Graduate Student Assistant - Covered California - (Summer 2026) - Remote

California State University-Sacramento

Salary: $62k
Location: Sacramento, California, United States
Job type: Part-time

Required skills

SQL
Stata
R
Python

About the role

Description

Covered California's Evaluation & Research team is seeking to hire two summer interns with experience in research and data analysis, an interest in health policy, and excellent communication skills to aid in research and evaluation projects that help advance the organization’s priorities of expanding affordable coverage to Californians.

Project #1: Survey Analytics Using California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) Data

Covered California recently received pooled two-year survey data from UCLA’s California Health Insurance Survey (CHIS). CHIS is the largest health survey in the country: “Each year, CHIS interviews more than 20,000 households on a wide range of health matters, from use of and access to health care, to health conditions and behaviors, to a range of topics that influence health.” Given our expanded access to these data, we now want to assess how Covered California members, people who purchase insurance off-exchange, and uninsured Californians experience the cost of medical coverage, with a focus on medical debt, delaying care due to costs, and social needs. This project will require an intern to work with large-scale survey data to research these questions, including trends by various subgroups such as race/ethnicity, age, and income. The intern will also write a short memo and presentation summarizing findings of differences in experience of affordability by insurance status.

Project #2: Effects of Immigration Enforcement Actions on Enrollment

Recent changes in immigration enforcement policy, such as increased CMS sharing of information with ICE, have generated concerns about a dampening of enrollment (“chilling effect”) with government health insurance programs. This project will focus on designing and implementing an analysis examining whether increased immigration enforcement actions, particularly highly visible actions, have resulted in decreased enrollment with Covered California in areas where these actions occurred. This project will require that the intern conduct news article searches to identify dates and locations for immigration actions, and public reports of such interactions, and then examine whether these actions had any effect on new sign-ups for coverage with Covered California. This project requires research skills, including statistical experience, and ability to code with large datasets. The intern will also write a short memo and presentation summarizing findings.

Application Process

Please submit your cover letter and resume via UEI no later than May 11, 2026, 11:59 PM. We will hold interviews between May 7 and May 13 and will make final hiring decisions by May 15. Interns may start no sooner than June 15, 2026, pending successful completion of a background check and can work for a term of up to 10 weeks.

Interns must be current graduate students and live in California for the summer. Applicants who do not meet this requirement will not be considered.

Requirements

Conditions of

Employment

This is a part-time, temporary, non-benefited, student position. Employment in all positions with University Enterprises, Inc. is dependent upon the mutual consent of University Enterprises, Inc. and the employee. This means that either University Enterprises, Inc. or the employee can, at any time, terminate the employment relationship at will, with or without cause.

Depending on the type of position you are applying for, a pre-employment background check consisting of one or more of the following may be conducted: employment history, professional references, criminal check: educational verification (degree, license, or official transcript) or DMV clearance. Applicants will be required to pass required pre-employment checks to the satisfaction of University Enterprises, Inc. (UEI) and the hiring Agency or Department.

UEI does not allow students to hold more than one UEI Job at a time, or work in more than one account per pay period. UEI employees who are considering leaving their current UEI Student assistant position for a different UEI student assistant position should inform their supervisor in writing and provide at least a week’s notice.

UEI is not a multi-state employer. UEI only employs candidates who live and work in the state of California. If selected for the position you must reside in California and all work must be performed in the state of California throughout the course of employment.

Prerequisites

Must be a graduate student attending classes during the regular term (Fall, Spring and Winter, if applicable), at one of the accredited colleges or universities on our affiliation list.

To view our current affiliation list please paste the following URL into your browser: http://www.calinterns.org/wp-content/uploads/Affiliation_List.pdf

Students must be enrolled in at least four-semester units or six quarter units for graduate students.

Students declared major must match the major(s) listed in the job posting.

Majors/Fields of Study

Public Policy, Health Policy, Data Science, Computer Science, Economics, Statistics, Sociology, Health Science, and Political Science

Work Schedule

Flexible workdays and work hours, Monday – Friday, between 8 AM – 5 PM. The final work schedule will be determined by the supervisor.

Additional Work Schedule

Graduate Student Assistant employees generally work up to 40 hours per workweek during summer breaks.

Compensation

$30 per hour

Minimum Qualifications

Experience in data analytics, including use of software such as SQL, Stata, R, and/or Python.
Research experience and strong communications skills.

Preferred Qualifications

Individuals who are, or have been, a dependent child in foster care, a homeless youth or a formerly incarcerated youth as defined by Government Code section 18220 are encouraged to apply and will be given priority. Please note that prior to appointment, individuals claiming preference under one of these categories will be required to furnish documentation establishing their eligibility.

Duties and Responsibilities

Independently conduct research and data analytics.
Maintain ongoing communication with management and staff.
Attend intern learning sessions with Covered California divisions.
Learn and understand Covered California procedures and polices as relevant to projects.
Write memos and create presentations summarizing results for leadership audience.

Physical Requirements

Sit for extended periods; frequently stand and walk; manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination; corrected hearing and vision to normal range; verbal communication; use of office equipment including computer workstations, telephones, calculators, copiers, printers, and scanners with or without reasonable accommodation.

Working Conditions

Work is performed in a remote environment, with the option to come into our Oakland and Sacramento offices if desired.

Students/Employees will be required to work according to the current UEI remote workplace policy and sign a UEI Work from Home Agreement. The decision to permit an employee to work from home is at the discretion of the supervisor or employer and may, at any time and with or without cause, unilaterally terminate the option to work from home.

Application Instructions

Please complete all fields of the employment application. Include your educational history in the “Educational Experience” section and any employment history in the “Employment Experience” section of our application.

In addition to your resume, please upload the following:

Cover Letter - your cover letter should include which project(s) you are interested in working on.

Apply by: May 11, 2026

Summary

Covered California is California’s individual marketplace created under the Affordable Care Act, provides access to health insurance plans and tax credits to help Californians pay for subsidized coverage. Covered California’s Evaluation & Research Division leads the organization in analysis, development, coordination, and adoption of policy for Covered California, including acting as the central resource for program evaluation, research, and data analytics on Covered California’s Policy, Eligibility, & Research Division. The team conducts randomized controlled trials to understand changes to the consumer experience, administers surveys to understand enrollment experiences, and evaluates state- and federal-level health policy proposals and implementation of legislation.

For more information please visit: https://www.coveredca.com/

About California State University-Sacramento

Provides administrative and support services for California State University, Sacramento.

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