Employee Health Care Conference

07:15 AM - 07:45 AM PST

Sound Bath

Kick off the conference with intention. Join us for a sunrise sound bath on the terrace. You’ll be “bathed” in sound waves which will promote deep relaxation, reduced stress, and improved mood so you can join the conference with calm and clarity. Outside, please dress accordingly.

07:15 AM - 08:00 AM PST

Continental Breakfast

08:00 AM - 08:40 AM PST

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Join us as we open the 2026 Health Care Conference with a bold call to action. Ignite Change. This energizing welcome session will set the tone for two days of breakthrough thinking, candid dialogue, and actionable insights. As the health care landscape continues to evolve – shaped by innovation, affordability pressures, and shifting workforce expectations – employers are uniquely positioned to lead transformation.

08:40 AM - 09:40 AM PST

Balancing the Spend: Reclaiming Value in Employee Benefits

In today’s cost-contained environment, employers are under increasing pressure to do more with less – without compromising the impact of their benefits strategy. This session explores how organizations are reallocating benefit spend (shifting from expansion to strategic rebalancing) and enhancing impact through smarter vendor partnerships, analytics, and employee experience design.

Stacye Furmanek, Vice President, Total Rewards, Advocate Health

Melissa Rinker, Director, HR - Benefits Design & Planning, Allstate

10:00 AM - 10:40 AM PST

Measuring what Matters: Determining the Value of your Benefits Portfolio

Employers must ensure every dollar spent delivers measurable value. But what does “value” really mean in today’s environment – and how can you capture it? We’ll share real-world examples and tools to help you evaluate your current portfolio, identify gaps and make confident, evidence-based decisions about where to invest next.

Derick W. Adams, Vice President, Total Rewards, Henry Ford Health

Karen Monroe, Benefits Director, JELD-WEN

10:00 AM - 10:40 AM PST

Reallocating for Impact: Unlocking Value through Virtual Care, Advanced Primary Care and Plan Design

Employers are shifting away from expansion to optimization – reallocating benefit spend to drive greater value. This session explores how advanced primary care and modernized plan design can work together to improve outcomes, reduce waste, and enhance employee experience.

Julie Bell, Chief Human Resources Officer, Roush

Meredyth Brown, Director, Global Benefits, Geosyntec Consultants, Inc.

10:00 AM - 10:40 AM PST

The Benefits Experience Revolution: Designing Programs Through an Employee-Centric Lens

As employee expectations rise and budgets tighten, flexible benefits offer a scalable, future-ready solution. This session will show you how to overcome common design and implementation challenges to create benefits strategies that truly resonate.
You’ll see how flexibility boosts perceived value—making your existing budget work harder by giving employees more choice. Through real-world examples and peer discussion, you’ll leave with a practical framework to rethink, redesign, and reinvest in your benefits experience.

10:00 AM - 10:40 AM PST

Kids Are in Crisis: Are Your Benefits Ready?

Between Zoom calls and school drop-offs, working parents are facing an unprecedented surge in youth mental health challenges. Rising rates of complex issues like eating disorders, suicidality, ADHD, and autism have pushed many families to a breaking point—and most benefit programs weren’t designed for this level of need.
In this fireside chat, a leading global employer and a top psychologist will share how forward-thinking companies are building benefits that support families across every age and stage—from early intervention to crisis care. You’ll discover how connected, proactive support not only improves outcomes for kids but also reduces long-term costs and helps parents stay engaged and resilient at work. Key Takeaways:

• How to close critical gaps in care with early intervention and crisis support
• Approaches to addressing high-acuity needs such as suicidality, eating disorders, and neurodivergence
• Shifting from reactive benefits to a proactive, whole-family care model
• Designing mental health support that resonates with next-generation workers

Michelle Greene, Senior Manager, Behavioral Health, Amazon

Alethea Varra, Chief Clinical Officer, Lyra Health

10:00 AM - 10:40 AM PST

From Episodic to Enduring: Reinventing Women’s Health with AI and Empathy

Women’s health is a lifelong journey, yet most benefits treat it as a series of isolated events—overlooking early risk signals and long-term outcomes. AI can surface risks sooner, but can it capture the lived experience of a hot flash, miscarriage, or IVF anxiety? This session explores a new model: integrated, predictive care that combines data-driven intelligence with human empathy. You’ll learn how employers are moving beyond fragmented point solutions to deliver connected programs that span menstruation through menopause, address comorbidities, close care gaps, and reduce high-cost events. The future of women’s health is both intelligent—and deeply human.

