Alliance Blog

A mid-year note to our members and community supporters

At a Glance

• Convened members around the issues that matter: a 100+ member event on pharmacy benefits, a full day on health care costs, and a webinar on AI in coronary care.
• Delivered new tools and evidence: our first-ever CKD dashboard, first-ever ERG case study on menopause support, and the 2026 Community Checkup showing costs up 8% year over year.
• Advanced the work behind the scenes: committees and affinity groups met a combined 8 times on low-value care, purchaser pressures, and more.
• Coming up: our first members-only event in years (September, centered on AI) and a year-end session on employer health strategy for 2027.
• Stay engaged: join us in September, subscribe to the newsletter, or reach out about joining a committee.

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At the midpoint of 2026, we want to pause and do something the pace of this work rarely allows: look back at what our members accomplished, look ahead, and say thank you. One urgent question has run through the year: what levers can we pull to ensure high-value care doesn’t come at the cost of employees and their dependents? That question spans everything from pharmacy spend to employee wellness. The progress below happened because members showed up, shared openly, and worked hard side by side.

What We’ve Accomplished Together

The conversations, tools, and shared work our members made possible defined the first half of 2026.

Bringing members together around what matters most. More than 100 members joined us for a half-day event on pharmacy benefits, where two employer members shared hands-on experience negotiating with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) for significant savings, the kind of candid, practical insight few forums offer. We drew another large audience of health care leaders and employers to a full day on health care costs, covering the future of health care data, how to bend the cost curve through a culture of health, and where AI fits in. And our webinar on AI advances in coronary care gave members an early look at how the technology is reshaping cardiac treatment.

Putting new tools and evidence in members’ hands. WHA released its first-ever claims-based chronic kidney disease (CKD) dashboard, making a clear case for action and guiding our learning collaborative’s work on earlier screening and treatment of this common and serious disease. We shared our first-ever employee resource group case study, showing how open dialogue on perimenopause and menopause helps employees feel more supported. And our 2026 Community Checkup put a sharp focus on the rising costs purchasers face: up 8% year over year.

Advancing the work behind the scenes. Alongside the CKD learning collaborative, a multistakeholder group has been working toward a cost-plus model of hospital pricing that balances not just efficiencies but real financial pressures some of our state’s hospitals face. Our Quality Improvement Committee and Health Economics Committee, several dozen health care leaders in all, met a combined six times to identify low-value and unnecessary care. And our Purchaser Affinity Group, more than two dozen employers and purchasers strong, met twice to dig into the pressures they face now.

Every one of these efforts reflects the same commitment: members showing up, sharing openly, and doing the hard work together.

What’s Ahead in the Second Half

Two efforts stand out for the rest of the year.

For the first time in many years, we’re hosting a members-only event, centered on AI in health care and a chance to celebrate what our members have accomplished this year.

We’re also working to bring members one last learning opportunity before year’s end, on employer health strategy heading into 2027. Employee health is more than a line in the budget. It’s essential, and it deserves that attention as members plan.

We’ll share dates and registration as each takes shape, and we’ll keep leaning on member input to guide the work.

How to Stay Engaged

There are more ways than ever to be part of what’s next:

• Members, join us in September. Save your spot at our members-only event.
• Keep the newsletter close and share it. Sign up here and pass it along to others who care about the value of care.
• Join a committee or share your thoughts. Set up a call with our Director of Member Engagement, Nick Jackal, at njackal@wahealthalliance.org.
• Bring someone to the table. Our impact grows when more perspectives and expertise are part of the conversation. If there’s an organization or partner you’d like to see engaged in improving the value of care in Washington, please reach out. Together, we can go farther and move faster.