Depends entirely on which Molina plan you have: 2026 Molina Medicare D-SNPs include two hearing aids every two years at $0 copay through NationsHearing, Medicaid plans follow each state's rules, and Marketplace plans cover adult hearing aids only in certain states — Illinois, Kentucky, Texas, Nevada, and New Mexico for 2026.
By Lilly Seay · Updated July 2026
Molina's 2026 dual-eligible special needs plans (D-SNPs) use a consistent design we verified in the official 2026 Summary of Benefits for Illinois, Arizona, and Washington: a $0 copay routine hearing exam once a year, a $0 hearing aid fitting/evaluation (listed as once a year in the Arizona and Washington documents; the Illinois document ties fittings to medical necessity), and up to 2 pre-selected hearing aids (one per ear) at $0 copay every 2 years from a plan-approved provider. The benefit runs through NationsHearing (877-208-9243, TTY 711, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.), which offers 1,200+ hearing aid models across an 8,000+ provider network and includes 3 follow-up visits, a 3-year manufacturer's repair warranty, 3 years of batteries on non-rechargeable models, a one-time lost/stolen/damaged replacement (a deductible of roughly $175-$255 applies, depending on manufacturer), and a 60-day 100% money-back guarantee. Note: 'pre-selected' means you choose from a plan-approved list, not any hearing aid on the market. Molina participates in Medicare in all of its markets except Florida in 2026. Two caveats: Molina's non-dual MAPD plans and its Central Health Plan brand in California use different designs — the 2026 Central Health Embrace Care Plan (C-SNP), for example, charges tiered hearing aid copays from $575 (entry model) to $2,099 (premium model) per aid rather than $0 — so always read your own plan's Summary of Benefits.
On top of the prescription hearing aid benefit, Molina D-SNPs load a monthly allowance onto a MyChoice pre-funded debit card, and the 2026 Summary of Benefits documents state that OTC hearing aids are covered and included in the combined OTC allowance. The amounts differ a lot by state and plan: the 2026 Illinois Molina Medicare Complete Care Plus (HMO D-SNP) gives a $128 combined monthly allowance, the 2026 Washington Complete Care Select plan gives $39 per month (combined with transportation), and the 2026 Arizona Complete Care plan gives $25 per month. The documents are explicit that unused allowance does not carry over to the next month, so check your plan's Summary of Benefits for your exact figure before counting on it.
Molina's own Marketplace benefit policy (Hearing Services, Policy 0030, version 5.0, effective 1/1/2025) spells out which of its exchange states cover adult hearing aids. Covered for adults: Illinois (up to $2,500 per aid every 24 months for members 18+ under the state mandate; under-18s get one per ear per 24 months), Kentucky ($2,800 in eligible expenses per year for adults 18+, one purchase per impaired ear every 3 years; children under 18 get one aid per ear up to $1,400 every 36 months), Texas (one aid per ear every 3 years including fitting and dispensing, with ear molds), Nevada (any age, hearing aids covered when required to correct a hearing impairment), New Mexico (one aid every 36 months at the DME cost-share on your SBC), and Wisconsin (any age — though Molina exited the Wisconsin Marketplace for 2026). NOT covered for adults: California (the state-funded HACCP program covers eligible kids ages 0-20 instead), Florida, Idaho (dependent children only, one device per ear every 36 months), Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, Utah, and Washington. The policy states hearing services require prior authorization and that hearing aid batteries are excluded in every state that covers aids. Your own plan's SBC — the 'Excluded Services & Other Covered Services' box — is the final word.
Molina describes itself in its 2025 Form 10-K as a 'pure-play government-sponsored healthcare business' — Medicaid, Medicare, and Marketplace. Its entire commercial book is the small block that came with the ConnectiCare acquisition, about 6,000 members in an 'Other' segment the 10-K calls insignificant. So if you have hearing coverage questions about a job-based plan, you almost certainly don't have Molina — unless you're in Connecticut with a ConnectiCare employer plan. If that's you, one distinction decides everything: a fully-insured plan (ConnectiCare is the insurer) must follow Connecticut's state benefit mandates, while a self-funded (ERISA) plan — where your employer pays the claims and ConnectiCare only administers them — is exempt from state hearing aid mandates, and hearing coverage is whatever your employer chose to include. Molina's own benefit policy notes the same split for the ACA: large-group and self-funded plans aren't required to cover the essential health benefits that pull hearing aids into individual and small-group plans. Check your Summary of Benefits and Coverage or ask HR whether your plan is fully insured or self-funded.
About 4.57 million of Molina's 5.5 million members are in Medicaid managed care, and Molina must cover at least what your state's Medicaid program covers. For children and young adults under 21, hearing tests and medically necessary hearing aids are covered in every state through the federal EPSDT requirement. For adults 21+, it genuinely depends on the state. A few examples we could verify: California's Medi-Cal covers adult hearing aids but caps spending at $1,510 per fiscal year (authorization can exceed the cap in some cases), Texas covers them with prior authorization, and states including Washington, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, Ohio, Kentucky, New Mexico, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Connecticut, and Florida cover adult hearing aids with their own rules and limits. In some Molina states — Arizona, Idaho, Mississippi, Utah, and Virginia among them, per the most recent state benefit surveys — adult Medicaid members get no hearing aid benefit at all. State rules change, so the fastest check is calling the member services number on your Molina ID card and asking 'does my plan cover hearing exams and hearing aids for my age, and is prior authorization required?'
