicare, Medicaid and other government-sponsored plans.
Molina passed away in 1996, but the company and the concept continue to live on. Today, Molina operates in almost 20 states and has more than 5 million members.
Resources & Methodology
Sources:
Molina corporate information. Accessed November 2022.
C. David Molina Chair in Medicine profile, John Hopkins University. Accessed November 2022.
