In this special Friends with Benefits episode of The EOB Podcast, Justin and Julie sit down with Jessica Brooks Woods, healthcare leader, executive, and Founder of the newly launched Health Intelligence Network (HIN). This episode was filmed April 16, 2026.

Jessica has spent her career bringing together employers, policymakers, consultants, innovators, and healthcare leaders to tackle some of the industry's biggest challenges. In this conversation, she shares the personal experiences that shaped her mission, why collaboration is the key to meaningful healthcare transformation, and how AI may fundamentally change the way we solve healthcare's most complex problems.

The discussion covers:

🔹 The story behind launching Health Intelligence Network (HIN)

🔹 Why healthcare doesn't have an information problem—it has a cohesion problem

🔹 Trust as healthcare's biggest challenge

🔹 AI's role in the future of healthcare and benefits consulting

🔹 Why collaboration beats competition when solving healthcare problems

🔹 The power of employer coalitions and collective action

🔹 Healthcare innovation, transparency, and leadership

🔹 Building businesses that create impact while remaining profitable

One of the most memorable takeaways: "We're not lacking information. We're lacking cohesion." Whether you're an employer, benefits professional, consultant, healthcare executive, entrepreneur, or simply interested in the future of healthcare, this episode offers a refreshing perspective on leadership, innovation, and creating meaningful change.

🎙️ Subscribe to The EOB Podcast for conversations that pull back the curtain on healthcare benefits, costs, transparency, and the future of healthcare.

This episode was filmed on March 19, 2026.

The healthcare benefits industry is changing faster than it has in years...

In this episode of The EOB Podcast, Justin and Julie break down the growing pressure facing Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), including the FTC settlement involving Express Scripts, new Department of Labor transparency proposals, the impact of CAA 2026, and emerging fiduciary litigation that could reshape the healthcare benefits landscape.

Topics include:

• FTC action against PBMs and what it means for employers

• Spread pricing, rebate retention, and hidden compensation

• The proposed DOL PBM transparency rule

• Why fiduciary responsibility is becoming impossible to ignore

• Direct contracting and the future of employer-sponsored healthcare

• The role of transparency in reducing healthcare costs

• What employers should be doing right now to protect their plans

Justin and Julie also discuss why healthcare affordability has become a bipartisan issue, how employers can gain leverage during contract negotiations, and why simply accepting the status quo is no longer a viable strategy.

If you're an employer, HR leader, CFO, advisor, benefits professional, or healthcare industry stakeholder, this episode is packed with practical insights on where the market is heading next.

Because one thing is becoming increasingly clear:

The healthcare industry is changing, and employers need to be ready.

This episode got a little… theatrical. 🎭

In the first-ever LIVE episode of The EOB Podcast, Justin and Julie are joined by Shawn Gremminger, President & CEO of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions, for a deep dive into one of the biggest issues in healthcare today:

👉 Why employers still struggle to access their own data 👉 How PBMs and carriers use opaque contracts 👉 And why healthcare pricing still feels intentionally confusing

Through a mix of live skits, audience interaction, sarcasm, and real policy discussion, the episode breaks down:

• Shared savings programs • Contract transparency • PBM reform and data access • Employer fiduciary responsibility • Hospital pricing and pharmacy spend • ERISA preemption • Why employers are finally pushing back

Shawn shares insights from working with employer coalitions representing more than 90 million Americans and explains why this moment feels different than years past.

One major takeaway:

👉 Employers are no longer willing to blindly trust the system.

And yes… there’s also a fake Kohl’s rebate program skit.