NationsHearing's Molina program adds real extras beyond the insurance benefit for Medicare members: a no-cost in-person hearing test, 12- and 18-month 0% APR financing with no money down if your aids cost more than your benefit covers, and the 60-day, 100% money-back guarantee. Separately, HearUSA advertises a Molina hearing benefit program with a free hearing screening (a $135 retail value), savings of up to 60% off brand-name hearing aids, a $1,000-per-ear benefit every 5 years 'depending on plan,' a 3-year warranty including loss and damage, and a 2-year battery supply with purchase (855-898-1320). Because these programs vary by state and plan year, confirm which network your specific plan uses before booking — Molina member services can tell you in one call.
Molina has been reshaping fast. It completed its $350 million acquisition of ConnectiCare on February 1, 2025, adding about 140,000 Connecticut members across Marketplace, Medicare, and certain commercial products. It also operates Central Health Plan Medicare plans in California, which came with its January 2024 purchase of Bright Health's California Medicare business. For 2026, Molina participates in Medicare everywhere except Florida, expects Medicare enrollment to fall about 12% to roughly 230,000 members (including about 80,000 MAPD members), and pulled its Marketplace plans out of Arizona, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New York, and Wisconsin. In February 2026 Molina announced it will exit its non-dual MAPD product entirely for 2027 — about 117,000 members in 2025 — to focus exclusively on dual-eligible members, so if you're in a Molina MAPD plan, expect to shop for new coverage for 2027. Starting in 2027, CMS rules also require D-SNPs affiliated with Medicaid managed care organizations to use exclusively aligned enrollment — meaning your Medicaid and Medicare will increasingly sit with the same company, which should make combined hearing benefits easier to coordinate.
It depends on which Molina plan you have. Molina's 2026 Medicare D-SNPs are the most generous: two plan-approved hearing aids every two years at $0 copay, plus a $0 yearly routine hearing exam, run through NationsHearing. Molina Medicaid plans cover whatever your state's Medicaid program covers — adult coverage in states like Washington, Ohio, and Illinois, a $1,510-per-year cap in California, and no adult benefit in states like Arizona and Utah (children under 21 are covered everywhere through EPSDT). Molina Marketplace plans cover adult hearing aids only in Illinois, Kentucky, Texas, Nevada, and New Mexico. Check your plan documents or call the number on your card.
Verified in Molina's official 2026 Summary of Benefits documents for Illinois, Arizona, and Washington: a $0 copay routine hearing exam once a year, a $0 hearing aid fitting/evaluation, and up to 2 pre-selected hearing aids at $0 copay every 2 years from a plan-approved provider. NationsHearing administers the benefit (877-208-9243) and adds 3 follow-up visits, a 3-year repair warranty, batteries for non-rechargeable models, and a 60-day money-back guarantee. 'Pre-selected' means you choose from an approved list rather than any aid on the market. Molina's non-dual MAPD plans and California's Central Health Plan use different designs — some charge per-aid copays — so check your own plan's Summary of Benefits.
Only if your state's Medicaid program does — Molina administers your state's benefit, it doesn't set it. Adults 21+ get hearing aid coverage in Molina Medicaid states including Washington, Ohio, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, Kentucky, New Mexico, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Connecticut, and Florida. California's Medi-Cal caps adult hearing aid spending at $1,510 per fiscal year, and Texas requires prior authorization. In states like Arizona, Idaho, Mississippi, Utah, and Virginia, adults generally get no Medicaid hearing aid benefit at all. Kids and young adults under 21 are covered in every state through EPSDT. Call the number on your Molina ID card to confirm your state's current rules and prior authorization steps.
For adults, only in certain states. Molina's own Marketplace benefit policy covers adult hearing aids in Illinois (up to $2,500 per aid every 24 months under the state mandate), Kentucky ($2,800 in eligible expenses per year, one aid per impaired ear every 3 years), Texas (one per ear every 3 years including fitting), Nevada (any age), and New Mexico (one aid every 36 months). In California, Florida, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, Utah, and Washington, Molina Marketplace plans do not cover adult hearing aids — Idaho covers dependent children only. Hearing aid batteries are excluded everywhere, and prior authorization is required. Your plan's SBC 'Excluded Services & Other Covered Services' box has the final answer.
Call NationsHearing at 877-208-9243 (TTY 711), 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time. They verify your Molina Medicare benefit, schedule a no-cost in-person hearing test with one of 8,000+ network providers, and help you pick from over 1,200 hearing aid models on your plan's approved list. Your purchase includes three follow-up visits, a 3-year manufacturer's repair warranty, 3 years of batteries for non-rechargeable models, a one-time replacement if an aid is lost, stolen, or damaged (a deductible of about $175-$255 applies), and a 60-day, 100% money-back guarantee. If costs exceed your benefit, 12- and 18-month 0% APR financing is available.
Yes, if you're in a Molina Medicare D-SNP with an OTC benefit. Molina loads a combined monthly allowance onto a MyChoice pre-funded debit card, and the 2026 plan documents state that OTC hearing aids are covered and included in that combined allowance. The amount varies widely by plan and state — $128 per month in the 2026 Illinois Complete Care Plus plan, $39 in Washington's Complete Care Select, and $25 in Arizona's Complete Care plan. Unused allowance does not carry over to the next month, so plan bigger purchases carefully. This is separate from — and in addition to — the prescription hearing aid benefit through NationsHearing. Your Summary of Benefits lists your exact allowance.
While you sort out coverage, the Hearing Buddy app gives you live captions on your phone — free, instantly.