Crystal Clark, Sr. Program Manager, Benefits, American Cancer Society

10:00 AM - 10:40 AM PST

A Major Shift in Health Care Delivery

Health care is at a turning point. Digital and in-person care can no longer operate in silos—and AI is already embedded in most care journeys. In this session, benefits leaders will share how integrating digital and in-person care is simplifying MSK journeys, improving outcomes, and delivering higher-value, lower-cost care. You’ll also learn how AI enables smarter triage, easier navigation, and frees care teams to focus on what matters most—providing skilled, compassionate support.

Rhea Li, MPH, RD, LD, Program Director of Well-being, Children’s Health

10:00 AM - 10:40 AM PST

Embedded Advocacy: Driving Engagement, Quality, and Cost Outcomes

In this three-year case study, discover how JetBlue successfully reintegrated advocacy services with its medical carrier. Learn about the journey and strategy that delivered:

• Higher employee engagement
• Greater satisfaction
• Better outcomes in both quality and cost

Sam Ambewadikar, MD, MBA, RVP & Medical Director, Anthem National Accounts

Kristen Brown, Director, Benefits, JetBlue

10:00 AM - 10:40 AM PST

The New PBM Fiduciary: What Transparency Really Requires in 2026

Selecting a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) isn’t just a business decision—it’s a fiduciary responsibility. Yet hidden fees, misaligned incentives, and opaque pricing still trap many employers in costly, noncompliant arrangements. In this session, hear how one employer exposed these pitfalls, restructured their PBM strategy, and put employee care and cost savings first. Walk away with a practical roadmap to cut waste, improve transparency, and meet your fiduciary obligations with confidence in today’s complex pharmacy benefits landscape.

10:40 AM - 11:10 AM PST

Refreshment Break

Hosted by:
VSP

11:10 AM - 11:50 AM PST

Creating More Value in Retirement Plans through Pooled Employer Plans (PEPs)

We will hear from clients about their experiences transitioning retirement plans governance and administration to a PEP. They’ll share lessons learned and most importantly, the keys to maximizing the value of retirement programs through this model – from freeing up strategic bandwidth, to enhancing participant outcomes, to unlocking efficiencies that allow more investment in the benefits employees value most.

Krystal Reid, Director, Total Rewards, BlueLinx

11:10 AM - 11:50 AM PST

Rewriting the Script: Pharmacy Pricing Models and Rx Care Delivery

As pharmacy costs surge and transparency expectations rise, employers are rethinking how they contract for pharmacy benefits. This session explores the evolving landscape of PBM pricing models – from traditional spread and rebate structures to cost-plus and pass-through arrangements – and how employers are using these strategies to manage risk and improve outcomes.

11:10 AM - 11:50 AM PST

The ROI You Can’t Ignore: Transforming Cardio Risk into Cost Control

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains one of the biggest drivers of employer health care costs—with overall costs projected to rise up to 10% through 2026. To spark meaningful change, benefits leaders must take a proactive approach to heart health with scalable, clinically proven strategies. This session will explore how a digital-first approach can reduce cardiovascular risk, drive lasting behavior change, and deliver measurable savings—helping employers protect both their people and their budgets.

Kim S. Barnes, MBA, CEBS, Head of Total Rewards, North America, Circle K Stores Inc.

Stephanie Campbell, RN, BSN, MBA, Director, Solutions Consulting, Hello Heart

11:10 AM - 11:50 AM PST

Guiding Care with Purpose: The Board of Pensions’ Journey to Simplify Health Care

When health care complexity stood in the way of well-being, The Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) sought a way to make benefits meaningful again. They reimagined the member experience — offering personalized navigation that connects individuals to high-value care and essential resources. In this session, discover how this collaboration blends purpose, compassion and data to create a model of affordable, whole-person care that inspires engagement and lasting impact.

Todd Ingves, VP, Pricing, Analytics & Integration, The Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church

Kristen Wheeler, SVP, Member Engagement, Quantum Health

11:10 AM - 11:50 AM PST

Inside Kohler’s Strategy for High-impact, Inclusive Family Health Benefits

Facing an estimated 9% increase in health care costs and evolving employee expectations, Kohler’s benefits team responded with a bold, unified care strategy that redefined how organizations support working families. Their team reimagined care delivery to meet employees where they are with solutions that are both clinically impactful and culturally resonant. In this session, you’ll learn how Kohler designed inclusive, high-touch women’s and family health programs that resonate across global workforces. You will gain insights into strategies to manage costs through better care, drive engagement through consistent communication, and embed benefits into the employee experience to strengthen loyalty and productivity.

Stephanie Glenn, Chief Commercial Officer, Maven Clinic

Eric Green, Director - US Benefits, Kohler

11:10 AM - 11:50 AM PST

Omnicom's Digital Onboarding: Launching Members Into a Seamless Start

Plan sponsors struggle with how to maximize member engagement with their health plan. During this session, you’ll learn about a program that helps plan sponsors digitally onboard employees with omni-channel, personalized communications at the member-level. The program has been shown to increase engagement in both initial enrollment and ongoing connections with their plan.

