Impairment Losses

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of net assets acquired in business combinations. Goodwill is not amortized, but is subject to an annual impairment test. We are required to test at least annually for impairment, or more frequently if adverse events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset may be impaired. When testing goodwill for impairment, we may first assess qualitative factors, such as industry and market factors, cost factors, and changes in overall performance, to determine if it is more likely than not that the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its estimated fair value. If our qualitative assessment indicates that goodwill impairment is more likely than not, we perform additional quantitative analysis. We may also elect to skip the qualitative testing and proceed directly to the quantitative testing.

An impairment loss is measured as the excess of the carrying amount of the reporting unit, including goodwill, over the fair value of the reporting unit. We estimate the fair values of our reporting units using discounted cash flows. We apply our weighted average cost of capital (WACC) as the best estimate to discount future estimated cash flows to present value. The WACC is based on externally available data considering market participants’ cost of equity and debt, and capital structure. In addition, we apply a terminal growth rate that corresponds to the reporting unit’s long-term growth prospects.

In the discounted cash flow analyses, we must make assumptions about a wide variety of internal and external factors, and consider the price that would be received to sell the reporting unit as a whole in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Significant assumptions include financial projections of free cash flow (including significant assumptions about operations, capital requirements and income taxes), long-term growth rates for determining terminal value beyond the discretely forecasted periods, and discount rates.

Molina Medicaid Solutions Segment

As described in Note 11, “Restructuring and Separation Costs,” in the third quarter of 2017 we wrote off certain costs capitalized at our Molina Medicaid Solutions segment that supported our Health Plans segment provider information management processes to be re-designed. Although the intercompany revenues recorded by Molina Medicaid Solutions under this arrangement were insignificant on a consolidated basis, the termination of such revenue resulted in a triggering event for an interim goodwill impairment analysis of this segment in the third quarter of 2017. In the Molina Medicaid Solutions’ discounted cash flow model, we incorporated significant estimates and assumptions related to future periods, such as intercompany business support opportunities and prospects for new Medicaid management information systems contracts. Because management has determined that Molina Medicaid Solutions will provide fewer future benefits for its support of the Health Plans segment, the test resulted in a fair value less than Molina Medicaid Solutions’ carrying amount; therefore, we recorded a goodwill impairment loss for the difference, or $28 million, in the third quarter of 2017.

Other Segment

In the course of developing the Restructuring Plan in the second quarter of 2017, we determined that future benefits to be derived from our Pathways subsidiary, including the integration of its operations with our Health Plans segment, would be less than previously anticipated. In addition, poorer than expected year-to-date operating results, as well as lower projections of operating results for periods in the near term at our Pathways subsidiary, led us to conclude that a triggering event for an interim impairment analysis had occurred in the second quarter of 2017.

In the third quarter of 2017, management determined that Pathways will not provide future benefits relating to the integration of its operations with the Health Plans segment to the extent previously expected. Therefore, we conducted an additional interim impairment analysis.

Intangible assets. In the second quarter of 2017, we evaluated Pathways’ finite-lived intangible assets (customer relationships and contract licenses) for impairment, using undiscounted cash flows expected over the longest remaining useful life of the assets tested. Because the undiscounted cash flows over the remaining useful life were less than Pathways’ carrying amount, the intangible assets were impaired. We recorded an impairment loss for the carrying amount of the intangible assets, or $11 million, in the second quarter of 2017.

Goodwill. As noted above, we estimated Pathways’ fair value using discounted cash flows, incorporating significant estimates and assumptions related to future periods. Such estimates included anticipated client census which drives service revenue; the likelihood of future benefits to be derived from Pathways (including integration with our health plans); current prospects relating to the behavioral services labor market which drives cost of service revenue; and anticipated capital expenditures. The tests in each of the three months ended June 30, 2017, and September 30, 2017, resulted in a fair value less than Pathways’ carrying amount; therefore, we recorded an impairment loss for the difference. The Pathways goodwill impairment losses amounted to $101 million in the third quarter of 2017, and $59 million in the second quarter of 2017. In the second quarter of 2017, we also recorded a goodwill impairment loss of $2 million for a separate subsidiary in the Other segment that did not pass its impairment test.

There were no impairments of intangible assets or goodwill during 2016.

The goodwill impairment losses are recorded to the segments as indicated in following table, and reported as “Impairment losses” in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.



	Health Plans			Molina Medicaid Solutions			Other			Total
	(In millions)
Historical goodwill	$	445		$	71		$	162		$	678
Accumulated impairment losses at December 31, 2016	(58		)	—			—			(58		)
Balance, December 31, 2016	387			71			162			620
Impairment losses, three months ended June 30, 2017	—			—			(61		)	(61		)
Impairment losses, three months ended September 30, 2017	—			(28		)	(101		)	(129		)
Balance, September 30, 2017	$	387		$	43		$	—		$	430
Accumulated impairment losses at September 30, 2017	$	58		$	28		$	162		$	248