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Posts Tagged: health
Soule named acting Statewide Community Nutrition and Health Director
Katherine Soule has agreed to serve as acting Statewide Director of Community Nutrition and Health while Amira Resnick is on leave until July 1. If you need support for work related to community nutrition and health, please contact Katherine at (805) 781-5940 or kesoule@ucanr.edu.
Katherine, who is the UC Cooperative Extension health equity advisor for San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, remains based in San Luis Obispo. Many thanks to her for filling this essential role during Amira's absence.
Brent Hales
Associate Vice President for Research and Cooperative Extension
2024 health insurance rates explained by Cheryl Lloyd, VP of Systemwide HR
As Open Enrollment begins, I have heard from many members of our community about how they will be impacted by increased medical premiums for UC plans next year. Nothing I can say will help you balance your monthly budget, but I feel I owe you an explanation of the steps we've taken to maintain quality, choice, affordability and equity.
As someone who takes UC's commitment to high-quality and affordable health benefits very seriously, the premium increases for 2024 are painful. Even with UC covering over 80% of the cost, next year's medical premiums will make a bigger dent in paychecks that need to cover many other critical expenses.
Since we learned that medical costs were increasing for 2024 — nationally, as well as for UC — I have been working with UCOP leadership and Systemwide Human Resources colleagues to figure out how to ease the burden of rising costs on our employees and retirees.
Sacrificing quality or choice was never on the table. UC continues to offer CORE, a high-deductible medical plan, as a $0 premium option for budget-conscious employees who don't anticipate significant medical needs. For other employees, though, it is critical that UC continue to offer plans with a range of features, including low out-of-pocket costs for care and access to UC Health's world-class providers (access that is protected regardless of issues that may arise between UC Health providers and insurance carriers).
After many conversations and budget analyses, UCOP leaders committed to $93 million in subsidies — added to UC's original budget — directed toward lowering premiums. This follows a subsidy of $29.5 million last year, also added to lower premiums for employees and retirees, and several years of premium increases kept in check through well-managed costs and contracts.
As part of UC's commitment to equity, medical plan premium costs continue to be adjusted by salary range and premium increases are distributed equally by percentage across pay bands. For example, the premium for self-coverage in Kaiser increased by 26%; that's an increase of less than $8/month for employees who earn up to $68,000 a year and an increase of $38.58/month for employees who make over $204,000 a year.
The challenge of responding to the complicated factors that affect the cost of health care benefits has not gotten any easier during my four years leading Systemwide Human Resources. We will continue to work closely with our health plan partners to manage costs, to adjust UC's budget to maintain our commitment to quality and affordability, and to listen to and learn from our community.
If you have any questions or feedback, please reach out to Jay Henderson, associate vice president of UC Total Rewards, at healthandwelfarebenefits@ucop.edu.
Sincerely,
Cheryl Lloyd
Vice President
Systemwide Human Resources
Employee comment: Affiliations with certain health care organizations
The University of California Office of the President invites comments on the draft Presidential Policy on Affiliations with Certain Health Care Organizations, which supports the implementation of Regents Policy 4405. The policy makes revisions to the existing interim Presidential Policy, which was first circulated for systemwide review in March 2022. The policy has been revised to:
- Focus on UC values by enhancing the policy summary statement and addressing the importance of affiliations with government agencies;
- Clarify expectations of UC providers and define “emergency services” and “emergency medical conditions” under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) and the California Department of Managed Health Care;
- Specify implementation of the voluntary requirement for UC health trainees to support continuity of University training programs; and
- Reduce administrative burden for “limited affiliations,” while maintaining consistency with Regents Policy 4405.
The proposed revisions to the policy may be viewed at https://ucanr.edu/sites/PCPA/Revisions/.
If you have any questions or if you wish to comment on this policy revision, please contact Robin Sanchez at rgsanchez@ucanr.edu, no later than Oct. 11, 2023. Please indicate “Affiliations Policy” in the subject line.
Safety - Winter weather advisory
Dear Colleagues,
Through Wednesday, California is expecting rounds of heavy rain, mountain snow, high winds, with potential for flooding, downed trees/debris and power outages. Please stay safe.
If you live near a river, levee or area prone to flooding, gather your essentials so you'll be ready to evacuate at a moment's notice. You'll have some peace of mind if you have gathered items in advance to be away from your home if evacuation orders are given by authorities. Also, prepare for power outages by having electronic devices charged, vehicles fueled, and the ability to prepare food and stay warm.
This is a good time to review your procedures for preparedness, such as the ability to stay informed and to be able to communicate. See Safety Note #203 for winter storm preparedness tips.
Click here to view the Cal-OES weather threat briefing.
A Safety Note series in the category of “Disaster/Emergency Information” is available at https://safety.ucanr.edu/Safety_Notes/- recommended are notes #166-169, #189 and #203.
For current weather alert information, Cal/OSHA recommends the NOAA Weather Alerts page at http://alerts.weather.gov/cap/ca.php?x=1.
David Alamillo
Environmental Health & Safety Specialist
Amira Resnick named new Director for Community Nutrition and Health
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Amira Resnick as our new Director for Community Nutrition and Health.
Amira brings a rich history of experience to strengthen the nutrition and health work of UC ANR. Amira joins UC ANR from her current position as Senior Manager with Alliance for a Healthier Generation based in Los Angeles. In that position, she has spearheaded new, innovative multi-sectoral partnership development, secured funding opportunities, and implemented projects to advance environmental and systemic change toward whole child health. Previously, as Statewide Family Services Coordinator with Telamon Corporation, Amira led program implementation across 17 Migrant Head Start sites with 500 employees, serving over 1,000 families.
"We look forward to Amira bringing her enthusiasm and experience to help continue the growth of our nutrition and health work across the state," said Associate Vice President Wendy Powers. "Our historical impact in these areas – and more recently the growing concerns around COVID-19 and food security – highlight the importance of and need for this work.”
Amira holds a master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California and a bachelor's degree in Cultural Anthropology with a minor in Spanish from the University of Michigan.
The position will further refine our vision for growth in the areas of nutrition and health and will oversee the network of nutrition and health work implemented across the state through the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program; CalFresh Healthy Living, UC program; and UC Master Food Preserver program.
Amira will begin work with UC ANR on February 15, 2022. Please join me in welcoming her in this new role.
Sincerely,
Mark Bell
Vice Provost of Strategic Initiatives and Statewide Programs