In the Latino community in Southern California, mental health challenges are common. However, often, barriers exist that keep Latinos from getting treatment for mental health disorders. It’s important to understand why your mental health matters, and how you can get the help that you need.
Why Mental Health Matters
Your mental health has a significant impact on your ability to function, your relationships, and your ability to be productive, and can even make it difficult to handle daily responsibilities. Conditions such as anxiety or depression often make you feel “stuck”, as though you can’t face anything or anyone. Mental health issues can even affect your physical health, raising your risk of certain health conditions like heart disease and diabetes. It can also lead to self-medicating with drugs or alcohol.
Mental Health Challenges in the Latino Community
Unfortunately, mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are common among Latinos, but most do not seek treatment for a variety of reasons. Often, it’s due to a lack of health care coverage, but other barriers exist as well, including the stigma that exists in the Latino culture that mental health issues mean that you’re weak or “crazy”.
Additionally, language barriers are often a challenge, due to the lack of bilingual mental health care providers. Fear of deportation for undocumented Latinos is also a significant factor.
Insurance Coverage for Mental Health Treatment in California
Most private health insurance includes coverage for mental health treatment. If you can’t afford private health insurance, even through your employer, you have other options in California.
Medi-Cal is the state of California’s version of Medicaid and is overseen by the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). It is for low-income residents of California and their families and makes no-to low-cost health care coverage accessible to many people who cannot afford private health insurance.
To qualify for Medi-Cal, you need to meet certain requirements.
- Income Limits
- For adults, the limit is 138% of the federal poverty levels (FPL), which is $21,597 per year for one person, $44,367 per year for a family of four.
- For children 19 and under, the limit is 266% of FPL, which is $41,629/year for one, $85,519/year for a family of four.
- For pregnant women, the limit is 322% FPL, or up to 213% FPL depending on certain rules.
- Assets: In 2026, asset limits are $130,000 for one person, $195,000 for a couple. In some cases, there may be no asset limits.
- Immigration Status: You must be a citizen or meet certain immigration requirements. However, some benefits are available regardless of status, particularly for children and pregnant women.
If you are not eligible for Medi-Cal, you can check Covered California, the state’s health insurance marketplace, where you may qualify for premium subsidies based on your income.
Federally Qualified Health Centers
Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), such as Health Service Alliance, are community-based healthcare providers that receive federal funding to provide affordable healthcare and mental healthcare services to underserved and low-income populations, regardless of ability to pay. These health centers are supported and regulated by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
FQHCs provide a host of services, including primary care, preventive care, chronic disease management, mental health services, substance use treatment, and sometimes dental and vision care. Many centers also offer assistance enrolling in insurance programs like Medicaid or Medicare.
These centers have a sliding fee scale. Under a sliding fee scale, clinics calculate the amount the person pays by comparing their household income to the Federal Poverty Level, which is determined each year by the federal government. This means that patients whose income falls below a certain percentage of the Federal Poverty level may qualify for significantly reduced fees.
For example, a patient whose income is below 100% of the federal poverty level may pay only a small fee for services, while someone at 200% of the poverty level may pay a slightly higher amount.
To qualify for the sliding fee scale, you usually need to provide documentation verifying your financial situation. Documents required may be pay stubs, tax returns, or proof of public benefits. You’ll also have to disclose household size because the federal poverty level is adjusted based on how many people live in the household.
Once the information is reviewed, the clinic assigns the patient to a fee category on the sliding scale. This determines how much the patient will pay for services.
In Closing
Taking care of your mental health can significantly improve your quality of life. If you or someone you know needs care and is worried about cost, call our Euclid Community Health Center at 840-237-3344. The center is located at 600 N Euclid Ave. Ste. 202 Upland, CA 91786. At Health Service Alliance, we are dedicated to providing compassionate, personalized, and accessible care regardless of your ability to pay.
