Medi-Cal: no provider, ineligible, can’t get insurance until March?!

I make just barely over the maximum, but enough that I clearly do not qualify for Medi-cal anymore. TBH, I didn’t even realize I had medi-cal after adjusting my income once before back in like June 2024, but I somehow never got around to applying for marketplace (covered california) insurance.

Fast forward to today, a Saturday. I called my HHS case worker on Monday, she told me that she would expedite processing of my new income adjustment, and also told me something about “10 days…” and how somehow that meant I couldn’t get insurance until the end of February? I guess the idea is that the medi-cal will continue to the end of the month, and then I’ll be able to apply for marketplace insurance or something.

The problem with this is that I never got a little black and white provider card (I do have my BIC), and I have no idea who or what my medi-cal assigned provider is. I also don’t really know if I am covered… and I have a fever likely related to a bacterial infection. Low fever, 100.2, but enough to make me feel terrible, and obviously I want to get a likely infection treated ASAP. I do not want to go to the ER, I’m more likely to get another disease that way, or at least that’s what I believe. ERs are for serious injuries/illnesses, not for getting antibiotics. Plus they’re very expensive if you don’t have insurance, and I don’t actually know if I’m covered!

To top it all off, as I mentioned, it’s a Saturday. I cannot call or go in to meet with my HHS case worker, they only operate M-F, and trying to contact anyone on CC or BenefitsCal just redirects me to contacting my case worker. So… what do I do? I already did an online order of amoxicillin, but I don’t know if I actually have a bacterial infection (I have an oral abcess that I’ve had for 9 years off and on, never ever gave me a fever before), and not 100% sure the amoxicillin is the right antibiotic, but I felt like I had to do something.

Even in a super liberal state like CA, it feels like the system is designed to actively discriminate against the very people it’s supposed to help the most, those of us with low incomes. Normally I wouldn’t turn to Reddit for something like this, but I don’t know where else to turn. Any help would be appreciated.