Shows / Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
The Becker's Payer Issues Podcast is the must-listen podcast exclusively created for health insurance executives. Two new 15-minute episodes are released weekly with the leaders who shape health insurance in America and the cost of care, policy and regula
Episodes
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Payer pressures, community-based care, and responsible AI adoption with Ceci Connolly
This episode recorded live at the Becker’s Spring 2026 Payer Issues Roundtable features Ceci Connolly, President And Chief Executive Officer, ACHP, reflects on…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
AI, Affordability, and Consumer Experience in Healthcare with Siva Balu
This episode recorded live at the Becker’s Spring 2026 Payer Issues Roundtable features Siva Balu, Senior Vice President, Chief Information and Digital…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Lisa Baird, Chief Executive Officer of Aetna Better Health of Missouri
In this episode, Lisa Baird, Chief Executive Officer of Aetna Better Health of Missouri, joins the podcast to discuss keeping community needs at the center of…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Kelli Tice, MD, Vice President of Medical Affairs and Chief Health Improvement Officer at GuideWell and Florida Blue
In this episode, Kelli Tice, MD, Vice President of Medical Affairs and Chief Health Improvement Officer at GuideWell and Florida Blue, joins the podcast to…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Advancing Affordability & Member Experience Through Digital Innovation with Jennifer St Thomas
This episode recorded live at the Becker’s Spring 2026 Payer Issues Roundtable features Jennifer St Thomas, Senior Vice President, Commercial and Medicare…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Leveraging Data and Human Centered Care in Medicare Advantage with Dr. Krystal Revai
This episode recorded live at the Becker’s Spring 2026 Payer Issues Roundtable features Dr. Krystal Revai, Chief Medical Officer, Atrio Health. She shares how…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Balancing Medicaid Costs, Access, and Member Experience with Nora Leibowitz
This episode recorded live at the Becker’s Spring 2026 Payer Issues Roundtable features Nora Leibowitz, Chief Medicaid Program Officer, CareOregon. She…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Affordability, Innovation, and Transforming Healthcare in North Carolina with Dr. Tunde Sotunde
In this episode, Dr. Tunde Sotunde, President and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina & CuraCor Solutions, discusses the drivers of rising…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Driving Affordability and Access Through Digital Innovation with Ellen Sexton
This episode recorded live at the Becker’s Spring 2026 Payer Issues Roundtable features Ellen Sexton, Executive Vice President and Chief Growth Officer, Blue…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
AI, Simplicity, and Collaboration: Redesigning Medicare Advantage Care Delivery with Dr. Saria Saccocio
This episode recorded live at the Becker’s Spring 2026 Payer Issues Roundtable features Dr. Saria Saccocio, Chief Medical Officer, Essence Healthcare discusses…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Hasan Shanawani, Associate Chief Medical Officer at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey
In this episode, Hasan Shanawani, Associate Chief Medical Officer at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, joins the podcast to discuss rising…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Advancing Rural Health Access and Innovation with Brendan Harris & Patti Jackson-Gehris
In this episode, Brendan Harris, President, UPMC for You and State Programs & Patti Jackson-Gehris, President, UPMC North Central and Williamsport markets…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Three Years of Virtual Blue and the Future of Virtual First Care at Blue Shield of California
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…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Expanding Consumer Choice and Innovation in ICHRA Models with Alan Silver
This episode recorded live at the Becker’s Spring 2026 Payer Issues Roundtable features Alan Silver, President, ICHRA, Ambetter Health Solutions, discussing…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Building Trust and AI Driven Member Engagement in Health Plans with Howard Weiss
This episode recorded live at the Becker’s Spring 2026 Payer Issues Roundtable features Howard Weiss, Vice President, Government Relations, EmblemHealth…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
HR1 Effects and How Organizations Can Prepare for Them
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…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
AI-Driven, Personalized Care for Chronic Conditions and How Payers Are Adapting Through Digital Health Innovation
In this episode, Dr. Lisa Shah, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Twin Health, discusses how AI-powered digital twin technology is…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
How Dementia Care is Reshaping Population Health Strategy
This episode recorded live at the Becker’s Spring 2026 Payer Issues Roundtable features Dirk Soenksen, Chief Executive Officer of Ceresti Health, discussing…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
How Independent Providers Can Turn Insight Into Action
This episode recorded live at the Becker’s Spring 2026 Payer Issues Roundtable features Megan Zakrewsky, VP of Product Strategy, Veradigm, Director of Clinical…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Rob Andrews, Chief Executive Officer of the Health Transformation Alliance