Deb Macchia, VP, Health & Welfare, Omnicom Group

Jay Krishnaswamy, Executive Director of Consumer Engagement & Analytics, CVS Health

11:10 AM - 11:50 AM PST

GLP-1s Broke My Budget – How We Recovered

As GLP-1 prescriptions surged, employers were forced to confront skyrocketing costs and questions about long-term sustainability. In this session, senior benefits leaders will share how they navigated the GLP-1 cost crisis—what missteps they made, the lessons they learned, and the strategies that ultimately helped them rebalance cost and care. From implementing responsible prescribing practices to expanding effective, drug-free alternatives, discover what’s working to manage spend without compromising outcomes.

Cimone Diggs, Manager of Health and WellBeing, Marriott International

Frank Dumont, MD, FACP, Medical Director, Virta Health

Meredith Touchstone, AVP, Benefits, CarMax

11:10 AM - 11:50 AM PST

Evolving Workplace Well-being in Tech

In the ever-changing technology landscape, a thriving workforce depends on the overall well-being and mental health of its employees. Successful well-being programs offer holistic, integrated, and proactive support to meet employees where they are on their own unique journeys. Through a case study with NVIDIA, the leading chipmaker and AI giant, you’ll learn how organizations can:

• Broaden how well-being and mental health are defined
• Demonstrate the value of well-being as a way to boost performance
• Build a culture that empowers employees to flourish at work and in life

Kim Baker, Senior Vice President, Customer Success, ComPsych

Deepa MacPherson, Director of Global Well-being, NVIDIA

11:50 AM - 01:00 PM PST

Luncheon

Hosted by:
Inspira

01:00 PM - 02:00 PM PST

De-risking your Plan: Strategies for a More Resilient Benefits Portfolio

As rising costs and regulatory pressures mount, organizations are rethinking how to protect their benefits investment while maintaining value for their workforce. Explore how employers are reducing financial and operational risk in their benefits strategy through smarter plan design, vendor oversight and governance.

Kristen Strobel, Senior Director Global Benefits, BD

02:20 PM - 03:00 PM PST

Shifting the Risk: Strategic Levers with ICHRA, Captives and Beyond

As cost volatility becomes the norm, employers are rethinking how they finance and manage benefit risk. This session explores how organizations are using Individual Coverage HRAs (ICHRA), medical stop-loss captives and other innovative structures to shift risk off the plan – without sacrificing employee value.

Alan Silver, President of Ambetter Health Solutions, Centene

Cheryl Soper, Sr Director, Benefits, National Veterinary Associates (NVA)

02:20 PM - 03:00 PM PST

Managing Pharmacy Risk: GLP-1s, Gene Therapies and the Future of High-Cost Care

Pharmacy costs are now the fastest-growing component of employer health spend – driven by the explosive demand for GLP-1s and the emergence of million-dollar gene and cell therapies. This session explores how employers are navigating this new frontier of pharmacy risk with smarter plan design, vendor strategies, and financial protections.

Karen Staten, VP, Employee Pay & Benefits Services, Maritz, LLC

02:20 PM - 03:00 PM PST

The Employee Health Iceberg: When Financial Stress Hides Below the Surface

Financial stress is often invisible—yet it drives burnout, absenteeism, and turnover. In this session, leading employers share how they uncovered the hidden costs of financial strain and built strategies to address it head-on. You’ll learn:

• How to spot early warning signs of financial fragility
• Ways to engage employees who don’t self-identify as “stressed”
• Scalable approaches to reduce presenteeism and disengagement

Rebecca Liebman, CEO and Co-Founder, LearnLux

Cindy Silva, Global Director of Benefits, New Balance

Aimee Snyder, Senior Manager of U.S. Benefits, Toast

02:20 PM - 03:00 PM PST

The Burnout Crisis: From Hidden Cost to Strategic Advantage

Burnout has moved beyond buzzword status—it’s now a business-critical risk. With 65% of employees reporting higher stress than five years ago, the impact on retention, productivity, and culture is too costly to ignore. But what if burnout could be reframed—not as a liability, but as a catalyst for resilience and renewal? In this candid session, hear how a leading employer is turning burnout into a lever for stronger performance and more human-centered workplaces.
Key Takeaways:

• The hidden costs of burnout on talent, culture, and business outcomes
• Practical tools for managers to identify, prevent, and address burnout across teams
• A proven framework for embedding personalized mental health support that drives engagement, retention, and measurable ROI

