Candidate Statement - Fall 2026

Eric B. Vermillion
San Francisco

Statement of Qualifications for CUCRA Vice Chair

It was my collision with our retiree health care issues in 2017 when UCOP tried to pull the rug out from under our UC retiree health benefits that we’d been promised for decades. They were working sub-rosa to change an agreement that had been reached in 2010 as part of a major Post-Employment Benefits (PEB) Task Force review and had been approved by the Regents. It was then that I realized leopards truly don't change their spots.

Subsequent to this ultimately failed attempt by UCOP, I was asked to serve on a committee to select a Medicare Advantage Plan in 2018-19, as a CUCRA representative. As part of this process, I discovered a large lack of empathy towards the retiree-patient and an even larger lack of understanding about what any Medicare eligible senior has to go through given the normal declines that accompany advancing age. This is compounded by the complexity of the health plans and the fact that any changes to their plans may mean disruption to longstanding and on-going treatments for life threatening problems that they are facing. As a consequence, we were able to help guide a decision that provided the University an opportunity to try a Medicare Advantage plan as an option and not do any harm to a current retiree’s existing Medicare access.

I spent my entire 35+ year career at UCSF at both a professional staff and management level early in my career and later as an officer of the University as the Vice Chancellor of Finance at UCSF. In those final roles I not only was responsible for the management and planning of UCSF’s resources but also was responsible for the insurance and risk management programs and portfolios and the Federal touchpoints and related negotiations at a policy level. I feel very strongly that former senior leaders of the institution still need to be involved in playing a stewardship role for all UC retirees.

As a key part of the CUCRA leadership team I will not only bring this background to bear, but also the perspective of a 25-year cancer ‘fighter’ who has had to deal with all of the good, bad and indifferent that a patient has to deal with as they are often forced to face in their journey to stay healthy and alive. Further – I still know many of the active staff and management at UCOP and can use these connections to further our objectives. In my view, CUCRA, together with CUCEA, can be a much louder and more effective voice for the retirees – particularly as the health care world becomes even more complex and our annuitant health care benefit becomes one of the few remaining quality benefits we can count on.

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