I can't get medi-cal, can't afford insurance, so what do i do?

I don't know. Did you mean MediCare? I had that when I was in California more than 20 years ago and it was as difficult as filling out papers.
I'm in Michigan now. I also don't have insurance. I priced it and there is no way I can afford it. Do I have to marry just to be added or plan in advance how to put myself "down"?
Have you found any other options?

I'm in the same boat except that I need a subtalar fusion to the left ankle. It's frustrating. I can't work because the dr won't let me therefore no insurance. I am on indigent care within the county I live in, but they don't want to cover the surgery. Is there anything I can do?

In my area we have Vocation Rehab which will pay for surgery / procedures that will let people return to work. You may want to ask your doctor about that.

Well I am in the same boat I have no health insurance and need sinus surgery, CT scan found a mass in my uterus, enlarged uterus and I feel miserable all the time. Medicaid told me if I could get the hospital to consider emergency surgery then the Medicaid would pick it up but I am married don’t work because I am in nursing school and have two children. "Sheeeesh" I am at my wits end. When the hospital found the mass in my Uterus they were actually looking for Kidney stones because I went in for a severe UTI with large amounts of blood in my urinary track, well they put a urine trap in me and kept me in a waiting room for eight hours or so I guess to determine surgery but when they found out I had no insurance they let me go and said to find a Doctor first thing the next morning. I have never understood that till this day. I suffer so much pain in my uterus that I am bent over screaming sometimes and I would go back in to the hospital but they did some Horrible test on me and I do not want to go through all that again just to have to walk back out.
Well Just wanted to let ya know I to fit right in this situation. Good Luck all! http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/round.gif

You might be able to get insurance through your school for about 200-300 per semester if your a full time student. Often times they have little or now pre-exisiting exclusion.

These are often HMO plans, so you will have to go through the hoops, but something is better than nothing.

I hate to sound negative but this is how I feel about insurance companies: complete scams!
When you actually need to use your insurance, say you have a life-threatening surgery that needs to be performed, they won't pay. I truly believe that health insurance is all good if you got the flu. Anything more serious than that, good luck! My insurance refused everything, including my pain medicine prescriptions because, I was told, "it's too expensive." Yet I pay them $500 a month for double coverage (HMO & PPO) along with my deductible! Go figure. I've paid more money to doctors when I have insurance than I did when I was uninsured.