On June 22, Jim Eppel assumed the title of CEO of UCare from retiring Nancy Feldman. Less than a month later, he was facing what could be a fight for its survival after it was announced Minnesota’s fourth-largest nonprofit health plan had failed to make the cut to remain in the state’s Medicaid and MinnesotaCare programs, where it covered 369,000 enrollees. Eppel says the company stands to lose 54 percent of its $3 billion in revenues and announced significant layoffs in October. The coming year will test Eppel’s mettle.