In this episode, Rob Andrews, Chief Executive Officer of the Health Transformation Alliance, joins the podcast to discuss the ongoing pressures and competition…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
ICHRA’s Rise and the Future of Employer Sponsored Benefits with Brandy Thompson
In this episode, Brandy Thompson, Chief Executive Officer, Benefitbay, discusses the rapid growth of ICHRA models and why large employers are increasingly…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Harlon Pickett, President of Eagle Care Health Solutions
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…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Rebuilding Trust and Letting Consumers Drive Healthcare with Joseph Leach
This episode recorded live at the Becker’s Spring 2026 Payer Issues Roundtable features Joseph Leach, Market President, Oscar Health. He discusses the growing…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Reducing Administrative Friction & Advancing AI Driven Care with Dr. Benjamin Kornitzer
This episode recorded live at the Becker’s Spring 2026 Payer Issues Roundtable features Dr. Benjamin Kornitzer, Chief Medical Officer, Aetna, discussing…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Driving Affordability and Simplicity in Payer Strategy with Christina Ott
This episode recorded live at the Becker’s Spring 2026 Payer Issues Roundtable features Christina Ott, Chief Strategy Officer, Quartz, discussing how her…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
The Evolving Role of Provider Data in Healthcare
This episode recorded live at the Becker’s Spring 2026 Payer Issues Roundtable features Robert Holzer, Strategy and Innovation Leader, Next Horizon…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Reframing GLP-1 Strategy Through Clinical Outcomes, Behavior Change, & True ROI
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…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Harnessing AI to Deliver Breakthrough Healthcare Value, Faster
In this episode, Sundar Srinivasan, President – Health Plan & Life Sciences, NTT DATA, discusses how payer organizations are moving from AI pilots to scaled…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Tackling Healthcare Affordability and Chronic Disease at Blue Shield of California with Mike Stuart
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…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Steve Yurjevich, Chief Executive Officer of Optum Insight’s Payer Market and a member of the American Heart Association Executive Leadership Team
In this episode, Steve Yurjevich, Chief Executive Officer of Optum Insight’s Payer Market and a member of the American Heart Association Executive Leadership…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Jeff Bak, President and Chief Executive Officer of Imagine360
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…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
How Health Plans Can Build Scalable High Performance Infrastructure to Support Growing Complexity & Enable AI
In this episode, Rob Duffy, Chief Technology Officer at HealthEdge, explores how modern cloud infrastructure and deeply integrated AI can help health plans…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Closing the Cancer Care Gap: How Integrated Screening and Treatment Support Improve Outcomes
In this episode, Alexandra Anderson, Head of Health Plan Sales & Partnerships at Color, explores how proactive, personalized screening and integrated care…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Pankhuri Sharma, Strategy and Operations Leader at Humana
In this episode, Pankhuri Sharma, Strategy and Operations Leader at Humana, joins the podcast to discuss gaps between population health strategy and real-world…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
How to Optimize Behavioral Health Benefit Expense Management with a Great Tag Team of Guests
In this episode, Charles Fan, President of Headspace, and Charlie Andres, Lead Actuary at Headspace, explore the drivers behind rising behavioral health costs…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Connected Intelligence: How AI Is Reshaping Group Health Insurance
In this episode, Marc Jeffreys, General Manager of Health at Gradient AI, discusses how insurers are moving from experimental AI to practical tools that…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Kevin Knight, Chief Marketing Officer at Sidecar Health
In this episode, Kevin Knight, Chief Marketing Officer at Sidecar Health, joins the podcast to discuss making healthcare more intuitive and consumer-friendly…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Moving Payment Integrity Upstream with Jhana Spence of CERIS
In this episode, Jhana Spence, Senior Vice President of Strategy at CERIS, discusses the shift toward proactive payment integrity and what it means to “move…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Medicaid Readiness and Building Trust Through Engagement
In this podcast, Steve Province, former CEO of a major MCO, joins Kendall Lockhart, Founder & CEO of Me+U Care, to unpack why “meeting people where they are”…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Inside PsychPlus: Scaling Behavioral Health Nationwide
In this episode, Dr. Faisal Tai, board-certified psychiatrist and founder of PsychPlus, discusses how fragmented systems, limited connectivity, and misaligned…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Why Domain-Specific AI Models Are Transforming Payment Integrity in Healthcare
