WHEREAS The University of California (hereafter UC) system currently manages eleven separate insurance plans for the 55,000+ graduate and professional students enrolled throughout the UC;

 

WHEREAS the cost associated with graduate student health care plans varies widely across the UC campuses, with a net cost increase of 6.9% expected for the 2009-2010 academic year;

 

WHEREAS the status quo arrangement is not fiscally sustainable over the long-term due to rising health care costs and the volatility of the state and national economies;

 

WHEREAS a 3% cost savings can be achieved by harmonizing GSHIP policies across the UC according to Hewitt Associates, a consulting firm contracted by UCOP;

 

WHEREAS it is the obligation of the graduate student association at every UC campus to promote the welfare of graduate students at each respective institution;

 

WHEREAS a pooled health insurance plan would actively promote the physical wellbeing of graduate students across the UC while alleviating deadweight loss and inefficiencies intrinsic to the current system;

 

LET IT THEREFORE BE RESOLVED that AGS hereby supports the establishment of a system-wide GSHIP, provided that UCI graduate students are afforded direct involvement in all stages of the decision making process. 

 LET IT FURTHER BE RESOLVED that AGS urges the UC Regents to adopt the proposed plan to create a system-wide GSHIP to better manage the rising cost of health care while maintaining a high level of quality care given satisfactory student involvement in the decision process.