Understanding Dual Ins in California + trying to get hrt

hi all! 26m.

i have united healthcare hmo in california as well as medi-cal as my secondary due to recent unemployment. my primary is from my mom as i am her dependent for insurance.

i got medi-cal for additional coverage that the hmo doesn’t have. mine is caloptima community network medical hmo

i’m trying to get in contact w a doctor for my hormones to transition. there’s informed consent clinics, but i am trying to save money where i can.

i have in the past gotten a referral/authorization from my pcp to an endocrinologist through the united healthcare ins for gender dysphoria. however, i didnt feel comfortable going since it was primarily an endocrinologist for diabetes, etc. i’m trying to get referred to a different clinic specializing in trans healthcare for it, but that specific clinic doesnt take my united healthcare and instead takes caloptima/medi-cal.

am i able to go to the pcp i have assigned with medi-cal also to get an authorization to go to this other clinic? i’m afraid there may be issues with billing because of my primary being hnited healthcare (which i assume means that uhc must be charged first). i dont want to incur any charges or billing issues without knowing. getting hrt for trans people requires an auth..

i’m just generally confused about that and i might be overthinking it. any insight is greatly appreciated, thank you!

submitted by /u/beodogg
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