Jeff Stohlberg, Director of Global Benefits, Moderna

02:20 PM - 03:00 PM PST

Policy as Catalyst: H.R. 1 and the Rise of Advanced Primary Care Strategies

With H.R. 1 reshaping health care incentives, employers have a unique opportunity to align benefit design with policy shifts while expanding access to comprehensive care. Beyond Virtual-First Health Plans (VFHPs), strategies like first-dollar coverage and $0 copays for virtual primary care and digital health are gaining traction. This session provides practical guidance on plan design, member engagement, and regulatory compliance—positioning orchestrated virtual care as a powerful lever for cost control, access, and better health outcomes.
What Benefit Leaders Will Learn:

• How to align benefit strategies with H.R. 1 policy changes
• The impact of $0 copays and first-dollar coverage on access and affordability
• Ways to integrate virtual primary care and digital health into plan design
• Practical steps for engagement and compliance that improve outcomes

Carey Shore, Wellness Program Manager, Heidelberg Materials

02:20 PM - 03:00 PM PST

Beyond Hormones: Unlocking Menopause Care with AI to Drive Outcomes and Reduce Costs

Go beyond traditional menopause solutions that focus exclusively on hormone therapy. Explore strategies that improve employee health, boost performance, and reduce costs, with practical guidance for building menopause programs that help employees thrive and strengthen health outcomes.

02:20 PM - 03:00 PM PST

The Human-centered Algorithm: How AT&T Is Blending AI and EQ to Transform Employee Health Care

AI is reshaping corporate benefits with promises of efficiency and cost savings, but if not applied thoughtfully, it can reduce health care to a transactional, impersonal experience. This session spotlights how AT&T is using advanced technology balanced with emotional intelligence (EQ) to serve more than 420,000 members. Learn how this employer is tackling the complexities of rising costs while keeping employee well-being and engagement at the forefront. You will gain practical insights into what has worked, what hasn’t, and how combining AI with EQ is creating a more empathetic, effective, and human-centered health care experience.

Ben Jackson, Vice President of Global Benefits, AT&T

Nupur Srivastava, Chief Operating Officer, Included Health

02:20 PM - 03:00 PM PST

From Cafeteria to Clinical: How Food as Medicine Is Redefining Workplace Well-being

As chronic disease costs soar, employers are turning to food-as-medicine strategies that deliver measurable ROI. This session explores how nutrition-first programs improve productivity, reduce attrition, and advance health equity through access to produce prescriptions, tailored meals, and daily behavior-change supports. Learn how forward-thinking employers are transforming the cafeteria into a clinical tool for workforce health.

Jennifer Jones, Clinical Solutions Director, Noom Health

03:00 PM - 03:30 PM PST

Refreshment Break

Hosted by:
VSP

03:30 PM - 04:10 PM PST

Guarding the Plan: De-risking through Governance and Fiduciary Excellence

Scrutiny is rising on ERISA fiduciary standards for employer health benefit plans. Employers face mounting pressure to demonstrate fiduciary responsibility and embed governance into their benefits strategy. This session explores how organizations can proactively de-risk their health and welfare plans by establishing robust fiduciary governance frameworks.

Emily Maher, Director, Total Rewards, Land O'Lakes

Kate Scherkenbach, CEBS, SVP, Total Rewards Manager – Benefits, Baird

03:30 PM - 04:10 PM PST

Seeing Clearly: Managing Benefit Risk through Price Transparency

As fiduciary scrutiny intensifies and cost pressures mount, employers are turning to price transparency as a strategic lever to manage benefit risk. This session explores how greater visibility into provider pricing and plan performance can help employers identify inefficiencies, reduce overpayment exposure, and strengthen governance.

Michelle Pisani, Director, Benefits and Recognition, Blue Shield of CA

03:30 PM - 04:10 PM PST

From One-Size-Fits-None to Personalized Support: Building a Scalable Mental Health System

Too often, employees struggle in silence because mental health support arrives late—or not at all. Traditional EAPs weren’t designed for today’s diverse, multigenerational workforce. Instead of forcing employees into outdated models, what if we built something people actually use? Join leaders from Medtronic for a forward-looking conversation on the future of workplace mental health. Explore how leading organizations are moving beyond static EAPs to stratified care models, supported by AI, that guide employees to the right level of support—from everyday well-being practices to specialized clinical care. You’ll walk away with strategies to:

• Strengthen workforce well-being and resilience
• Boost engagement while lowering benefit waste
• Deliver scalable, personalized mental health support that grows with your organization

Kristen Chan, Global Benefits Analyst, Qualtrics

Lisa Gross, Chief People Officer, Headspace

Jeanne Hermes, Benefits Consultant, Medtronic

03:30 PM - 04:10 PM PST

From Nice-to-Have to Business Critical: The Rise of Personalized Spending Accounts

“Personalized” is no longer a buzzword—it’s a business imperative. Employees want flexibility and choice, while CFOs demand cost-effectiveness and ROI. Customizable spending accounts bridge that gap, turning Lifestyle Spending Accounts, Rewards & Recognition, education assistance, and workspace reimbursements into core pillars of modern total rewards. In this session, benefits leaders will share how they’ve designed personalized programs, the outcomes they’ve seen, and the lessons they’ve learned along the way. Walk away with real-world strategies and data-driven insights to scale personalized benefits across your organization.

