ENGAGE 2026: Bold action and real-life impact

Healthcare transforms when passionate leaders come together to share ideas, challenge the status quo, and focus on the human beings at the center of it all. ENGAGE 2026 deepened our connections, reinforced our strategic direction, and celebrated the life-changing impact our partners and teams deliver every day.

The bold action of HR and benefits leaders brings our mission to life. Together, we rolled up our sleeves to find practical strategies to engage more members, improve outcomes, avoid unnecessary care, use emerging technologies responsibly, and apply analytics to advance our impact.

If you missed the event or want to relive the highlights, here is a look at our time together. We gathered to cultivate a community that transcends the transactional and to cement our shared vision for the future of care.

Day 1: A call for bold healthcare impact

We kicked off the event with an energetic deep dive from Jeff Wells, MD. He shared his 17-year history as a provider, systems innovator, and founder dedicated to bringing primary care to people across the country. He reminded us that benefit champions make this care possible for their employee communities.

Jeff outlined his vision for bold healthcare impact. He challenged us to double down on our efforts and commitment over the next two decades:

"The majority of those outside of this room don't have access to easy care with a trusted provider, with a team that really knows you, that really listens, that makes you feel seen and heard, that cares, that's accountable and focused on value... There's just far too many people that don't have anything that approximates that. And so it's not enough for us to pat ourselves on the back for what we've done coming to this point. Candidly, this is a bit of a call to action... We’ve got to double down to drive better outcomes and socialize that with your peers in your communities, on policy platforms, with lobbying organizations and advocacy groups."

Following his keynote, we listened to a moving patient-provider-client panel. A special guest of honor—a patient who shared her personal journey to health with a Marathon provider as her guide—reminded us exactly why we do this work.

We capped off the night with dinner and some surprising guests, including a very friendly, well-mannered wolf. It was an unforgettable start to our time together.

Day 2: Reconciling the healthcare paradox

Day 2 was packed with insight and delight. The morning session opened with Dr. Nirav Vakharia, COO, alongside two clinical experts, followed by Allison Velez, CPO, and three diverse client panelists. Each speaker brought knowledge, engagement, and surprising humor to the stage.

Dr. Vakharia set up the day by exploring a central paradox: reconciling "what’s old is new" (trusted 1:1 care) with "what’s new is new" (emerging technologies like AI). He explained his view of co-designing the future of healthcare:

"Our vision, which we hope we share with you, is that the future of healthcare is actually a paradox. It's about taking all of those new things, but also recognizing what's new is new, but what's old is new again. Yes, we can map the genome... But none of those things matter as a society if we don't hold the center. And that center is one room. Where you can shut out the world. Two chairs. A therapeutic touch. And a trusting relationship that can carry the fear."

Building trust and finding solutions

After the morning sessions, we headed into highly competitive Olympic trust-building activities led by Jonathan Strychasz, PT, Cert MDT, Cert DN, NBC-HWC. We pushed past the altitude elevation and bonded as a team before heading to our afternoon solution breakout sessions.

These small group sessions focused on plan design, cancer, mental health, and chronic conditions. They allowed for intimate conversations, topical Q&A, and practical problem-solving.

An evening of celebration

The evening brought a top-secret encore performance by the Colorado Springs Philharmonic Orchestra. The incredibly talented musicians performed notable operatic hits and Broadway favorites from Hamilton, Rent, and Wicked, even offering a birthday serenade to a few VIPs in the room.

Following dinner, we held an inspiring awards ceremony to honor the rockstar clients and teammates who enable care. Then, we put on our dancing boots for live music, hat making, and lassoing.

Day 3: Where the moral and financial cases intersect

We closed out the week with an early shuttle bus ride up the mountain on a beautiful, sunny day. We arrived at the lodge in the clouds and welcomed our final presenters.

Client partner and provider Marcie Kessel joined moderator Katie Meister Vicars on stage with a client leader and member patient. They shared another moving account of how this work affects individual lives, not just organizational bottom lines. As our CMO Elizabeth DeMatteis later noted, this is the exact point where the moral case intersects with the financial case.

Next, Lydia Ramsey Pflanzer joined Becca Schusler from Atlantic Packaging and Christan Royer from Indiana University, to discuss meeting changing employee needs over time. They explored how to align advanced primary care with company culture and navigate the compliance rules around coverage and copay design.

A powerful fireside chat 

To close our time together, Elizabeth DeMatteis welcomed our keynote speaker, Dr. Lucy Kalanithi, for a profound fireside chat. Inspired by her late husband's book, When Breath Becomes Air, Dr. Kalanithi shared how she has processed grief and how she helps her patients face the realities of life, love, and loss.

We discussed how benefit leaders can support employee families through difficult times. Whether through bereavement support, managing administrative paperwork, or simply witnessing their struggles: benefit leaders can be healthcare heroes when they are needed most. Dr. Kalanithi ended the event by sharing a beautiful, resonant poem with the audience.

Thank you for an unforgettable event 

We want to extend a massive thank you to everyone who traveled from near and far to join us at ENGAGE 2026. Your insights, your passion, and your dedication to bold healthcare action made this event truly special. We leave this year's event energized and ready to tackle the challenges ahead.

If you weren't able to join us this year, do not worry. We already have a seat saved for you at next year's event. We cannot wait to see you at ENGAGE 2027!