Hospital billing me for surgery, but says I can’t have NY Medicaid as secondary insurance while having private insurance.

I am so incredibly confused and this is stressing me out so much that I haven’t even been able to eat for the past couple days. I’m getting surgery on the 20th of August and was hoping to use my university’s insurance and Medicaid, but the hospital says they’ve never heard of anyone having private health insurance while having NY Medicaid.

I have straight or “fee for service” NY Medicaid. But I got a call from my surgeon’s office telling me I’m not supposed to have Medicaid while having a private health insurance (Aetna). She said I needed a special reason that she could tell the billing department, because what’s to “prevent someone like me from having private health insurance and Medicaid”. I said I was poor, that I was homeless and a victim of domestic violence, and I met all eligibility requirements (below the poverty line). She then told me that the surgery might be cancelled the day of if the hospital reviewed my insurance (Aetna + Medicaid) and found issues.

The thing is, the NYS handbook on Medicaid mentions that people who have private health insurance aren’t disqualified from having Medicaid. I called up the Medicaid Helpline and asked them if it was okay for me to have secondary insurance, and they mentioned it was relatively common. I wanted a second opinion, so I called up HRA (whom I get my Medicaid through) and they told me it depends on the case. [Albeit, they told me they didn’t have my private health insurance on file, which I found confusing because I submitted that documentation when applying for the One Shot Deal).

So, I see online that it’s possible to have Medicaid while having private health insurance, as long as Medicaid is the last payer. [I can’t find anything specific to New York though]. Even still, the hospital (a very reputable one) is telling me it’s not okay, and can even be considered health insurance fraud.

And so now, I’m so incredibly confused. I really feel like things shouldn’t be this hard. I’m so stressed and anxious I might actually delay the surgery. Has anyone had any similar experiences in NY? Is it possible to have “straight” Medicaid in NY while having private health insurance?