If I am in need of a specialist right away and that specialist does not accept medicaid, will medicaid reimburse me for my payments to that specialist and the test that are required for a diagnosis?
I don't think so. You need to keep looking for someone who does accept Medicaid. The Medicaid office or your case worker should be able to identify options for you. Also, ask your case worker if there is any way to get some reimbursement when no one in your area accepts Medicaid.
My nephew was seeing a neurologist. When he received Medicaid as his primary insurance the doctor did not take Medicaid and was not allowed to take payment in cash from a Medicaid reciprient. We had to find a doctor who took Medicaid. Your primary needs to give you a referral for a specialist. It's up to you to make sure the doctor is covered by Medicaid. If u can't find one in ur area I would call your Medicaid caseworker. It would be up to them to OK to cover the cost of a non-Medicaid doctor. Not sure how this actually works. Just know you have to stay in the Medicaid network.
If you are in need of immediate medical care and diagnosis, you should go to an ER.