2025 Health Benefits Symposium
"Creating a Healthy American Workforce: Navigating Health Innovation, Affordability & Benefits"
Wednesday, October 22, 2025
Washington,
D.C.
Agenda:
8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.: Registration & Coffee
9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.: Welcome & Opening Remarks
- Barb Marder, President and CEO, Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI)
- Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., President and CEO, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
9:15 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.: Opening Fireside Chat
- Marc R. Watkins, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Kroger Health, The Kroger Co.
- Mani Keita, Deloitte (moderator)
9:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.: Health Care Consumerism: Empowering Choice, Navigating Complexity
- Bruce Ettinger, Founder & CEO, Spence
- Ben Light, Vice President of Partnerships, Zorro
- Chris Byrd, WEX (moderator)
10:15 a.m. – 11:10 a.m.: Balancing Innovation & Cost in GLP-1s & Specialty Medications
- Heidi D. Burnett, People Organization Leader and Global Human Sustainability, Aon
- Henriette Coetzer, Chief Medical Officer, Blue Health Intelligence
- Arpit Patel, Senior Vice President, Trade Relations, MedImpact
- Paul Fronstin, Director, Health Benefits Research, Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) (moderator)
11:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.: Networking Break
11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: The Missing Pillar in Cancer Care: Why Patient Behavior Matters as Much as Treatment
- Raghav Murali-Ganesh, Osara Health
- Betty Thompson, Chair, SHRM Board of Directors
12:10 p.m. – 1:10 p.m.: Networking Lunch
1:10 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.: Start-up & Innovation Panel: Disrupting the Status Quo
- Tom Cohen, Chief Growth Officer, Coupe Health
- Derek Lundsten, President & Chief Culture Officer, Lifeguides
- Rebecca Miksad, Chief Medical Officer, Color Health
- Crystal Onwu, PharmD, Director of Clinical Strategy, Omada Health
- Tami Simon, Global Commercialization Leader, WTW (moderator)
2:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.: Human Well-Being & Mental Health
- Caroline Carney, Chief Executive Officer, Magellan Health
- Arthur C. Evans Jr., CEO, American Psychological Association
- Taft Parsons III, Vice President and Chief Psychiatric Officer, Aetna / CVS Health
- Marjorie Morrison, Executive in Residence, Mental Health, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) (moderator)
2:45 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.: Networking Break
3:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.: Employer Point of View: Real-World Challenges & Solutions
- Kate Phillips, Head of Global Benefits, Bank of America
- Alexander Alonso, Chief Data & Analytics Officer, SHRM (moderator)
3:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.: Closing Remarks
- Barb Marder, President and CEO, Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI)
*Speakers and timing are subject to change.
Platinum Sponsors:
Gold Sponsors:
Silver Sponsors:
Bronze Sponsors:
