But it was their parents who were among the most vocal in opposing the extension of that right to youth covered by Medi-Cal. Teens covered by commercial insurance have had this right in California for more than a decade. Gavin Newsom signed a new law making that change for young patients covered by Medicaid (called Medi-Cal in California.) She campaigned to change the state policy to allow low-income teens age 12 and up to get mental health counseling without their parents' consent. "There's a lot of rhetoric in immigrant cultures that having mental health concerns and getting treatment for that is a Western phenomenon."īy her senior year of high school, Lu turned this experience into activism. "I wouldn't want her to have to sign all these forms and go to therapy with me," says Lu, now 18 and a freshman at UCLA. Finding time to explain to her mom what therapy was, and why she needed it, felt like too much of an obstacle. Her mother - a single parent and an immigrant from China - worked long hours to provide for Fiona, her brother and her grandmother. Lu wanted to get help, but her Medi-Cal plan wouldn't cover therapy unless she had permission from a parent or guardian. She had trouble adjusting to her new high school in Orange County and felt so isolated and exhausted that she cried every morning. When she was in ninth grade, Fiona Lu fell into a depression.
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