Question: My kids are already covered by Medi-Cal, they received their ID cards in the last 2-3 months. I am starting a new job without an employer health plan, so my wife and I will buy our own insurance through the state exchange. Do we have to re-apply for our children to be covered by Medi-Cal when my wife and I buy a plan through the exchange
Answer: Getting a new job usually results in an income change. Since your kids' eligibility for Medi-Cal is based on your household income, they may or may not still be Medi-Cal eligible. In any case, the Covered California online application will include Medi-Cal eligibility information for your children once you complete the application for your entire household. If the children continue to be Medi-Cal eligible, you do not have to reapply with Medi-Cal. If they are no longer eligible, Medi-Cal will drop them automatically (at some point) and your children will be included under your Covered California coverage.
My son lived with my ex husband for a year and during that year was put on Medi-cal when my ex lost his work insurance. It was a premium plan and I told him I would pay the bill. Rather than give me the physical bill he changed the mailing address on the account to Burbank from Simi Valley. As a result Simi Valley (Gold Coast insurance) cancelled his coverage deciding he had moved and was no longer covered in Ventura county. (Side note, this county by county insurance system is CRAP, my son should be able to fill his prescription at CVS in ANY county not just the one with insurance coverage. Heaven forbid people go anywhere in this state! I couldn’t event take him to urgent care when he got sick without driving an hour to another county because there was only ONE urgent care that took that plan.)
Supposedly they were going to reinstate his coverage in Simi for a month so I could initiate the inter-county transfer the he is legally entitled to. This never happened and for months I have had to pay very expensive out of pocket prescription costs for my child.
In the spring my current husband changed jobs and I applied to him insurance through covered CA. My son is a member of our household so I included him and the website said that I would be contacted my Med-cal directly.
A couple of months later I still have heard nothing from Med-cal. It is time to renew for next year and so I tried to add him to our policy again and again was told that he was approved for Med-cal and that they would contact me directly.
When and how does that happen? They have not asked me for any information that I have not provided so I don’t understand what the hang up is. Frankly I would prefer to pay for insurance but it looks like I can’t even add him if I want to.