Mark Francis

expert panel

As healthcare costs rise faster than reimbursement rates, insurers like UnitedHealth and Molina are grappling with shrinking margins—and the ripple effects are being felt across the care continuum. From rising drug prices and expensive therapies to increased patient utilization and workforce shortages, these challenges are straining traditional payer-provider dynamics and threatening the affordability and accessibility of care. Recent financial disclosures illustrate the urgency of transformation. UnitedHealth, for instance, cut its profit outlook amid unexpectedly high medical claims costs, triggering sharp stock declines and signaling that traditional models may no longer suffice. As margins compress, the imperative to rethink payer-provider relationships has never been stronger. To understand how healthcare leaders can preserve access and affordability in this evolving landscape, we turned to members of the Senior Executive Healthcare Think Tank —a curated group of experts in patient experience, policy, digital health, equity and workforce transformation. Their insights reveal not only how payer-provider relationships are changing, but also what strategies healthcare organizations must adopt now to ensure care delivery remains equitable, efficient and financially sustainable.