Jason Fan, CEO & Co-founder, Forma

Dominique Schroeder, Senior Benefits Program Manager, Guild

Crystal Miller, Benefits Specialist, Framatome

Sheril Perez, Director, Global Benefits and Mobility, Samsara

Cindy Silva, Global Director of Benefits, New Balance

03:30 PM - 04:10 PM PST

The Next Generation of Fertility Care and Hormonal Health

Even in 2026, most benefit plans still fall short in supporting life's major moments. By clinging to outdated definitions of "fertility care," they overlook critical drivers of employee wellbeing like men's health, menopause, and family-building paths outside of IVF. It's time to challenge the status quo. This session will explore how forward-looking programs that span the full continuum of reproductive and hormonal health not only unlock healthier outcomes, but also cut downstream costs, improve productivity, and strengthen recruitment and retention. You'll leave with a clear vision of what the future of employee support looks like and concrete strategies to build inclusive, cost-effective programs that set a new standard for modern benefits.

03:30 PM - 04:10 PM PST

Reignite Change, Reimagine Radiology: The Silent Driver of Cost and Untapped Key to Transformation

Radiology represents up to 13% of total health care spend and is the second most utilized service—yet it remains one of the least managed. In this session, we’ll pull back the curtain on how a leading employer is reframing radiology as a strategic lever for both savings and care improvement. Learn how they achieved more than 65% savings per scan, improved the member experience through concierge navigation, and cut downstream costs—all without disrupting the health plan or requiring upfront fees. See how this overlooked benefit is delivering immediate ROI and reshaping the health care experience.

Lisa Noles, Vice President, Benefits & LOA Administration, iHeartMedia

03:30 PM - 04:10 PM PST

Inside the Strategy: How Benefits Leaders Are Approaching Comprehensive Obesity Care

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear population health decisionmakers and benefits leaders share how they’ve evaluated and integrated obesity management medications (OMMs) into their plans. You’ll gain insight into the steps they took, stakeholders involved, analyses that informed their decisions, and strategies used to track utilization and measure outcomes.
Key Takeaways:

• Real-world examples of how benefits leaders evaluated and implemented obesity support
• Practical steps for considering OMM coverage at your organization
• Opportunities to design a comprehensive obesity management strategy

03:30 PM - 04:10 PM PST

Reversing Rising Health Benefit Costs: How UC Is Designing Cost-Effective Care

Join us to explore how the University of California redesigned health plan offerings that controlled costs without sacrificing employee value. Learn how bold changes, backed by data and empathy, are reshaping benefits strategy—and practical approaches to strengthen your own benefits plan design and drive savings.

Laura Tauber, Executive Director, Self-Funded Health Plans, University of California

Gary Robinson, VP Client Health Plan Design Strategy, HealthEquity

04:25 PM - 05:15 PM PST

Washington Update

From Capitol Hill to the courts, the policy landscape for employer-sponsored benefits is shifting rapidly. This session will unpack the latest legislative, regulatory, and judicial developments affecting health care and compliance.

05:15 PM - 06:15 PM PST

Cocktail Reception

07:15 AM - 08:00 AM PST

Continental Breakfast

08:00 AM - 09:00 AM PST

Navigating the New Health Care Frontier: Emerging Trends in Supporting the Member Journey

As health care continues to evolve, so does the member journey – from initial engagement to long-term wellbeing. This session explores the latest trends shaping how members interact with health care systems, benefit platforms, and support services to create a seamless, integrated, and intuitive member journey.

09:15 AM - 09:55 AM PST

Form Meets Function: Blending Access, Experience and Value in Modern Benefits

As the health care landscape evolves, employers are reimagining how benefits are designed and delivered to meet the moment. This session explores how organizations are expanding access to care – through virtual first models, advanced primary care, and navigation tools – while ensuring the experience is intuitive and aligned with employee needs.

Nicole Cody, Vice President, Total Rewards, International Paper

Jessica Denshaw, Consultant, Global Benefits, Dell

09:15 AM - 09:55 AM PST

Cracking the Global Benefits Cost Code

Global benefits costs continue to rise, driven by evolving medical trends, claims experience, and market dynamics. This session will explore strategic approaches, emerging cost drivers, and practical levers that organizations can use to navigate today’s complex benefits landscape and effectively manage their global costs.

