Medical group is in-network but "panel is closed"?

I'd been receiving specialized care from both my PCP and specialists at UCLA Medical Group, and being laid off, had to buy a new insurance plan. I went on Covered California and saw that my doctor is in-network on their site, and the entire medical group is in-network on LA Care's website – so that's what I bought.

I scheduled an appointment and found out that LA Care assigned me to another PCP – and when I tried changing my PCP to one in UCLA Medical Group, they told me that while they're listed in-network, the "panel is closed" and that they cannot assign anymore patients to UCLA Medical Group due to a contractual limit of how many patients they can assign to that medical group. I called both organizations, they both have pointed the finger at each other for the denial. One person at LA Care said it's due to "some politics going on" – I'm guessing some sort of hardball contract negotiation.

What should I do? It seems wrong for LA Care to list UCLA as in-network, but then say "Never mind you can't actually use it". In the meanwhile I'm unmedicated :/

submitted by /u/doughaway7562
[comments]