Graduate Student Health Insurance (GSHIP) 09-10
Problem:
For graduate and professional students, quality health care is an essential part of the overall affordability of and experience at the UC. Graduate Student Health Insurance (GSHIP) varies on each campus because each campus bids for their plan individually. This has caused poor care and high premiums. Rising costs and decreasing quality are placing an unfair financial burden on graduate and professional students. The UC also is having a more difficult time attracting the best and brightest.
Solution:
A workgroup of administration, faculty, staff and students found that moving toward a system-wide health-care plan would not only save costs but provide more care than what most campuses currently offer. UCSA is proposing a system-wide health-care plan that is affordable and prioritizes:
- Dependent care.
- Reciprocity in the system (ability to receive care at any campus).
- Extended coverage (receiving care after one graduates or takes a leave of absence).
- Quality mental health coverage.
(See GSHIP Campaign materials for more information on the proposed plan.)
Timeline:
October 2007
The Council of Vice Chancellors of Student Affairs and the Council of Graduate Deans saw a growing need to provide better health care and keep costs low for graduate and professional students. They requested the UC Office of the President to do some research and explore a system-wide plan.
August 2008
The UC Office of the President (UCOP) commissioned a workgroup to study the challenges and opportunities of moving toward a system-wide health-care plan. UCOP also hired Hewitt, an outside research and consultant group, to advise and provide hard data. UCSA got one student representative to sit on the workgroup.
November 2009
UC Provost Pitts proposed to the Regents to establish mandatory health insurance as a nonacademic condition of enrollment. This was a necessary policy change to move toward a system-wide plan. UCSA expressed its support by wiring a letter and having its whiteliners advocate for it to the Regents. It passed unanimously.
December 2009
From September 2008 to December 2009, UCSA collected both video and written testimonials from graduate and professional students on the need for changes to GSHIP. After showing the importance of student input on the workgroup, UCSA increased its participation by winning an additional seat for a graduate student representative.
January 2010
The workgroup’s final report was released, illustrating how the UC could save millions by moving toward a system-wide health-care plan and still keep premiums low while providing high-quality care. The UC president approved the report and created a cost validation and implementation team to begin negotiating and creating a system-wide health-care plan for the 2010-11 school year. Not every campus committed to participating in the plan for the upcoming school year, but UCSA still advocated for and won at least one student representative from each campus to sit on the cost validation and implementation team.
March 2010
UCSC, UCSB, UCSD and UCSF held town halls on their campuses to educate students on the proposed system-wide plan and discussed how they could improve it even more.
Looking Ahead
UCSA is working with the grad student representatives on the cost validation and implementation team to make sure the final plan is in the best interests of students — affordable and of the highest quality.