Chris Gaither, Head of Global Benefits, Flowserve

Mike Wesclitz, Director, Total Rewards, Global Benefits, Recognition, Mobility, Health & Wellbeing, UL Solutions

09:15 AM - 09:55 AM PST

When ‘Fine’ Isn’t Fine: Spotting and Addressing Employee Distress Early and the Cost of Overlooking Early Warning Signs

Burnout, absenteeism, and disengagement are no longer exceptions, they’re becoming the norm. For employers, this means supporting well-being must go beyond crisis response to understanding how employees truly feel day-to-day and intervening earlier. This session will explore how organizations can recognize early warning signs, address the full spectrum of mental health needs, and create cultures where proactive care is the standard, unlocking stronger engagement and measurable cost savings.

Tanner Brunsdale, Director of Benefits and Mobility, Lyft

Dr. Jessica Watrous, Chief Clinical Officer, Modern Health

09:15 AM - 09:55 AM PST

Moving Beyond Navigation for Better Health and Care

Employees often have questions about their benefits but little clarity on where to start. Traditional navigation tools require people to know their destination first, leaving many unsure and underserved. In this session, learn how one employer went beyond navigation using AI to personalize outreach and encourage preventive care. Discover how turning data into clinically informed actions and personalized recommendations leads to better outcomes and reduced costs.

Liz Ferega, Senior Vice President of Customer Success, Transcarent

Corey Gilchrist, Vice President of Total Rewards & HRIS, Shamrock Foods Company

09:15 AM - 09:55 AM PST

The Health Cost Albatross: Tackling Rising Costs While Improving Employee Health

Eight in ten benefits leaders say rising health care costs are hurting business operations—and the trend shows no signs of slowing. The problem? Most strategies focus on utilization, not the underlying price of drugs and services.
In this session, you’ll hear fresh insights from doctors, benefit leaders, and employees on how to curb specialty drug costs, manage high-cost claims, and meet the evolving health needs of today’s workforce. You’ll leave with actionable strategies that reduce spend while improving employee outcomes.
Key Takeaways:

• What’s really driving health care costs—and why specialty drugs and common high-cost claims matter most
• How to maximize value from vendors and partners to keep costs in check
• Practical solutions for high-cost conditions that also improve employee experience

Ben Isgur, Vice President, Health Care Thought Leadership, Fidelity Health®

Bryan Jendretzke, Global Benefits Director, The Dow Chemical Company

09:15 AM - 09:55 AM PST

Commitment to Better: Transforming the Employee Experience

Forward-thinking employers are reimagining health benefits to create a smoother, more supportive experience for their people. This panel explores how organizations are reducing friction in the system, ensuring equitable and accessible care pathways, and providing robust navigation resources to help employees manage complex health needs with confidence. Learn how a focus on customer experience can drive better outcomes, foster trust, and create an empowering workplace culture.

Samantha Crockett, Sr. Benefit Manager, People-HR, J.B. Hunt

Gerry Stanley, M.D., P-CEO, Chief Medical Officer, Express Scripts PBM by Evernorth, the health services business for The Cigna Group

Princess Little, Director, Benefits and Welfare, Marriott International

09:15 AM - 09:55 AM PST

Transforming the Employee Experience Through Value-Based Specialty Care

Traditional fee-for-service models often increase costs without improving outcomes. In this session, you’ll hear how leading employers are adopting value-based specialty care to protect both their workforce and their bottom line. Discover how an outcomes-focused approach can:

• Reduce spend while improving access to high-quality care
• Strengthen fiduciary responsibility
• Enhance the employee experience through better results

Sidney DiDomenico, Director of Employee Benefits, PRISM

Carly Winokur, VP, Commercial Growth, Carrum Health

09:15 AM - 09:55 AM PST

Responsible Generative AI for Quality Navigation: How Microsoft Connected Members to the Right Doctor

Finding the right doctor is harder than it should be. Too often, people rely on Google searches or word-of-mouth recommendations that don’t guarantee quality care. A new generation of AI-powered, personalized solutions is changing that—but only when built responsibly, with rigorous clinical validation, strong data security, and strict privacy standards. By combining responsible AI with comprehensive physician performance data and analytics, organizations can improve health outcomes and lower costs by guiding members to the right providers. In this session, you’ll hear how Microsoft identified gaps in its own benefits strategy and designed a safe, effective, and configurable program that delivers better care access—and ultimately a healthier, more productive workforce.

10:10 AM - 10:50 AM PST

Igniting HSA Adoption: Turning Passive Benefits Into Active Health Drivers

Discover how the HR team at a large employer reimagined their HSA program to ignite change across employee engagement and health literacy. This session uncovers what’s driving (or stalling) employee participation, and what employers can do about it. Learn practical, proven tactics to increase activation, education, and long-term value for both employees and the organization.

