Imagine dedicating your life to caring for children while struggling to afford healthcare and childcare for your own family. That is the reality the University of California is proposing at the bargaining table as healthcare and childcare costs continue to skyrocket across California.

My family is everything to me. As a parent, one of my greatest responsibilities is making sure my children have access to the healthcare, support, and stability they need to grow into healthy, thriving human beings. Yet despite working as a physician, that basic goal feels increasingly out of reach.

As a pediatric resident physician at UCSF Fresno, I see every day how essential childcare and family support are. That is why I am standing alongside my union, the Committee of Interns and Residents, to fight for fertility and childcare benefits that allow resident physicians to continue caring for patients without sacrificing our families in the process.

Now, the UC is trying to claw back those benefits.

Childcare Costs Climb $560 a Month

Resident physicians already work exhausting hours for modest pay, often with little to no institutional support. In less than a year, my childcare costs jumped from $1,920 to $2,480 per month. That’s an additional $560 every month that has to come from somewhere else: groceries, bills, parking, or savings for my child’s future.

There is only so much I can cut back before there is nothing left to cut. No one is asking for luxury benefits or unlimited compensation. My colleagues and I are asking for what’s necessary for our families and us. The consequences of these cuts extend far beyond individual households. Cutting these benefits may ultimately push talented physicians, especially women, parents, and caregivers, out of medicine altogether.

At a time when our healthcare system desperately needs dedicated doctors like me, the UC is making it harder for physicians to survive, let alone thrive. Fresno is already facing a physician crisis, with the San Joaquin Valley having one of the lowest physician-to-population ratios in California, at 47 primary care physicians per 100,000 residents. Fresno needs physicians who care, but I should not have to choose between being a pediatric resident and being a present father.

Does the UC Really See the Big Picture?

There are days when I leave for work before daycare opens and return home after it closes. Some days, I only see my children while they are asleep. I am fortunate to have a partner with a more flexible schedule, because without that support, there is simply no way this system would work for our family.

No one caring for the health of our communities should be pushed to the point where they cannot care for their own family.

If the UC and executives truly value families and children, that commitment must include the families of physicians. Doctors across California need childcare and fertility benefits. That is why my colleagues and I will continue to stand united and hold several Unity Breaks, rallies outside of the hospital, throughout the month of June to ensure the UC listens to our demands.

About the Author

Benjamin Hopkins, DO, is a pediatric resident physician at UCSF Fresno with a strong academic focus in neonatology and perinatal medicine. His work spans clinical care, research, and medical publishing, with extensive contributions as an editor, peer reviewer, and author for Neonatology Today. He is actively engaged in advocacy through the American Academy of Pediatrics and resident leadership initiatives, and is committed to mentorship, education, and community service. Outside of medicine, he is a father of two young children, an experience that further shapes his perspective on caring for children and families.

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