Two Cards, One Coverage.

For Medi-Cal members in Partnership HealthPlan counties who are not sure which insurance card to share when starting therapy.

One of the most common mix-ups at intake is a photo of the wrong card. Many people send their Medi-Cal card and assume it is their insurance card. It is a real card and it matters, but it is not the one that confirms therapy coverage. In the counties Partnership HealthPlan serves, your Medi-Cal benefits are managed by Partnership, so most members carry two cards that do two different jobs.

The first is the Medi-Cal Benefits Identification Card, usually called the BIC. The State of California issues it. It shows that you are enrolled in Medi-Cal, and pharmacies use it to fill prescriptions under Medi-Cal Rx. It does not name a specific health plan.

The second is your Partnership HealthPlan member ID card. Partnership mails it to you separately after you are enrolled. It carries the Partnership name, and it is the card that connects you to the doctors, therapists, and other providers in Partnership's network. When PMHS verifies your therapy coverage, this is the card that answers the question.

The BIC proves you have Medi-Cal. The Partnership card shows which plan manages it.

Partnership's own guidance tells members to bring both cards to appointments. Neither one replaces the other. The BIC proves you have Medi-Cal. The Partnership card shows which plan manages it.

The fastest way to tell them apart is the name printed on the front. If it says Partnership HealthPlan of California, that is your plan card. If it is the state card with no plan name on it, that is your BIC. Once you find both, take a clear photo of each and keep them on your phone. It saves a search through drawers the next time a provider asks.

If you only have the BIC, that does not mean you lack Partnership coverage. Plan cards get lost in moves, mixed in with other mail, or never noticed in the first place. If you live in one of the 24 counties Partnership serves and you have Medi-Cal, there is a good chance Partnership already manages your benefits.

To find out for certain, call Partnership Member Services at (800) 863-4155, Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm. They can confirm your enrollment and send you a new Partnership ID card. A replacement BIC comes from your county Medi-Cal office instead, since the state card and the plan card come from different places.

If the plan card in your wallet names a different company, such as Blue Cross or Blue Shield, your coverage runs through that plan instead of Partnership. PMHS is a contracted Partnership provider, so we cannot bill those plans. You can still submit an intake form. We will tell you plainly what your options are, including private pay.

When you share your Partnership card with us, we use it for one purpose: to confirm your coverage before your first session. PMHS bills Partnership directly, so there is no claim for you to file and nothing to track down afterward.

You also do not need to solve the card question before you reach out. If you are unsure which plan you have, choose the closest option on our intake form. We will check with you and with Partnership, and we will tell you exactly where you stand before anything is scheduled.

When we call to verify, it helps to have your Partnership member ID number, your date of birth, and the name exactly as it appears on the card. If anything on the card is wrong, such as a misspelled name or an old address, Partnership Member Services can correct it. Fixing those details early prevents billing problems later.

Small paperwork questions stop a lot of people from starting care. A card mix-up is not a reason to wait. It is a five-minute fix, and we handle most of it with you.

Getting started takes a few minutes. Submit our intake form at www.pacmhs.com/connect and we will reach out within one hour between 8am and 8pm, or by 9am the next morning to verify your PHP coverage and get your first session scheduled. You can also press the Get Started button below, which takes you to the same form.