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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

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Sponsor

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 Moderator: Coreen Dicus-Johnson, President and CEO at Network Health
03/25/2026 10:15 AM - 10:30 AM
Networking Break
03/25/2026 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
When the Math Stops Working: Business Models Under Silent Stress Many health plans still look healthy on paper, but underlying economics are quietly shifting in ways leaders need to understand early. This session surfaces patterns where cost structures, technology commitments, and operating models have become increasingly rigid as margins tighten, even while performance appears acceptable. We’ll explore where scale truly improves unit economics—and where it doesn’t—how reserves or downside protection can mask volatility, and why some small and regional plans continue to outperform despite these pressures. The focus is on early signals leaders should recognize before structural stress shows up in results. Speaker(s): Jeremy Kush, Principal & Consulting Actuary at Milliman Matt Mraz, Sr. Consulting Actuary at Milliman
03/25/2026 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
The 2026 Bet List: Where Healthcare Is Headed Next The healthcare market is entering a sorting phase. Some strategies are about to scale rapidly. Others are nearing their limits regardless of how widely adopted they are today. In this session, Blake Madden delivers a clear, forward-looking forecast for healthcare in 2026, focused on where the industry is headed next not where it’s been. Drawing on performance data, capital flows, and structural market dynamics, Blake will outline the shifts that are most likely to define the next phase of healthcare and the implications for plans, systems, and vendors. Speaker(s): Blake Madden, Founder and Creator at Hospitalogy
03/25/2026 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Networking Lunch
03/25/2026 1:30 PM - 3:00 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. Speaker(s): Margaret Anderson, President at Health Alliance Plan Dr. Jerry Finkel at Henry Ford Health Krista Hoglund, EVP/President at Jefferson Health Plans Jeff Butcher, CFO at Quartz
03/25/2026 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Direct-to-Employer: When (and Why) Health Plans Go Around the Traditional Market As employer pressure around cost, flexibility, and accountability grows, some health plans are pursuing direct-to-employer (DTE) relationships outside traditional brokered models. But DTE isn’t a universal growth strategy—and getting it right requires clarity on when it truly fits. This session opens with a consultant-led overview of the DTE landscape, outlining what’s driving employer demand and how DTE differs from standard commercial approaches. Health plan leaders from Baylor Scott & White Health and Select Health will then share practical, on-the-ground perspectives on why they pursue DTE, what it takes to execute well, and where the model creates both value and friction. Speaker(s): Stephanie Motter, President at Baylor Scott & White Health Plan Jon Griffith, VP & Chief Operating Officer at Select Health
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. Speaker(s): Avalere Health
03/26/2026 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
What the Market Sees: Interpreting Payer Strategy Signals This session offers a blended, market-wide view of how payer strategy is evolving — not through stated positions or advocacy, but through observable signals. Drawing on leadership interviews, earnings calls, and capital allocation decisions, Cleveland Research Company highlights patterns in how plans are responding to evolving economics, regulatory uncertainty, and shifting growth expectations. The focus is on what behavior reveals: where plans are pulling back or doubling down, how investment priorities are changing, and which assumptions appear to be under quiet reassessment. A practical interpretation of the signals shaping payer strategy — and what they suggest about where the market is headed next. Speaker(s): Adam Doehrel at Cleveland Research Company
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.