Molina Medicare Advantage 2024 Review

Molina is the seventh-largest provider of for-profit Medicare Advantage plans. The company offers Medicare Advantage plans in 14 states.

Molina’s Medicare Advantage plans all have $0 premiums in 2024, but they get below-average star ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Here’s what you should know about Molina Medicare Advantage.

Molina Medicare Advantage pros and cons

Molina’s offerings have advantages and disadvantages.

Pros

• $0 premiums: All of Molina’s Medicare Advantage HMO plans have $0 premiums in 2024.

• Part B premium reductions: Some plans refund part of your Medicare Part B premium.

Cons

• Low star ratings: Molina plans’ average overall star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, weighted by enrollment, is 2.78 stars (the national average, weighted by enrollment, is 4.04 stars).

• Limited state availability: Molina offers Medicare Advantage plans in only 14 states.

» MORE: Best Medicare Advantage plans

Molina Medicare star ratings

Average star rating, weighted by enrollment: 2.78

If you want Medicare’s take on Molina’s plans, look no further than the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' own star ratings, which rank each plan from best (5 stars) to worst (1 star). The agency bases these ratings on plans’ quality of care and measurements of customer satisfaction, and ratings may change from year to year.

All Medicare Advantage plans are evaluated on health plan measures, and Medicare Advantage plans that include prescription drug coverage are also evaluated on drug plan measures. Based on the most recent year of data and weighted by enrollment, Molina’s 2024 Medicare Advantage plans get an average rating of 2.78 stars^[0]

For comparison, the average star rating for plans from all providers for 2024 is 4.04^[0]

Of Molina members who are in contracts with a Medicare star rating, 1.8% are in contracts rated 4.0 or above as of November 2023.

You can find a plan’s rating with Medicare's plan finding tool.

What does Molina Medicare Advantage cost?

Costs for Medicare Advantage plans will depend on your plan, geographic location and health needs.

Premiums

One of the costs to consider is the plan’s premium. All of Molina’s Medicare Advantage plans have $0 premiums in 2024^[0]

Even as a Medicare Advantage user, you’ll still be responsible for paying your Medicare Part B premium, which is $174.70 per month in 2024, although some plans cover part or all of this cost^[0]

Copays, coinsurance and deductibles

Requirements for copays, coinsurance and deductibles vary depending on your plan, location and the services you use. Other out-of-pocket costs to consider include:

• Whether the plan covers any part of your monthly Medicare Part B premium.

• The plan’s yearly deductibles and any other deductibles, such as a drug deductible.

• Copayments and/or coinsurance for each visit or service. For instance, there may be a $10 copay for seeing your primary doctor and a $45 copay for seeing a specialist.

• The plan’s in-network and out-of-network out-of-pocket maximums.

• Whether your medical providers are in-network or out-of-network, or how often you may go out-of-network for care.

• Whether you require extra benefits, and whether the plan charges for them.

Here are examples of Molina Medicare Advantage costs for three plans in a mid-range city:

To get a sense of costs, use Medicare’s plan finding tool to compare information among available plans in your area. You can select by insurance carrier to see only Molina plans or compare across carriers. You can also shop directly from Molina’s website by entering your ZIP code.

Molina Medicare Advantage plan types

There are two kinds of Molina Medicare Advantage plans, and they vary in structure, costs and benefits. All Molina Medicare Advantage plans include prescription drug coverage.

Plan offerings include the following types:

Molina third-party ratings

NCQA Score Range: 2.0 to 3.0 out of 5

The National Committee for Quality Assurance rates health insurance plans on a 5-point scale (with 5 being best) based on quality of care, patient satisfaction and health plans’ efforts to keep improving.

In its September 2023 ratings, the NCQA scored Molina plans between 2.0 and 3.0 stars, with the majority receiving ratings of 2.5 stars^[0]

Molina Medicare Advantage service area

Molina offers Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans in 14 states.

Molina is number seven among the largest for-profit Medicare Advantage companies, by enrollment, with about 156,000 Medicare beneficiaries. The company added about 15,000 members for the 2023 plan year, according to a report from health care analytics firm The Chartis Group^[0]