In this episode, Gene German, Chief Technology Officer at Lyric, explores how small, domain-specific language models (SLMs) are driving measurable improvements…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Driving Value and Innovation in Health Plan Operations with Gretchen Wagner
In this episode, Gretchen Wagner, Associate Vice President - Risk Management, Humana, discusses how health plans are navigating cost pressures, workforce…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Dr. Sameer Amin on Sustaining Medicaid and Social Determinants of Health Investments
In this episode, Dr. Sameer Amin of L.A. Care Health Plan discusses how building durable community infrastructure, rather than short-term programs, supports…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Simplifying the Digital Health Landscape for Employers with Brian Cheney
In this episode, Brian Cheney, Division SVP of Sales Operations and Commercial Markets Growth at Health Care Service Corporation, discusses the launch of Unity…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
UnitedHealthcare Expands Doula Coverage to Improve Maternal Health Outcomes
In this episode, Rhonda Randall, DO, Chief Medical Officer for UnitedHealthcare’s employer and individual business, discusses the company’s expansion of doula…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Strengthening Payer Provider Collaboration to Improve Care and Efficiency with Dr. Daniel Elliott
In this episode, Daniel J. Elliott, MD, MSCE, FACP, FAAP, Chief Medical Officer of Provider Experience at Centene Corporation, discusses how payers and…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Advancing Value Based Care and the Future of Optum Health with Krista Nelson
In this episode, Krista Nelson, CEO of Optum Health, shares her vision for strengthening value based care through a more focused care delivery model, stronger…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Tackling Hypertension in Medicaid Through Community Partnerships with Dr. Kara Odom Walker
In this episode, Dr. Kara Odom Walker, Chief Medical Officer for Aetna Medicaid, discusses a new collaboration with National Association of Community Health…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Dawn Maroney, President of Alignment Health and CEO of Alignment Health Plan
In this episode, Dawn Maroney, President of Alignment Health and CEO of Alignment Health Plan, joins the podcast to discuss how payer–provider relationships…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Data Driven Leadership in Medicare Advantage with Jennifer L. Kowalski of Elevance Health
In this episode, Jennifer L. Kowalski, Vice President of the Public Policy Institute at Elevance Health, discusses how rigorous research and data shape…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Advancing Culturally Competent Medicare Advantage with Karen Walker Johnson of Clever Care Health Plan
In this episode, Karen Walker Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of Clever Care Health Plan, discusses how culturally competent, value based care is reshaping…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Rethinking Employer Health Plans for Affordability with Jeff Bak
In this episode, Jeff Bak, President and Chief Executive Officer of Imagine360, shares how alternative health plan models and reference based pricing can lower…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Payer Innovation, Venture Investment, and Managing Rising Care Costs with Emily Durfee
In this episode, Emily Durfee, Partner of Corporate Venture Capital at Healthworx, discusses strengthening payer provider collaboration, accelerating…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Strengthening Payer Provider Collaboration and Advancing Site Neutral Care with Saria Saccocio, MD, MHA,
In this episode, Saria Saccocio, MD, MHA, Chief Medical Officer of Essence Healthcare, discusses the growing collaboration between payers and providers, the…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Navigating Medicaid Redeterminations and Market Shifts with CalOptima Health Leadership with Michael Hunn & Yunkyung Kim
In this episode, Michael Hunn, CEO, and Yunkyung Kim, COO, of CalOptima Health discuss preparing for Medicaid eligibility changes, preventing coverage losses…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Navigating HR1 and Protecting Medi-Cal Coverage with Jennifer Schirmer
In this episode, Jennifer Schirmer, VP of Growth and Community Engagement and interim VP of Duals Program Integration at Blue Shield of California Promise…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Smarter, Faster, Fairer? The Next Evolution of Prior Authorization
In this episode, Elizabeth Crawley, Vice President for Clinical and Care Management Solutions at EXL, explores how AI driven workflows and agentic automation…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Payer Operations, Provider Partnerships and the Future of Health Plans with Sheri Johnson
In this episode, Sheri Johnson, former Vice President of Member Enrollment and Billing at UCare, shares insights on how payer and provider relationships are…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Building an AI Native Health Plan for Small Employers with Ty Wang, CEO of Angle Health
In this episode, Ty Wang, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Angle Health, shares how his team is rethinking health plan infrastructure to move beyond…
- Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast
Eric C. Hunter, President and CEO of CareOregon
In this episode, Eric C. Hunter, President and CEO of CareOregon, discusses how the organization is aligning with providers to improve quality and performance…