Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast

This episode recorded live at the Becker’s Spring 2026 Payer Issues Roundtable features Dr. Saria Saccocio, Chief Medical Officer, Essence Healthcare discusses how clinicians are overwhelmed and how payer-provider collaboration, simplified care navigation, and AI-enabled workflows are helping improve quality, reduce costs, and strengthen member experience in Medicare Advantage. In collaboration wi...

In this episode, Hasan Shanawani, Associate Chief Medical Officer at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, joins the podcast to discuss rising healthcare costs and the growing role of AI in payer decision-making. He shares how AI can enable organizations to “say yes” more often, while maintaining trust, transparency, and quality as these tools increasingly face consumers.

In this episode, Brendan Harris, President, UPMC for You and State Programs & Patti Jackson-Gehris, President, UPMC North Central and Williamsport markets, discuss UPMC’s strategies to improve rural healthcare access through workforce development, telehealth expansion, and innovative care models that address geographic and socioeconomic barriers.

In this episode, Tim Lieb, Senior Vice President of Commercial Markets at Blue Shield of California, discusses the three-year impact of Virtual Blue, including lower costs, reduced ER utilization, improved access to care, and how virtual first models are reshaping employer and individual health plans.

This episode recorded live at the Becker’s Spring 2026 Payer Issues Roundtable features Alan Silver, President, ICHRA, Ambetter Health Solutions, discussing how payers are addressing consumer expectations and affordability pressures, leveraging digital tools to scale ICHRA, and driving a more personalized, choice-based future for employer-sponsored healthcare. In collaboration with Hippocratic AI...

This episode recorded live at the Becker’s Spring 2026 Payer Issues Roundtable features Howard Weiss, Vice President, Government Relations, EmblemHealth, discussing how payers are addressing trust in healthcare, balancing cost with member experience, and using AI to enhance care management, outreach, and workforce support without replacing human roles. In collaboration with Hippocratic AI .

This episode recorded live at the Becker’s Spring 2026 Payer Issues Roundtable features Trey Sutten, CEO and Co-Founder of Siftwell, Director of Clinical Solutions. Here, he explores how health plans can prepare for HR1 by identifying at risk members, leveraging data and community partnerships, and building proactive strategies to maintain coverage amid regulatory change. This episode is sponsored...

In this episode, Dr. Lisa Shah, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Twin Health, discusses how AI-powered digital twin technology is transforming care for chronic conditions and enabling personalized, real-time interventions. She also shares insights on payer trends, outcomes-based models, and new approaches to reducing reliance on medications while improving long-term health out...

This episode recorded live at the Becker’s Spring 2026 Payer Issues Roundtable features Dirk Soenksen, Chief Executive Officer of Ceresti Health, discussing why dementia is a major yet underrecognized cost driver and how it reshapes population health strategy. He highlights the critical role of family caregivers, the limitations of traditional care management, and how payer-focused models can impr...

This episode recorded live at the Becker’s Spring 2026 Payer Issues Roundtable features Megan Zakrewsky, VP of Product Strategy, Veradigm, Director of Clinical Solutions. Here, she explores how prospective gap closure, interoperable data exchange, and EHR integrated workflows are helping independent providers act on payer insights in real time, reduce administrative burden, and improve outcomes ac...

In this episode, Rob Andrews, Chief Executive Officer of the Health Transformation Alliance, joins the podcast to discuss the ongoing pressures and competition within Medicare Advantage. He shares insights on chronic care initiatives and the importance of collaboration and compromise between carriers and providers to improve outcomes and control costs.

In this episode, Brandy Thompson, Chief Executive Officer, Benefitbay, discusses the rapid growth of ICHRA models and why large employers are increasingly embracing choice driven benefits. She also shares how education, broker alignment, and evolving payer strategies are shaping the future of employer sponsored healthcare.

In this episode, Harlon Pickett, President of Eagle Care Health Solutions, joins the podcast to discuss the impact of direct primary care models on patient outcomes and cost. He shares how designing more effective networks and leveraging data can help create a more personalized and efficient healthcare experience.

This episode recorded live at the Becker’s Spring 2026 Payer Issues Roundtable features Joseph Leach, Market President, Oscar Health. He discusses the growing trust gap in healthcare, how empowering consumers through tools like ICHRA and AI can improve outcomes, and why meeting members where they are is key to balancing cost and experience. In collaboration with Hippocratic AI .

This episode recorded live at the Becker’s Spring 2026 Payer Issues Roundtable features Dr. Benjamin Kornitzer, Chief Medical Officer, Aetna, discussing efforts to reduce administrative friction, streamline prior authorization, and improve care navigation for members and providers. He also shares how Aetna is leveraging AI, interoperability, and digital tools to enhance real time decision making,...

This episode recorded live at the Becker’s Spring 2026 Payer Issues Roundtable features Christina Ott, Chief Strategy Officer, Quartz, discussing how her organization is tackling rising costs by rethinking the payer role, improving care navigation, and reducing friction for members. She also shares insights on aligning digital investments and using AI to streamline workflows, enhance communication...

This episode recorded live at the Becker’s Spring 2026 Payer Issues Roundtable features Robert Holzer, Strategy and Innovation Leader, Next Horizon Innovations, Martin Luethi, Chief Technology Officer, Quest Analytics, & Bob Tavernier, Solution Executive, Quest Analytics. The conversation explores how provider data has evolved from a compliance requirement into a strategic driver of AI readine...

This episode recorded live at the Becker’s 16th Annual Meeting features Jennifer Jones, Director of Clinical Solutions, Noom. Here, she explores how GLP-1s should be viewed as part of chronic disease management rather than a pharmacy-only cost issue, and how payer strategies that combine medication access with behavior change programs can improve long-term clinical outcomes and deliver more sustai...

In this episode, Sundar Srinivasan, President – Health Plan & Life Sciences, NTT DATA, discusses how payer organizations are moving from AI pilots to scaled deployments, focusing on high impact use cases, operational transformation, and the importance of trust, governance, and measurable ROI. This episode is sponsored by NTT DATA .

In this episode, Mike Stuart, President and CEO of Blue Shield of California, shares how his finance and provider background shapes a systems approach to improving health outcomes, strengthening provider partnerships, and addressing rising healthcare costs. He also discusses the growing impact of chronic disease and why collaboration across the healthcare ecosystem is critical to making care more...

In this episode, Steve Yurjevich, Chief Executive Officer of Optum Insight’s Payer Market and a member of the American Heart Association Executive Leadership Team, joins the podcast to discuss rising healthcare costs and the growing adoption of AI across the payer landscape. He shares how the industry is shifting from pre-pay models to true avoidance strategies, focusing on preventing unnecessary...

In this episode, Jeff Bak, President and Chief Executive Officer of Imagine360, joins the podcast to discuss improving health literacy for seniors and the role it plays in driving better outcomes. He shares how proactive care strategies and smarter use of utilization data can help create a more effective, patient-centered healthcare system.

In this episode, Rob Duffy, Chief Technology Officer at HealthEdge, explores how modern cloud infrastructure and deeply integrated AI can help health plans manage rising complexity, reduce administrative costs, and scale operations. He shares why platform consolidation and embedded AI are critical to staying competitive and sustaining performance in a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape. This ep...

In this episode, Alexandra Anderson, Head of Health Plan Sales & Partnerships at Color, explores how proactive, personalized screening and integrated care pathways can improve early cancer detection and reduce total cost of care for cancer. She shares insights on Color's approach to identifying risk & closing screening gaps, increasing member engagement, and the importance of timely, proac...

In this episode, Pankhuri Sharma, Strategy and Operations Leader at Humana, joins the podcast to discuss gaps between population health strategy and real-world outcomes. She shares key priorities for effective population health programs and offers practical advice for emerging leaders navigating the evolving healthcare landscape.