New research shows Latino families face greater difficulty paying for doctor visits, dental care and specialists. In Los Angeles, medical bills are also putting pressure on household budgets.
A visit to the dentist. An appointment with a specialist. A medical bill that arrives when the rent is due.
For many California families, healthcare costs have become another expense they struggle to manage. And new research shows Latino households are feeling that pressure more than many others.
Nearly half of Latino adults in California, 49%, reported having medical debt, compared with 40% of adults statewide, according to the California Health Care Foundation’s 2026 Health Policy Survey.
The findings raise a question that goes beyond health insurance: What happens when people have coverage but still cannot afford to use it?
Latino Californians face higher costs for everyday care
The survey, conducted with NORC at the University of Chicago, included 2,552 California adults.
It found that Latino respondents were more likely than Californians overall to struggle with several common healthcare expenses.
- 50% said dental care had been difficult to afford during the previous year, compared with 39% statewide.
- 48% reported difficulty affording specialist visits, compared with 40% statewide.
- 40% said primary care was difficult to afford, compared with 30% statewide.
These figures include people who described the expenses as either very or somewhat difficult to afford for themselves or their families.
The numbers were similar among respondents who spoke Spanish at home: 51% struggled to afford dental care, 49% specialist visits and 41% primary care.
Medical debt also affected 47% of Spanish-at-home respondents.
Latino identity and speaking Spanish at home are not the same thing, even though the groups overlap.
What the numbers show in Los Angeles
The survey also looked at healthcare affordability across different California regions.
In the Los Angeles region, 50% of respondents said healthcare was difficult to afford, compared with about 45% statewide.
And 42% of Los Angeles respondents reported medical debt.
These are regional findings for all adults surveyed, not specifically Latino residents of Los Angeles. The report does not provide a combined estimate for that group.
Still, the results show how widespread the financial pressure has become.
Los Angeles County has also been working on a proposed system to help hospitals identify patients who qualify for financial assistance before unpaid bills pile up. Recommended article: the county’s plan to help prevent medical debt.
The system is still being developed. It is not yet a solution families can rely on when a bill arrives.
When medical bills compete with groceries and rent
Healthcare expenses do not stay separate from the rest of a family’s budget.
Among Latino respondents, 40% said they had delayed, reduced or skipped buying groceries or household essentials to afford healthcare.
Another 35% reported putting off utility payments, while 30% delayed rent or mortgage payments.
Those figures were higher than the statewide averages of 28%, 22% and 19%.
The survey also found that 59% of California adults said they or someone in their family had skipped or delayed healthcare because of cost during the previous year.
Among those reporting skipped or delayed care, 42% said their condition or a family member’s condition had worsened.
These were people’s reported experiences. The survey did not use medical records to determine whether delayed care caused their health problems to worsen.
The findings are consistent with separate national research. A Commonwealth Fund analysis found that 52% of Hispanic and Latino working-age adults had skipped some form of needed care because of cost.
The two surveys measured different populations, so their percentages should not be directly compared.
But they point to the same concern: Having health insurance does not always mean a family can afford treatment.
Recommended: how changes in California health coverage can affect Hispanic residents.
Where families can get help with healthcare costs
A medical bill does not always mean a family has to pay the full amount without assistance.
Here are some places to start.
Ask the hospital about financial assistance. California hospitals must have financial-assistance policies for eligible patients. Ask the billing department for its charity-care or discount-payment application, even if you have insurance or have already received a bill.
Check whether an insurance denial can be appealed. If your health plan refuses to cover treatment, ask for the reason in writing. California’s Department of Managed Health Care provides information about complaints, appeals and patient rights.
Look for community clinics. Some health centers offer lower-cost services based on income. The federal Find a Health Center directory can help locate clinics.
Review your coverage options. Medi-Cal and Covered California provide health coverage pathways for eligible residents. Parriva also explains what Californians can do when they cannot afford health insurance.
Eligibility and available financial assistance depend on a person’s circumstances. Patients should ask for the rules that apply to their specific situation.
The bigger problem behind the bills
The CHCF findings do not identify a single cause for California’s healthcare affordability problems.
But they show what those costs can mean for families: postponed appointments, unpaid bills and less money for everyday needs.
For Latino Californians, the burden is particularly visible in the survey’s medical-debt and healthcare-cost findings.
The next question is whether families can get the help they qualify for before another medical bill forces them to choose between treatment and the rest of their household expenses.
