Systemwide Human Resources monitors UC’s benefits programs carefully to ensure faculty, staff and retirees are well-served by their health plans and providers. The annual medical plans satisfaction survey, conducted by the independent survey research firm SPH Analytics, is an important part of this effort. Once again, participants reported high levels of satisfaction with UC-sponsored health plans, with ratings improving for every non-Medicare plan from 2018 to 2019.

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As you make your Open Enrollment choices, take a moment to review the feedback shared by UC’s faculty, staff and retirees about their experiences with their health plans in 2019.

UC-sponsored non-Medicare plans

The survey of faculty and staff conducted in the spring of 2020 yielded 4,782 responses, which showed the following levels of satisfaction with respondents’ overall health plan and overall health care:

Medical plan

Satisfied with health care (e.g., doctors, hospitals, etc.) Satisfied with health plan (e.g., Anthem, Health Net, Kaiser)
Kaiser Permanente 93.2% 92.8%

UC Blue & Gold

94.1% 90%
UC Care 93.4% 86.4%

UC Health Savings Plan

90.3% 80.2%
CORE 88.8% 71.4%

UC-sponsored Medicare plans

A separate survey was completed by 844 retirees in UC-sponsored Medicare plans, with the following levels of satisfaction with their overall health plan and overall health care:

Medicare plan Satisfied with
health care
Satisfied with
health plan
Kaiser Senior Advantage 93.8% 92.6%
UC Medicare PPO/High Option Supplement 92.7% 95.3%

These high levels of satisfaction exceed the national averages (according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) of 91% for satisfaction with health plans and 90% for satisfaction with overall health care.

Because UC Medicare Choice was introduced in 2020, it was not included in this annual survey of satisfaction with medical plans. A separate survey conducted in 2020 by UnitedHealthcare, however, found that 95.9 percent of UC Medicare Choice members are completely or very satisfied with the plan.

Other health plans

The non-medical health plan carriers conduct surveys of their plans’ members annually as well. Member overall satisfaction was 92% for Optum Behavioral Health, 98% for Delta Dental PPO and 92% for DeltaCare USA. VSP received a 99% satisfaction rating for their overall level of service to employees, and for their service to retirees.