r/Medi_Cal

I tried so hard when I filled in my application for Covered California to make sure my income would be above 138% of the FPL so I didn't get flipped to Medi-Cal. The reason being I really want to keep my doctors that I've had for 10+ years and being on Medi-Cal seems so complicated (isn't it all?!).

I'm currently on unemployment, having been laid off last year. I have no clue what my income will be this year, I hope I'll find a job but things are looking really grim and for now all I have is EDD.

I added 10k to my income to bump it up to get Covered California (and because I hope I can at least make that by picking up some consulting work). Turns out I used the previous year's FLP amount so I didn't put enough by a few hundred dollars and immediately got flipped to Medi-Cal, and now Covered California won't have anything to do with me. I'm still within the 10 days to call the county and tell them I made an error and to up my income enough to get on to CC. But then I panicked and thought wait, what if I do get a good job this year, do I then have to pay back all the subsidies I received to get CC while I'm currently on EDD? Should I stick with Medi-Cal after all?

I called one of my doctor's today to ask them if they took Medi-Cal and she asked me if it was "just Medi-Cal" or "Medi-Cal assigned to a group". If it's assigned to a group then unless it states ULCA Health, I won't be able to see them. Does anyone know how I'd know which I'd be assigned to, with or without a medical group? Do I have any control over it? If my doctors will take Medi-Cal, then I might as well take it. But I don't want to take it if it means I can't see any of my doctors or specialists, all of whom are in UCLA Health.

Any intel is greatly appreciated!

Hello everyone I’m coming too y’all today as a last resort and y’all helped me so much last time. So I’m currently disabled (surgery bottom of both my feet almost healed) my landlord aka my father is kicking me out after I’ve payed him almost everything from my disability checks for months but back in February my disability was exhausted and I applied for Social Security (still in the process been told it takes a long time too get approved) but now since I have no income I’m being forced out too the streets is there any programs or services I can reach out too I’m incredibly stressed out since when I was on disability my father basically bullied me into giving him every penny from my disability (like around 16k) and now I have no place to go any advice would be much appreciated. currently on medi-cal and ebt no income since social security hasn’t been approved. If yall need any more info plz reach out.

I'm wondering if anyone knows if I can pay out-of-pocket for an out-of-network doctor in the following situation:

I am a member of Kaiser Permanente's Dual Complete Plan. It's currently May, and I have been trying to get some decent help with vertigo and dizziness issues since the end of last 2025. Normally, the assumption is that the person has BPPV (inner ear canal issues), so the Audiology department needs to be consulted with first. Just getting an initial appointment with Audiology took a few weeks due to the hoops one must jump through to see any department other than Internal Medicine, but then I was put through a basic physical examination by a Physician's Assistant and he decided I should be evaluated with a videonystagmography test. More weeks went by before I went through that hellish test (anyone who has had one knows what I mean). It took me a good week to get back to the level of dizziness with vertigo episodes that I had before the test. Anyway, the technician found some type of BPPV in the right ear canal. But I raised the issue with the Physicians Assistant that testing on my left ear canal was actually even more vertigo inducing than with the right. He thought that was unusual and OK'd me to be seen by a Neurotologist, of which there is only one in my area. And that exam was set for June - about 5 months away. After one month the appointment was then canceled on me, and I had to reschedule - this time for mid-September! Seven months away from the day I was making the appointment!

My feeling is that I need to know exactly what is going on inside my ear canals, first of all. There is more than one possible condition to be ruled in/out. And then I likely have a form of central nervous system vertigo as well (that was something a Physical Therapist specializing in dizziness/vertigo felt). I certainly have symptoms of that, but there is no plan to investigate it further by any Kaiser doctor. Figuring out the BPPV situation and deciding on an appropriate therapy would seem to be the first thing to do.

Since Kaiser can't offer me any diagnostics and therapy until at least September, I'm wondering if I would be able to see an out-of-network doctor to expedite things.

My caseworker changed/was removed about a month ago and I haven’t been able to get a hold of anyone on the phone so far; it’s been over 45 days since I was approved for Medi-Cal. I should have received the packet last week, according to my calendar.
There haven’t been any updates or notices on my BenefitsCal account.

Does it usually take this long??