November 21, 2013

Dear members of our UC Santa Barbara community:

I am writing to share with you an important development regarding the health care plan options available to our UC Santa Barbara community. President Napolitano has just announced to our Academic Senate leadership that under her directive, negotiations between UCOP and Sansum Clinic have been successfully completed. As a result, Sansum will become a Tier One (Select Tier) provider in the UC Care plan.

Because of the extensive changes this year, including the recent developments, the Systemwide Human Resources and Benefits group is offering UC Santa Barbara community members the opportunity to make enrollment choices and changes through February 2014. A separate notice detailing this decision will be sent out immediately, but it is important to note that open enrollment will still close on November 26, so that coverage is not delayed to any employee. Individuals who do not make a selection will be enrolled in a targeted default plan but will have an opportunity to change it before February.

I am grateful for President Napolitano’s leadership in helping to ensure that UC Santa Barbara has a local, trusted Tier One provider as a part of the UC Care plan option. I also appreciate the efforts of the UC Chief Financial Office and the Systemwide Human Resources and Benefits Office in coming to an agreement with Sansum. I also want to thank our colleagues who provided valuable consultation to me, and all the members of our community who contributed to this resolution by taking the time and energy to share their concerns and contribute their ideas through the town hall meetings and other forums.

If any of our campus community members have concerns, comments, and advice, please do not hesitate to email or call me directly. My colleagues and I will continue to work with our health care providers, both locally and regionally, in order to continually improve the health care opportunities to best fit the needs of our entire community.

Sincerely,

Henry T. Yang
Chancellor