Confused by the back and forth with specialists and my primary care regarding insurance prior authorization?

I’m on a (shitty) limited/regional insurance network which my PCP is aware of. It’s offered with a company through MassHealth, a state based Medicaid program in the U.S.

My PCP has a list of phone numbers to call for specialist visits. Whenever I ask about seeing a specialist, they always tell me that I should go ahead and call that number myself. But when I call the number, the person on the line always tells me that the PCP needs to be the one to call and that they can’t do anything because they need prior authorization.

What’s the point of telling me every time to call the specialist myself if they can never do anything for me?

Is there something they want me to do I’m not understanding? I don’t know if I’m just being stupid but I keep delaying treatment I could really use because I’m not clear what I’m supposed to do or ask for. It feels like I keep talking in circles and getting passed back and forth being told to ask someone else to figure it out.