Health insurer Molina to join S.C. marketplace

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S.C. residents will soon have another coverage option in the state’s health insurance marketplace.

Molina Healthcare of South Carolina will offer health insurance marketplace plans in 20 counties in 2020, and Medicare dual-special-needs plans will be available in 43 counties, according to a news release from the California-headquartered company. Molina Healthcare of South Carolina already serves members through Medicaid and Medicare-Medicaid duals plans statewide.

Molina becomes the third insurer to offer marketplace exchange coverage to S.C. residents. Blue Cross Blue Shield South Carolina offers marketplace plans, established by the Affordable Care Act, to customers statewide. Ambetter from Absolute Total Care offers plans for Charleston County residents.

Aetna withdrew from the S.C. marketplace in 2016.

This is Molina Healthcare of South Carolina’s first commercial insurance offering in the state. Coverage will be offered in Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Charleston, Calhoun, Clarendon, Colleton, Dillon, Edgefield, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lee, Lexington, Marlboro, Marion, McCormick, Orangeburg, Saluda and Williamsburg counties.

Molina marketplace plans for 2020 will include telemedicine services, preventive care and a comprehensive network of doctors and hospitals, according to the release. Open enrollment for 2020 coverage is from Nov. 1 through Dec. 15.

“We are excited for the opportunity to provide South Carolina residents with additional health care options,” Dora Wilson, president of Molina Healthcare of South Carolina, said. “Our marketplace and DSNP plans are a natural extension of the coverage we currently offer our Medicaid and duals members.”