In our latest Office Hours session — where you can drop in on Zoom every other Wednesday from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. and have face-to-face time with specialists, providers, and Undivided team members — our Public Benefits Specialist, Lisa Concoff Kronbeck, answered questions about Medi-Cal.
Q: Do I need to renew Medi-Cal every year?
A: Yes, you need to renew every year bc otherwise it will get cut off, and you need to be on Medi-Cal for services like IHSS.
Q: Is there any reason for me to pick a managed care plan that Medi-Cal is offering me?
A: If you have private insurance, don’t pick a plan through Medi-Cal. You will remain enrolled in fee-for-service Medi-Cal. If you don’t have private insurance, you will need to choose a managed care plan through Medi-Cal.
Q: What can Medi-Cal cover if I have private insurance?
A: Sometimes private plans have blanket exclusions on certain supplies and equipment, like diapers and other consumable supplies, and hygiene products like shower and toilet chairs. If your insurance denies a prescribed supply or equipment, you can take the prescription and written denial to a company that accepts fee-for-service Medi-Cal, and they can work with you to request the item from Medi-Cal.
Medi-Cal generally won't provide wipes, but they'll provide barrier cream, waterproof mattress pads, diapers, and disposable underpads as long as you have both a prescription from a doctor and a written denial from your private insurance.
Learn more by reading our Medi-Cal 101 article and our article on making the most of Medi-Cal.
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