10:10 AM - 10:50 AM PST

Improving the Benefits Experience with Powerful and Personalized Technology

Navigating and optimizing a wide array of benefits programs and point solutions is a persistent challenge for health care consumers. At the same time, expectations of a simple and intuitive experience have never been greater. This session explores how organizations are leveraging AI-forward technology to inform their program design and deliver a more proactive, personalized and supportive benefits experience for participants.

10:10 AM - 10:50 AM PST

Beyond Claims: Connecting Data for a Complete View of Employee Health

What if the key to reducing health care costs and improving employee well-being lies beyond medical claims? By integrating data from multiple sources, benefit professionals can uncover the underlying factors – from financial stress to lifestyle choices – that influence employee health and health care costs. Discover how to create a comprehensive risk profile for your population, identify trends, and implement strategies to mitigate risk.

Bea Capistrant, VP of Healthcare Innovation at Morgan Health, JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Katherine Shanahan, Senior Pharmaceutical Analytic Advisor, Truven by Merative

10:10 AM - 10:50 AM PST

Scaling Clinical Obesity Care with Confidence: Strategy and Communication That Drive Impact

Obesity management is quickly becoming one of the most critical—and complex—areas of employer-sponsored care. In this session, you’ll hear how a large employer launched a clinical obesity management program that encouraged behavior change and supported responsible prescribing of weight-loss medications across a diverse workforce. You’ll also learn how the team navigated a major formulary change and simplified member communications to reduce confusion and maintain continuity of care. Walk away with practical strategies to design scalable obesity benefits, manage change effectively, and keep members actively engaged in their health.

Becca Bosley, Sr. Manager, HR Communications, Charter Communications

Veeneta Lakhani, Chief Operating Officer, Vida Health

Sharon Samson, Manager of Benefits, Charter Communications

Gretchen Zimmermann, VP of Clinical Strategy, Vida Health

10:10 AM - 10:50 AM PST

Managing Costs Through an Integrated Benefits Approach

An effective benefits ecosystem should be seamless, intuitive, and engaging. Today, that means combining high-touch support with high-tech solutions to deliver access, guidance, and personalized information for every type of employee. In this session, you’ll hear how one large employer built an interconnected benefits strategy that improved member satisfaction while effectively managing costs and trend.

Joe Cannizzo, Regional Vice President, UHC National Accounts, UnitedHealthcare

Robyn Jordan, Head of People, DriveTime Family of Brands

10:10 AM - 10:50 AM PST

Cancer Engagement in Motion: How Shamrock Foods Transformed a Distributed Workforce into a Cancer Care Success Story

Shamrock Foods faced a challenge: most of their employees don’t sit behind a desk, making traditional cancer programs ineffective. To succeed, they shifted their strategy from typical passive solutions and built a hands-on engagement model—bringing cancer care directly to warehouses, trucks, and shifts through onsite roadshows, multilingual outreach, and grassroots champions. Learn how this approach boosted participation, delivered measurable ROI, and improved outcomes across a dispersed workforce.

Corey Gilchrist, Vice President of Total Rewards & HRIS, Shamrock Foods Company

Caroline Savello, President, Color

10:10 AM - 10:50 AM PST

The Primary Care Pivot: Strategic Purchasing to Maximize Access and Value

Primary care is the backbone of a high-performing health system—but traditional health plan options often limit its potential. Today, employers have more purchasing strategies than ever to enhance access, engagement, quality, and cost management, even within HDHPs. In this session, hear how employers of different sizes and structures reimagined their approach to primary care, leveraging innovative purchasing models to meet their goals for clinical quality and access while managing spend. Key Takeaways:

• Expanded purchasing options to strengthen primary care within health plans
• How plan design, financing, and employer size shape purchasing strategy
• Real-world results: better access, higher quality, and improved cost control

Tanner Brunsdale, Director of Benefits and Mobility, Lyft

Josh Dunsby, Enterprise Partnerships Leader, Amazon One Medical

Rachel Quinn, Network Strategy Lead - Health Benefits, Amazon

Shannon Arens, Wellbeing Director, Sequoia

10:10 AM - 10:50 AM PST

How Koch Lowered Health Care Costs by Empowering Members with a Shoppable Health Plan

In 2025, Koch Industries piloted Sidecar Health in Georgia. The plan paid the average cost of care—no networks, no copays, no prior authorizations. Members who chose lower-cost care kept half the savings; those who spent more paid the difference. Families saved about $4,000 per year between lower premiums and money earned by shopping, with an average of $500 cash back for those choosing lower-cost care. After a successful first-year pilot, Koch is expanding the offering in partnership with Anthem to cover another 15,000 eligible employees across Texas and Kansas.

