The Granite List Live

This episode, we take a deep dive into the world of pharmacy benefit managers and all things drug-related on the employer side. We are joined by Joe Huntsman, CEO of FountainRx, Zac Hanson, Director of Business Development for RxPreferred, and Josh Butler, President of Butler Benefits Group. They each bring their own unique perspectives to the discussion as they're all looking to provide the best quality care for employees at the lowest cost for employers.

Jessica Lea, CEO of Tria Health, joins Sally and Leigh in this week's episode to discuss the rising trend of diabetes medications being misused for weight loss purposes. Jessica dives into these drugs, what they do, and how to effectively prescribe them to employees for their individual betterment and to protect the plan as a whole.

In this episode, Sally and Leigh talk to Trevor and Heather Garbers, founders of Voluntary Advantage. They join the Granite List to talk about their FREE Voluntary Advantage program, the trends they're seeing in the industry revolving around voluntary benefits, and how they are bringing about change in the industry with their platform. Make sure you check out their website and subscribe to their free newsletter!

We are wrapping up out You Powered series with the conference's opening keynote speaker and Johns Hopkins professor Ge Bai. Bai stops by to explain the effects of mergers and acquisitions on hospitals and the healthcare system overall. She also explains how patients are forced to shoulder all of the financial burdens of the healthcare system and provides some ways for families to better protect themselves financially.

Continuing our YouPowered series from Miami! In this episode, Wendell Potter, President of the Center for Health and Democracy, stops by to join us. As a keynote speaker for the conference, he discusses his three C's from his speech: Cigna, cost shifting, and consumerism and how they impact the healthcare industry. He also discusses his journey through healthcare and why he stepped away from Cigna to try to affect change in the healthcare industry, primarily by taking control of the narrative. Be sure to check out his newsletter - Healthcare Uncovered - to learn more!

For the next few episodes, we'll be coming to you LIVE from this year's YouPowered Symposium in Miami. We will kick it off with Dr. Mary O'Connor, Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of Vori Health. O'Connor dives deep by discussing why it's difficult for the US healthcare system to adopt change. Looking at unnecessary surgeries and procedures, O'Connor gets to the root of the problem when it comes to the US healthcare system.

To close out our ASCEND series, Jay Hoffman, Director of Sales at Walmart Health & Wellness, stops by to talk with Sally about how Walmart got into health and wellness along with the services that they provide. He also discusses how Walmart is looking into non-traditional solutions to better serve their people.

Continuing our ASCEND Conference Series, Ed Ligonde, Executive Vice President of Nielson Benefits Group, stops by to talk with Sally about trend he's picked up while attending the conference such as a push for transparency and the second opinion process. He also discusses how the Mastermind ecosystem has helped him and his career through collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Continuing our ASCEND Conference series, Dan LaBroad, CEO of Ovation Health & Life Services, discusses his journey to where he ended up now. Attending the ASCEND and Mastermind conferences are a major factor in his successes by connecting him with like-minded people who help find solutions, support each other, and want the best for their people. Dan shares 2023 trends into giving his clients and partners better quality care, better access to care while providing lower costs.

Continuing our ASCEND Conference series, Doug Geinzer stops by tell us how Coral is utilizing cost-containment in a way that still provides high quality surgeries for their clients. He also discusses how the ASCEND Conference has allowed him and other advisors to come together to talk bounce ideas off of each other and learn more about what it takes to get win more business.