Question about gap in MAGI Medi-Cal Coverage (denied, then approved)

Hi all,

I’ve been on Medi-Cal for a few years. I completed my renewal about 2-3 weeks ago, and was found to be ineligible, because I was over the income limit (I am an self-employed gig worker, and my income fluctuates). I went to the DPSS offices about a week ago, so that I could speak to someone. We talked about my case, as well as my November earnings, and he thought that I could be eligible based off of that month.

Long story short, we went back and forth a bit after that…I uploaded my income, and he wanted some more information, and wanted my business expenses. By the time I got the approval letter notification on my online account, it was either the last day of the month or the first day of the next (i.e. December). Looking at the letter, it actually says that I was / am approved for Medi-Cal, as of 1/1/2024. I also went to my Kaiser Permanente online account, and saw that my eligibility status was currently “terminated.” However, when I look at my Medi-Cal “status” on the DPSS website, it says “Active,” whereas before, I’m pretty sure it was “Pending.”

So, I’m trying to see what’s going on here…Will have to get some temporary health insurance in the interim, for December? I DO NOT want some unexpected medical emergency to bankrupt me, and ruin my life. I am very healthy, but we all know anything is possible. DPSS is very unhelpful, as phone wait times are in the hours, if you are “lucky” enough to actually get someone.