The Granite List Live

Hosted by The Granite List by Connect Healthcare Collaboration

Business

Website RSS feed

Episodes

100

Latest episode

Nov 2026

Language

About the show

In 1877, the Granite Workers’ Union was the first to offer sick benefits to its employees. They built a way for their community to rally around those who needed medical attention and support to get back on their feet. Today, The Granite List, powered by Connect Healthcare Collaboration, is working to instill that same sense of community by connecting benefits solutions that add real and lasting value to plan members.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

November 5, 2026Episode 16316 min

What Plan Sponsors Should Be Asking Their PBM

The pharmacy benefits landscape is changing rapidly. Rising specialty drug costs, GLP-1 utilization, new transparency regulations and increasing scrutiny of PBM business practices are forcing Plan Sponsors and benefit administrators to ask tougher questions than ever before. In this week's episode of The Granite List.Live, HarmonyRx Regional Sales Director Phil Bruns joins the show to discuss the questions every Plan Sponsor should be asking their PBM and why transparency, clinical oversight and accountability have become essential components of a successful pharmacy strategy.

October 22, 2026Episode 16217 min

A Bridge to an Improved Benefits Offering

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.

October 8, 2026Episode 16116 min

What Your Pharmacy Rebate Check Isn't Telling You

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.

September 24, 2026Episode 16016 min

What Claims Data Misses and What It's Costing Self-Funded Plans

When a catastrophic claim hits, most plans are already behind and so are the brokers, TPAs, captives and stop-loss carriers supporting them. This week, Jim Carlson, VP, Head of Business Development, Self-Funded, and Wian Stipp, Lead Machine Learning Research Engineer, of Evidium join The Granite List.Live to discuss what it takes to close the gap between budgeted and actual healthcare spend, as well as why claims, clinical, and pharmacy data so often exist in silos. Oncology, rare disease and chronic condition progression are among the conditions driving the most financial exposure, and earlier visibility into those cases can change outcomes for the plan, the member and every stakeholder responsible for managing that risk. This conversation will dive into what proactive management of complex members looks like, why claims analysis only tells you what already happened, and what stakeholders gain when they can see what is coming before it hits.

September 9, 2026Episode 15915 min

The Unboring of Benefits

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/

August 27, 2026Episode 15818 min

Financial Wellness That Works

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.

August 13, 2026Episode 15727 min

Food is Medicine: GLP-1s + Monj for Lasting Lifestyle Change

GLP-1 therapies can help patients lose weight and improve health outcomes. But without positive and sustainable lifestyle changes, like proper nutrition, healthy cooking habits and movement, patients risk: Plateauing or regaining weight Poor adherence to GLP1's and early discontinuation Unsustainably high healthcare costs for self insured employers and beyond This week Sally is joined by Adam DeVito, Founder of Monj, and Maggie Biscarr as they explore how coupling GLP-1 therapy with Monj’s practical, hands-on approach delivers the missing link. Monj has helped many people take charge and measurably improve their metabolic health along with emotional and psychological wellbeing, through food.

July 30, 2026Episode 15620 min

Pets As The New Dependents

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.

July 16, 2026Episode 15517 min

PBM Reform: Make Way for Transparency

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.

July 2, 2026Episode 15421 min

Building a Defensible Appeals Process

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.