By skyforbes State of California :
I recently got approved for Medi-Cal under disability (I’m on SSDI), and I’m trying to understand how Medicare and Medi-Cal coordination works in California.
It seems like most counties — including mine — now operate Medi-Cal through managed care networks (Kaiser, Anthem, etc.), and those plans sometimes integrate Medicare into a Dual Special Needs Plan (DSNP).
I’m concerned about losing flexibility under that setup. My main question is:
If I’m enrolled in Kaiser (or another managed care Medi-Cal plan), does that mean my Medicare effectively becomes a Medicare Advantage–type plan — where I can only see network doctors and can’t use my Medicare elsewhere?
Ideally, I’d like to stay on Original Medicare with Fee-for-Service Medi-Cal so I can continue seeing any provider that accepts Medicare, with Medi-Cal just covering the 20% coinsurance.
I don’t think I qualify for a Medical Exemption Request (MER), but I’d like to confirm whether I can still opt out or, at minimum, continue using my Medicare independently at any provider who accepts it.
If anyone familiar with this process can clarify how this actually works in practice, I’d really appreciate it.
Thanks in advance for your insight