Matthew Hall, Benefits Strategy Manager, Koch

Kevin Knight, Chief Marketing Officer, Sidecar Health

10:50 AM - 11:20 AM PST

Refreshment Break

Hosted by:
VSP

11:20 AM - 12:00 PM PST

Igniting the Employee Experience in the Age of AI

AI can be a powerful partner in elevating the employee benefits experience – by supporting efficiencies, providing sophisticated data to support decision making, and creating more personalized employee touchpoints. Join us to discover how organizations are using AI strategy to boost efficiency and deliver a more engaging, meaningful benefits experience.

Heather Dunn, VP, Global Total Rewards, HR Analytics & Operations, Brown-Forman

11:20 AM - 12:00 PM PST

Reset Your HR Playbook: What Smart Companies Are Doing in a Rapidly Changing World

Change is constant—and HR leaders are having to navigate its impact on every level. From economic shifts and political turbulence to organizational change, these challenges are showing up in the workforce through rising strain on employee wellbeing, engagement, and retention. In this panel, leaders share how they’re building resilient cultures through proactive wellbeing strategies. From mental health to personalized wellbeing, discover the real-world strategies these leaders are using to keep employees grounded, connected, and thriving— right now and no matter what’s around the corner.

Jeff Jacques, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Personify Health

Sarah Van Orman, MD, MMM, FACHA, FACP, Vice President and Chief Campus Health Officer, Clinical Professor of Family Medicine, Division Head College Health Keck Medicine, USC

Peggy Sczepanski, Global Wellbeing Program Manager, The Dow Chemical Company

Tracy Tillery, AVP, Total Rewards, Human Resources Strategy, GM Financial

11:20 AM - 12:00 PM PST

Prevention, Prevention, Prevention: Extending Healthspans Through Advanced Primary Care

Prevention is one of the most powerful ways to reduce chronic disease and avoid rising health plan costs. Yet while the concept looks simple on paper, putting prevention into practice is far more complex. The key? Building a network of Advanced Primary Care (APC) providers who deliver personalized care and meaningful face-to-face time with patients. In this session, explore how APC networks improve member outcomes, strengthen the patient–physician relationship, and ultimately drive higher-quality care at lower cost for employers.

Michael Costello, Total Rewards Commercial Strategy Director, NextEra Energy

Patrick Nelli, CEO & Founder, Aligned Marketplace

11:20 AM - 12:00 PM PST

What Drives Cancer Risk—and What Employers Can Do About It

Shifting demographics, lifestyle factors, and access gaps are fueling higher incidence across certain employee populations. For benefits leaders, the question is clear: are we doing enough to address risk early and support employees throughout the care journey?
In this session, you’ll gain actionable insights into the risk factors most relevant to working populations, practical tools to assess your own workforce, and strategies to improve outcomes while controlling costs. Key Takeaways:

• Understand the biggest cancer risk factors facing today’s workforce
• Learn how to assess risk within your own employee population
• Explore proactive benefit strategies that reduce costs and improve outcomes
• Hear a real-world case study from Qualcomm on turning insights into action

Trudy McKanna, Senior Field Medical Director, GRAIL

Melissa Real, CCP, PHR, Senior Director, Americas Region Benefits and Global Wellbeing, Qualcomm

11:20 AM - 12:00 PM PST

Beyond Benefits: A Life-Stage Strategy to Reduce Risk and Control Costs

With health care costs climbing, HR leaders are rethinking benefits as a lever for both cost control and employee wellbeing. Life-stage programs—spanning fertility, maternity, parenting, menopause, and men’s health—can lower high-cost claims while boosting engagement and retention across a multigenerational workforce. In this session, hear from a large employer on how they built a clinically managed, evidence-based strategy to support employees through every stage of life.

Shelly MacConnell, Chief Strategy Officer, WIN

Caroline Selsnik, Sr. Manager, Benefits, Total Rewards, BD

11:20 AM - 12:00 PM PST

Lost in Network: Solving Hidden Access Gaps in Mental Health Care

Even with strong mental health benefits, many employees still face barriers when trying to find care—particularly within their plan’s network. This session, featuring BD, will share new data highlighting the gap between plan design and real-world access, including geographic and cultural provider shortages that disproportionately impact underserved populations. You’ll learn how identified these “invisible” access gaps and the strategies they used to expand provider availability and ensure more equitable access to care. Attendees will gain practical ideas to improve parity, strengthen navigation support, and optimize network performance.

Josh Bruno, Co-Founder & CEO, Rula Health

Kristen Strobel, Senior Director Global Benefits, BD

12:15 PM - 12:30 PM PST

Conference Wrap-up

Recapping key conference topics and themes, this session will conclude our conference with a few surprises and recognitions.