BHC actively monitors and testifies on bills that could potentially impact employer-sponsored benefits. We are dedicated to advocating on behalf of our employer members to lower health care costs while ensuring quality and access for members. In this episode, we discuss current policy topics at the state and federal levels that have the potential to impact employer sponsored benefits. To provide insight on this topic, we are joined by two experts in the policy space, Shawn Gremminger, President and CEO of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions, and Mark Dalton, Political Director for the Carpenters Union of Missouri.

In this episode we are joined by Dr. Bob Chestnut, who serves as the Chief Medical Executive Director at Cummins Inc. Dr. Chestnut leads the clinical operations strategy for over 70,000 employees in more than 190 countries and oversees the delivery of occupational health, primary care, and telemedicine. Through his work, Dr. Chestnut drives improved health care experiences for thousands of Cummins employees by prioritizing patient-centered and advanced primary care in Cummins worksite clinics.

In this episode, we discuss chronic kidney disease, or CKD, the impact that CKD has on the American workforce, and how employers are uniquely positioned to help prevent late-stage CKD by increasing employee awareness and education and encouraging their employees to seek appropriate care for early identification. CKD occurs when the kidneys have been damaged over time, impairing their important functions in our bodies, such as removing waste and regulating blood pressure. More than 1 in 7 adults in the U.S. are estimated to have CKD and about 9 in 10 people that have CKD but do not know they have it. Kidney disease can significantly affect quality of life, lead to other serious comorbidities, and can be incredibly costly to treat, making it an important issue for employers to tackle.
To provide insight on this topic, we are joined by Elizabeth Montgomery, the National Vice President of Clinical Practice Innovation and Population Health Programs with the National Kidney Foundation.

In this episode, we are excited to recap our recent Annual Meeting, where nearly 300 healthcare and benefits leaders from across the nation came together to discuss how employers can drive meaningful change in health care. The energy in the room was palpable, and we left feeling truly inspired by the potential employers have to reshape the healthcare landscape for the better.

Joining us in this episode are two distinguished members of the BHC Board of Directors: Alison Casler, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Drury Hotels Company, and Misi Holmberg, Director of Benefits at Panera, to share their takeaways from the meeting.

In this episode, we have a compelling discussion focusing on weight management and medications. GLP-1s, are a class of medications generating a lot of buzz for their efficacy in weight loss and cardiometabolic outcomes. Through this conversation, we will explore the findings, eligibility criteria, supply challenges, cost management implications, and more. We'll also discuss the impact of GLP-1s on employers and strategies they can adopt to navigate this evolving healthcare landscape.

To provide insight on this topic, we are thrilled to be joined by Dr. Halperin, who is the Chief Medical Officer with Form Health.

In this episode, we have the pleasure of sitting down with Dr. Marty Makary. Dr. Makary is a practicing surgeon at Johns Hopkins University and a New York Times bestselling author. Known for a couple of his key publications such as Unaccountable and The Price We Pay, Dr. Makary is here to tell us about his new book release: Blind Spots: When Health Care Gets It Wrong, and What It Means for Our Health, and some key takeaways for employers focused on improving the health of their employees and navigating the “blind spots” in health care.

In this episode, we sit down with the new President and CEO of the St. Louis Area Business Health Coalition, Laurel Pickering. Laurel comes to the BHC with over 20 years of coalition experience and more recently worked for Centivo, focusing her efforts on health care and technology innovation to improve health outcomes and affordability. Laurel started with the BHC in early June and has already begun to make her mark by engaging with our members and laying the groundwork for exciting new initiatives.

Listen in to learn more about her vision for the future of the BHC, her plans to build on the strong foundation we've established, and how she intends to continue serving our member companies with innovative and effective health and wellness strategies.

Diabetes is a growing concern globally, with millions affected by its impact on health and quality of life. Employers play a pivotal role in promoting employee wellness and mitigating the risks associated with chronic conditions like diabetes. The National DPP lifestyle change program offers a structured, evidence-based approach to preventing type 2 diabetes through lifestyle changes.
In this episode, we are joined by Sara Hanlon, worksite health consultant with the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, or NACDD, to speak with us about the National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP) lifestyle change program and opportunities for employers to learn more about how they can offer this as a covered benefit for their employees.