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Leadership Forum: Spring 2026

Event Date: 3/24/2026 - 3/27/2026

Event Overview

3/24/2026 - 3/27/2026
Texas
Participation is limited to Health Plan Alliance members and invited guests

People talking during a networking break

Across the spring and fall forums, the Leadership Forum convenes the Alliance’s executive leaders for bold, future-focused dialogue on the evolving landscape of managed care and the broader healthcare industry. These exclusive gatherings offer space to step back from daily demands, think strategically, and engage with peers who share a commitment to transforming how health plans lead and deliver value.

Through authentic conversation and shared insight, participants explore the trends, innovations, and leadership strategies shaping what’s next. It’s an environment designed to challenge perspectives, inspire action, and strengthen the trusted relationships that define the Alliance community.

A cornerstone of the Alliance experience for executive leaders, the Leadership Forum ignites inspiration, fuels collaboration, and empowers leaders to shape the collective future of healthcare.

Who Should Attend

Chief Executive Officers, Chief Medical Officer/Medical Directors, Chief Operating Officers, Chief Financial Officers, C-Level leaders responsible for strategic planning, innovation, and organizational execution won't want to miss this meeting.

Why Attend

High-Impact Conversations: Connect and build lasting relationships with fellow C-Suite leaders in an exclusive environment designed for transformative dialogue that drives industry change.
Future-Focused Strategies: Engage with peer executives on emerging trends and strategic opportunities, shaping innovative approaches to healthcare's most pressing challenges.
Executive Networking: Develop meaningful relationships with health plan leaders from across the nation in a confidential setting that fosters authentic connection and collaboration.
Strategic Alignment: Stay directly connected to Alliance's strategic direction through integrated Board meetings and key organizational updates, ensuring your voice shapes our collective future.
Included with Your Membership: While similar industry events cost thousands, this powerful networking opportunity is included in your membership—giving you unparalleled access to meaningful collaboration with regional, provider-sponsored, and independent health plan leaders.

Thank you to our event sponsors

Bronze

Agenda

03/24/2026 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Reception: Tuesday
03/24/2026 6:20 PM - 7:00 PM
Executive Leadership Institute Graduation Ceremony Join us for an evening of connection as we celebrate the completion of this year’s Executive Leadership Institute. The graduation program will begin at 6:20 PM and wrap up by 7:00 PM, with the reception continuing throughout the evening.
03/25/2026 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Networking Breakfast
03/25/2026 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM
Welcome & Strategic Insights Speaker(s): Joe Lastinger, President; HPA
03/25/2026 9:15 AM - 10:15 AM
Fireside Chat: Insights from the Leader Behind Healthcare’s Biggest Bets In this fireside conversation, Karen Lynch reflects on the strategic moves that defined her tenure at CVS Health, including the acquisitions of Oak Street and Signify, and shares what those experiences reveal about the industry's future. A rare opportunity to hear from a leader who has been in the arena—and is willing to talk about both the ambition and the complexity of leading large-scale change. Speaker(s): Karen Lynch, Former CEO of CVS Health; Corporate Board Director; Author
03/25/2026 10:15 AM - 10:30 AM
Networking Break
03/25/2026 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
The Next Chapter for Provider-Sponsored Plans: What Scale, Capital, and Partnerships Really Buy You As capital tightens and national players consolidate power, provider-sponsored plans are re-evaluating long-held assumptions about growth, partnerships, and independence. This session explores what scale actually delivers today—and where partnerships, affiliations, or alternative models may offer greater strategic leverage.
03/25/2026 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Capital Discipline in a High-Cost World: Where Leaders Are Placing (and Pulling) Bets A peer-led discussion on how health plan executives are rethinking capital allocation as margins compress and uncertainty rises. Participants will explore how organizations are prioritizing investments, sunsetting initiatives that no longer perform, and balancing near-term pressure with long-term positioning. • Build vs. buy vs. partner decisions • Internal ROI thresholds that have changed • Where leaders are intentionally not investing
03/25/2026 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Networking Lunch
03/25/2026 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Navigating Plan/Parent Relationships in an Era of Margin Pressure Health plans and their parent systems are increasingly focused on how stronger alignment can drive shared value across the enterprise. This session brings plan and system leaders together for a comprehensive conversation on how organizations are approaching financial integration, value creation, and the relationships that make execution possible. The discussion will begin with an enterprise-level view of plan-and-system economics—where accretive opportunities are emerging, how priorities are set, and how incentives and structures support long-term value. From there, the conversation will shift to the operating realities, exploring how governance, decision-making, and collaboration enable plans and systems to stay aligned in a challenging margin environment.
03/25/2026 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Dinner: Wednesday
03/26/2026 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Networking Breakfast
03/26/2026 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM
Welcome Back
03/26/2026 9:15 AM - 10:15 AM
Leading the Workforce of Tomorrow: Adapting to the Age of AI, Uncertainty, and Human Change Work is being reinvented faster than organizations can write policies for it. New generations are reshaping expectations, automation and AI are restructuring roles, and traditional levers of culture and engagement are under pressure. For leaders, this moment demands something different—not just more skills, but the capacity to unlearn what no longer works and build new ways of working in real time. This keynote offers leaders a roadmap for building organizations that are nimble, resilient, and deeply human in a world where uncertainty is the only constant. Speaker(s): Heather McGowan, Top-ranked Futurist; 2x Bestselling Author
03/26/2026 10:15 AM - 10:30 AM
Networking Break
03/26/2026 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Regulatory Reality Check: What the Next 12–24 Months Mean for Health Plan Strategy A high-level discussion of the policy and regulatory dynamics shaping health plan decision-making across Medicare, Medicaid, and Commercial markets. Rather than a legislative download, this session focuses on strategic implications and where leaders should be paying attention now.
03/26/2026 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Session Coming Soon
03/26/2026 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Networking Lunch
03/26/2026 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
What Keeps CEOs Up at Night: An Executive Exchange A facilitated, closed-door conversation among plan leaders focused on the questions, tradeoffs, and uncertainties they are actively navigating right now—from margin pressure and workforce strain to competitive threats and organizational fatigue. Speaker(s): Joe Lastinger, President; HPA
03/26/2026 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Board of Directors Meeting
03/26/2026 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Dinner: Thursday
03/27/2026 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Networking Breakfast For those that have later flights, we will meet at the hotel restaurant for a come and go breakfast.