Over the last two years the cost of the Health and Dental Plan has increased significantly. The goal of the referendum is to increase the price of the plan with the aim to provide a Health and Dental plan that benefits students. The referendum consists of two parts:

1. Do you approve of the NUGSS health & dental fee being increased by $58.65 for the upcoming 2025 to 2026 academic year?

2. Do you approve of the NUGSS health & dental fee being increased annually based on market rates, up to a maximum of 15% per year? (this maximum may be exceeded for the 2025-2026 academic year if the prior referendum question was approved.)

The initial increase of $58.65 aims to address the significant estimated price increase for the upcoming plan renewal.

The annual increase of up to 15% will allow us to maintain the services the plan provides in the coming years and keep up with inflation.

Since the referendum has two parts There are three possible outcomes that could happen if the referendum fails:

1. If both parts of the referendum fail, we will be faced with the difficult decision of implementing substantial cuts to the plan.

2. If the initial increase of $58.65 is approved but the up to 15% a year is rejected then this upcoming year we will be making moderate reduction in services. In the following years we will have to continue to make more reductions each year as inflation and the cost of the plan increases.

3. If the up to 15% is approved and the $58.65 initial increase is rejected then we will have to make significant cuts this year. In the future we will be slowly increasing the health and dental fee, with the possibility that over time the increase will be enough to slowly reintroduce some services.

You can vote on these question independently. Your selection of "yes" or "no" for one question does not mean you have to choose the same answer for the other. The initial increase of $58.65 aims to address the significant price increase in the plan this year. While the annual increase of up to 15% will allow us to maintain the services the plan provides in the coming years and keep up with inflation.

After the referendum, we will send out a survey to identify what services matter to students the most. We will combine the feedback with the plan costs to determine what services to reduce. Our goal is to balance what students want with what reductions are necessary. Make sure to watch your email so you can make your opinion heard!

Pacific Blue Cross has increased our rate per person for the plan due to a significant usage increase. This, combined with inflation, has caused a significant increase in the cost of health and dental plans. We have tried to maintain the same price for as long as possible, but the price increase is too significant now to remain the same.

We have tried to keep the cost of the plan as low as possible for students for as long as possible. Until now, there hasn't been an increase in our plan cost (charged by the insurance company) that has caused the plan cost to be more than the $234.60 collected per student.

Earlier this year, we received information that Pacific Blue Cross is planning to increase our plan price by approximately 60%.

While we do have a reserve fund collected from health and dental plan fees to help offset this increase, it is insufficient to cover the entire cost. As a result, we face a difficult decision: either increase the price of the plan or significantly reduce the services provided.

After receiving information that the plan's price will increase by approximately 60% ($140.76) next year, we sent out a survey to students.

We asked students if they would prefer the increase as a percentage or a dollar amount. The majority of students who took the survey picked the dollar amount.

They selected that they would prefer an increase of $58.65 with moderate reductions. We have a small health and dental reserve that we will be using to help cover the gap between the increase that students will have on their fees and the increase that Pacific Blue Cross is implementing.

We have two forum dates where we encourage you to come and ask any questions that you may have about the Heath and Dental Referendum:

Friday March 14 from 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Wednesday, March 19 from 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Both of the forums will be held in the April Price Boardroom (6-390) and online via Teams. The teams link will be sent out via NUGSS President’s email.

No, students are able to opt-out of the plan during the opt-in, opt-out period as long as you have sufficient coverage. For more details about opting in or out please visit our Health and Dental Page.