Feb. 4, 2026 | 8 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
200 8th Ave. North, Seattle 

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It’s time to solve PBM challenges. Develop actionable strategies that improve value and right-size spend.

Learn from panelists who will take you through how they overcame challenges and found success in the RFP and contracting process.

Drug costs are one of the fastest-growing drivers of employer health spending. Specialty therapies, opaque rebates and spread pricing, misaligned incentives between PBMs and plan sponsors, and incomplete data make it hard to spot waste or steer toward better value. This pressure hits budgets and the people who depend on benefits.

Join the Washington Health Alliance and employers, consultants, brokers, and more for this half-day forum that focuses on what employers can do now to manage that pressure. Expect practical levers and real examples rather than theory.

Why you should register:

  • Hear concise, practical approaches to flip the script on the PBM relationship that you can use immediately.
  • Engage directly with Washington’s leading purchasers and decision-makers. The room will be small enough (60+ expected) for real conversations.
  • Leave with actionable strategies and next steps to improve value, lower pharmacy spend, and make PBMs more accountable.


The Morning’s Agenda and Who You’ll Hear From: 

Hear from WHA’s Executive Director Denise Giambalvo, who has spent more than a decade working with employers and health plan sponsors on pharmacy benefits.

Rachel Means, the founder and CEO of Sage TPA, the third-party administrator behind Mark Cuban’s employee benefits, will join us as the keynote speaker. Means has unmatched experience negotiating contracts drive real savings for employers. A strong TPA can help bring an employer’s needs and culture forward to ensure the best pharmacy benefit program that puts the patient first without outsized costs.

Learn more about Sage TPA.

This session will explore how an employer’s aligned values-first approach to the RFP led to the Big 3 opting out of participating. Learn about what led them to take this approach, the integral role their independent consultant played, and the savings forecasted based on contract terms with their new Medication Benefit Manager (MBM) partner Ventegra, a community organization that leads with integrity and transparency.

Panel includes:

  • Michele Ritala, Benefits Strategist, King County
  • Tim Thomas, Owner, Crystal Clear Rx
  • Robert T. Taketomo, Pharm. D, MBA, President & CEO, Ventregra Foundation

 

 

There will be a short break to network with your peers and colleagues across the benefits industry.

Learn how an employer’s new understanding of the PBM industry prompted them to pursue an RFP to identify a partner that would remove misaligned incentives from their contract. Hear from their consultant how they tightly managed the process to include a large, mid-sized, and small PBM as finalists. Meet the PBM partner, AffirmedRx, a community organization, and learn how their values are reflected in their business practices.

Panel includes:

  • Sandra Spellmeyer, Total Rewards Manager, Port of Seattle
  • Ashley Vander Linde, Head of Sales, AffirmedRx
  • Kelvin Richards, Pharm. D, MBA, Vice President of Pharmacy Services, Aon

 

This closing session will synthesize the day’s discussions and tackle what hasn’t yet been addressed.

Confirmed panelists include: 

  • Michael Lee, Pharm. D, Clinical Account Executive, US-Rx Care
  • Mark Lyons, Principal, Business Development, Amazon Pharmacy
  • Alysha Fluno, Pharm. D, MBA, Partner, National Pharmacy Practice Leader, Mercer
  • Shawn Gremminger, President & CEO, National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions

Denise Giambalvo will wrap up the events with a look toward how WHA’s membership can build on what was shared to drive transparency and accountability in pharmacy benefits.

Thank you to our sponsors: 

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