The UC Board of Regents Health Services Committee discussed increasing premiums for the UC Student Health Insurance Plan during its March 18 meeting.
The board held its bimonthly meeting from March 18 to Thursday at UCLA. The committee discussed financial pressures that are affecting UC student health service centers, integration of Epic Systems – a health care technology provider – into UC medical services and the future role of students in UC health care decisions.
Dr. David Rubin, the executive vice president of UC Health, said many UC students are unlikely to receive the level of access to health care that the University offers, making it important to recognize the value of these health services.
“The awards that some of our student health programs have received, even in an environment of declining funding in terms of services, is to be commended,” Rubin said.
Nathan Brostrom, the executive vice president and chief financial officer for the UC, added that UCSHIP provides platinum services compared to Covered California, a service that connects Californians with name-brand health insurance. He added that because of its low cost – which is often covered by financial aid – many students opt into UCSHIP instead of using Medi-Cal or other coverage.
In order to maintain this level of health care, however, the University must address challenges around its budget, Rubin said, adding that each campus makes decisions on how to govern the program.
Regent Jay Sures said the regents should reconsider how much the University charges for UCSHIP.
“I know it’s going to be wildly unpopular when I say this, but I think we do have to look at our UCSHIP premium and say, ‘Are we charging the appropriate amount to the level of service that we’re offering?’” Sures said.
**\[Related:** [**UC faces over $270M in proposed budget cuts, threatening personnel and programs**](https://dailybruin.com/2025/03/13/uc-faces-over-270m-in-proposed-budget-cuts-threatening-personnel-and-programs)**\]**
Some UC campuses have third-party billing for students who opt out of UCSHIP and use medical services, while some plan to charge an access fee instead, Rubin said.
Additionally, the health services committee is considering integrating Epic Systems into its medical facilities, which would make student medical records more easily accessible, said Lilly Marks, the vice president for health affairs at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, which uses Epic.
However, UC Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman said Epic is an challenging and expensive operation. Marks advised the committee to consider implementing a $25 student fee to support the software’s addition.
The committee also discussed the role students take in making decisions about their health care at UC. UC Health currently collaborates with Student Affairs and operates as a co-op program in which students participate in determining the services UCSHIP covers.
Sures raised concerns about academic and student affairs overseeing some student health programs.
“If the academic medical centers aren’t overseeing those doctors at Student Health, are our students receiving the best quality of care out there?” Sures said. “At the very least, our academic medical center should be credentialing those positions (physicians).”
Marks agreed, saying that although students may have fear or a lack of trust in decisions they are not involved in making, it is best to leave health care decisions with those who have more experience in the field.
Joselen Contreras, a student advisor to the committee, emphasized the importance of student voice. If students do not have trust in these healthcare initiatives, they will fail, she said.
“I’ve seen firsthand the value of student input when it’s enacted, not just dismissed, and especially when it directly impacts us,” said Contreras, a second-year public health student at UC Berkeley. “When it comes to health care governance, the student vote should be final.”
Sures said overall, the Regents should try to provide students with the best health care possible.
“Health care is clearly a right. It’s not a privilege,” he said. “We have to provide it in a way that is excellent, that delivers the best quality of care, and we’re going to have to be able to afford to give it to them.”