r/HealthInsurance • u/meganeh35 • 21h ago
Medicare/Medicaid So confused here, need a little advice if possible... THANKS!
Okay, I have an insurance question here that is job related actually. I'm curious... I currently have Santa Clara Family Health Plan through Medi-Cal here in California.. I'm thinking about switching Santa Clara Family Health Plan to Blue Cross Blue Shield through Medi-Cal.... My question is... For my part-time job I do Uber Eats delivery driving and they offer a quarterly medical stipend, however Medicaid insurance is not accepted when applying for this stipend BUT it does say Blue Shield is. So I'm wondering, if I have Blue Shield through Medi-Cal is that going to be declined, or because it's Blue Shield do you think they would accept it??
Also, if it's not going to work, Is there a way to look up health nsurance plans and get rates WITHOUT someone calling you on the damn phone?? Cause I tried to do that once and you have to enter your information and then suddenly I was getting calls every day and I don't want that AT ALL...
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u/chickenmcdiddle Moderator 17h ago
No. You cannot get stipends for Medicaid (Medi-Cal)—regardless of who is administering or managing the plan (in this case, Santa Clara or BCBS).
The stipend program is intended to give you a set amount of money to purchase coverage through CoveredCA (which is the only place you should be shopping for insurance, and you won’t get your phone blown up by going to CoveredCA.com).
Lastly, if you’re doing Uber Eats and are still within the Medi-Cal income limits (which is currently about $1,800 monthly for a single person), this may be your best bet to stick with, since it’s at zero cost to you.
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u/meganeh35 17h ago
I'm only doing Uber Eats part-time as I'm on disability for the moment and they have income restrictions. The max is $1200 but they prefer you make no more than $800 per month in case you accidentally go over...
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u/meganeh35 17h ago
I'm only doing Uber Eats part-time as I'm on disability for the moment and they have income restrictions. The max is $1200 but they prefer you make no more than $800 per month in case you accidentally go over...
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u/smk3509 16h ago
The stipend is to purchase insurance. You already have insurance at no cost through medi-cal. You don't qualify for or need the subsidy.
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u/meganeh35 15h ago
Actually, there are a lot of things that Medi-Cal does not pay for so that's why I was looking into this... And in order for someone to get this stipend through Uber Eats delivery driver job they implied you already had to have certain types of health insurance...
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u/someguy984 12h ago
Medi-Cal covers most things, what doesn't it cover? It is better than health insurance as far as coverage goes.
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u/meganeh35 5h ago
I've had it 13 years now... it used to be that at least my prescription lenses were covered a lot of places and I'd have to pay for frames but now most places don't even take my insurance. So currently I have to pay for the entirety of the new glasses that I need right now. Meaning I have to pay for both frames and my prescription lenses because my vision has changed. And it's expensive! There are a lot of specialty dental offices that don't accept my insurance (like endodontists for example) and I ended up having to pay for a consultation with an endodontic specialist (needed more than just a root canal... First one ever)... Finally found a place an hour away to do the work I needed, that accepted my insurance.... Also, there are a lot of medications Medicaid does not cover... I have learned that over the last 13 years, I've been getting Medicaid, because I have had chronic health issues that I've been dealing with... I've had to decline medications doctors wanted me to try, because my insurance wouldn't cover them and they were way too expensive...
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u/Fluffydoggie 5h ago
You already have insurance and it seems you want something to supplement that. That's called either a supplemental plan (if you can find one) or you have dual coverage and you'll need a coordination of benefits to say who will pay primary and who picks up the extra cost as secondary insurance.
The Uber stipend is used to help purchase regular insurance. Medi-cal, Medicare, Medicaid are all insurances that are subsidized by the government and therefore excluded as Uber can't help pay for them with this stipend. You might want to check of healthcare.gov and look at ACA rates insurances and use your dual income values and see how much your pay for regular insurance like a BCBS full plan. There are calculators available. You can use a google voice number and only take the call when you want. You can also meet with an independent insurance agent to discuss plans but be aware they don't have to offer ACA plans and might sell you an inferior "plan" that is really just discounts.
Medi-cal is income based and does cover a lot of doctors and procedures. All insurances anymore (even full pay gold level BCBS) are denying a lot of procedures that they say aren't needed. Your doctor would need to submit proof of need in an appeal. But don't hold your breath on these. Insurance carries know they only have a few years to make huge profits before the country crashes them out so they're on a tear right now.
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u/meganeh35 5h ago
Dual income values?? I'm fully aware how Medicaid works because I've been getting it for 13 years.. I'm aware of denials on procedures and medications and so on. I've experienced that for years now. I don't count myself as having a dual income, but thry do most likely. I'm on disability at the moment and even that is not much, and then this part-time work.... My total income between both of those is probably currently no more than $1,200 a month...
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u/Fluffydoggie 4h ago
Ah ok. I thought you just had full time job that doesn't pay well and the uber part time.
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u/meganeh35 2h ago
Nope, I only have the Uber Eats delivery part-time and I get disability for the moment sadly...
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u/neomatrixj2 15h ago
Basically you can only get the stipend if you buy an insurance plan that meets minimum aCA requirements and is not through an employer or medi-cal.
Seems pretty straightforward but you probably want a supplement plan not a second full plan.
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u/meganeh35 5h ago
I don't want a 2nd full plan, I would be switching.. There is already a lot that Medi-Cal does not cover... I just need to be able to afford it...
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