The Granite List Live

This week on The Granite List. Live, Sally is joined by John Slater, founder and president of EBS, Inc. As more and more plans turn to self-funding, John discusses how the EBS Bridge program empowers small and mid-sized employers with the ability to provide a competitive benefits offering - without the complexity and cost typically associated with self-funding. Working with employers across the country, EBS's innovative approach provides clients with a stronger benefits package, more control over renewal increases, and improved positioning to compete for talent. 

Most employers know their pharmacy spend is rising, but they're working from an incomplete picture, preventing them from knowing why exactly.

On this week's episode of The Granite List.Live, Michelle Kamprath, Head of Clinical and Analytic Strategy at Expion Health, joins the show to break down how formulary decisions, rebate structures, and the channels that fall outside standard PBM reporting are driving costs that most plans can't yet see or act on.

A great benefits offering not only provides members with the solutions and support they need to lead healthy, fulfilling lives, but it also must be easily accessible to members so that they can easily use them in a time of need. 

This week, Jill Freeman, benefits leader and author, joins Sally on The Granite List.Live to dive into the crucial role that effective benefits communication plays in member utilization and ultimately member wellness. After years of experience on the employer-side of benefits, Jill witnessed first-hand the disconnect between benefits offerings and utilization. Identifying effective benefits communication as the missing, critical piece to make benefits understandable and accessible, Jill outlines the need for a consumer-like experience in benefits.

Order your copy of The Unboring of Benefits: A Blueprint for Real Life Benefits Communication: https://books.manuscripts.com/product/the-unboring-of-benefits-build-a-communication-blueprint/

Interested in taking part in a Benefits Communication boot camp? Connect with Jill on LinkedIn to learn more: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-freeman-b96b446/

In this episode of The Granite List Live, David Stedman, CEO of BrightDime, joins host Sally Pace to explore the growing importance of financial wellness in today's workforce. As inflation, debt, and financial stress continue to impact employees across industries, employers are searching for solutions that create meaningful outcomes rather than simply checking a benefits box. 

David shares how BrightDime helps employees navigate financial challenges through personalized coaching, practical financial tools, and technology that enhances, rather than replaces, the human experience. With their high-touch approach, David outlines the measurable impact BrightDime can have on engagement, retention, and overall well-being.

This week Aaron Oaks, CEO of United Pet Care, joins Sally on The Granite.List Live to discuss the shifting view and expectations around pets and their care. Pets are quickly becoming the new dependents in the workplace, yet most employee benefits still overlook this key part of modern families. As expectations shift and competition for talent intensifies, benefits leaders face growing pressure to support employees and their pets—all without adding administrative burden or complexity. 

This week, Steven T. Boyd, Liviniti's EVP Business Development, joins Sally as they dive into one of the most significant shifts in pharmacy benefit management in decades, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026 (CAA 2026). With new requirements around rebate pass-through, PBM compensation, fiduciary accountability and reporting, CAA 2026 is causing opaque, decades-old PBM business practices to shift to the kind of transparency that the forward-thinking PBM, Liviniti, has long offered. 

With the intensification of fiduciary scrutiny across the employee benefits landscape, self-funded employers are facing a new reality: the appeals process is no longer just an administrative function; it's a critical component of fiduciary responsibility. 

This week, Sally is joined by Jennifer McCormick, Vice President, Consulting, and Ron Peck, Chief Legal Officer, of The Phia Group as they dive into the evolving legal and compliance challenges facing self-funded health plans. In an increasingly complex regulatory environment, they provide employers, brokers, TPAs, and advisors with the insight needed to confidently prepare and navigate their plans.