Health Insurance 4.0

2025 Conference Archive Page

Health Insurance 4.o | Michigan Employers Summit

This event was held Tuesday, September 9, 2025 at SILVA in Grand Rapids, MI

After the success of our 2024 event, we’re excited to continue these conversations at Health Insurance 4.0 – a half-day event for Michigan employers to learn, share and celebrate the spirit of reinvention for this critical employee benefit.

Our 2025 Venue – SILVA

Reinventing Health Insurance

Embracing Data, Innovation, and Transparency

After a century of experimenting with employer-sponsored healthcare, employers are ready for a new era marked by data-driven decisions, customized funding models and transparency.

Hosted at SILVA in Grand Rapids, the event will feature seminars, a panel Q&A, and networking among colleagues, HR professionals, and thought leaders from throughout West Michigan. Topics of discussion will include direct networks, stop-loss coverage, HSAs, and more.

The event will also unveil the 2025 MI Employers Insurance Report, highlighting current trends in health plan costs, design, and coverage throughout the state of Michigan.

Praise for Last Year’s Summit

Industry Presenters & Panelists

Mike Hill

Mike Hill

Founder, CEO of Total Control Health Plans

Mike has been advising employers on health care cost reduction strategies for two decades.  An expert in self-funded medical plans, Mike has helped employers implement varied solutions focused on reducing the cost of health care, such as direct contracting, direct primary care, and others.

Total Control Health Plans is a  strategic partner and benefits agency that helps clients to rebuild a self-insured healthcare plan that empowers employees, champions health and reduces cost like never before possible.

Rebekah Gregg

Rebekah Gregg

COO, Pharmaceutical Strategies Group (PSG)

As COO of the industry’s leading pharmacy-focused benefits consulting firm, Rebekah leads cross-functional teams spanning marketing, product, engineering, clinical strategy, and analytics. Her expertise spans the pharmaceutical supply chain, including benefits, 340B, and healthcare technology, with a focus on aligning data-driven insights with scalable solutions. She is a frequent contributor to industry research and has overseen the publication of multiple high-impact studies that shape payer and employer strategies in pharmacy benefits. 

Perrin Rynders

Perrin Rynders

Partner, Varnum LLP

Perrin is an accomplished first-chair trial lawyer and leader of the Litigation and Trial Practice team at Varnum. His legal expertise revolves around high-value claims and disputes that often reach multimillion-dollar magnitudes. 

Over the past ten years, Perrin has been recognized numerous times for his work in some of the state’s highest profile litigation matters, including complex commercial and environmental litigation. He led the Varnum team that, since 2011, has successfully represented more than 200 companies against Michigan’s largest health care claims administrator in ERISA litigation involving hidden fees. The first such trial resulted in a $6 million judgment that was unanimously affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Alex Roehling, CPA

Alex Roehling, CPA

Vice President of Finance and CFO, Holland Hospital

Alex is a seasoned healthcare executive with 15 years of industry experience. For the past five years, he has served as the Chief Financial Officer of Holland Hospital, one of the few remaining independent community hospitals in Michigan. In this role, Alex leads financial strategy, pharmacy operations, and community partnerships.

Alex is passionate about collaborating with local employers and healthcare partners to design innovative models that drive down costs and improve the health of the community.

Travis Souza

Travis Souza

Associate CSO, Michigan Medicine

Travis serves as Special Advisor to the EVPMA and CEO, Michigan Medicine, as well as Michigan Medicine’s Associate Chief Strategy Officer. In his role as Special Advisor, Travis provides comprehensive support in the management and execution of the EVPMA/CEO initiatives and priorities. He also facilitates communication and collaboration across Michigan Medicine and the University of Michigan campus, as well as with external organizations and the public.

In his role as Associate Chief Strategy Officer, he supports many of Michigan Medicine’s strategic initiatives, with an emphasis on supporting strategic growth through partnerships and affiliations. He also provides strategy leadership for the University of Michigan Health Regional Network, which includes a high-quality network of clinical operations and team members across mid- and west Michigan.

David Blackmon

David Blackmon

Manager of Employer Health Solutions, Trinity Health

David Blackmon is a seasoned healthcare administration executive with more than 20 years of experience across hospitals, health plans, third-party administrators, and Direct to Employer programs. At Trinity Health of Michigan, David Blackmon plays a central role in advancing Direct to Employer initiatives and fostering strategic partnerships. His work integrates population health management, data analytics, and strategic planning to deliver tailored solutions for employer clients. David has directed statewide efforts to expand provider access and strengthen contracting strategies. A passionate advocate for employer-driven innovation, he is committed to reshaping healthcare through collaborative, forward-thinking solutions.

Tom Goldhardt

Tom Goldhardt

Head of Enterprise Sales, Garner Health

Tom is a seasoned leader with over a decade of experience in the employee benefits space, helping employers navigate the evolving landscape of healthcare cost containment. He currently serves as Head of Enterprise Sales at Garner Health, where he leads the national sales team focused on employers with 5,000 or more employees, partnering with brokers and benefits leaders to deliver a data-driven solution that rewards employees for choosing high-quality care.

Prior to Garner, Tom was a key leader at Sword Health, where he propelled the company’s growth, scaling it to a $4B valuation while overseeing employer sales, strategic alliances, and partnerships. He also led the broker sales team at Artemis Health, helping benefits consultants leverage data to drive smarter decisions.

Featured Presenter

New York Times Bestselling Author of “No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson”

Gardiner Harris

Gardiner Harris

Gardiner Harris is a San Diego writer who spent more than three decades as a daily journalist.

Harris became a pharmaceutical reporter at The Wall Street Journal, where his investigation of Bristol-Myers Squibb led to criminal charges against three top executives and the dismissal of its chief executive. He became the public health reporter for The New York Times, where his investigations led to the withdrawals of a multi-billion-dollar diabetes medicine and dozens of popular pediatric cough-and-cold drugs.

He left daily journalism in 2019 to write “No More Tears.” Harris collected numerous awards for his journalism, including a George Polk Award, and he was part of teams that won a Pulitzer Prize and was a Pulitzer finalist.

All Health Insurance 4.0 2025 attendees will receive a copy of “No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson” at the event.

As Featured On

Event Sponsors

Agenda

 

9:30a Arrival
Check-in & Networking
9:50a Welcome
Introductions and Remarks, Mike Hill, Total Control Health Plans
10:00a Is the Future Now? The Nomi Health Model
Alex Roehling, CFO of Holland Hospital

Travis Souza, Associate Chief Strategy Officer of Michigan Medicine
David Blackmon, Manager of Employer Health Solutions at Trinity Health
10:45a Machine Learning around Physician Quality and Recommendations
Tom Goldhardt, Garner Health
11:05a Break / Coffee
11:15a No More Tears
Gardiner Harris, New York Times Bestselling Author of “No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson”
12:00p Discussion & Networking Over Lunch
Lunch provided by SILVA
12:45p Survey Results
Highlighting the findings of the 2025 MI Employer’s Health Insurance Report.
1:05p Prescription Rebates from Medical Claims. Wait, What?
Rebekah Gregg, COO of Pharmaceuticals Strategies Group
1:40p Is My TPA a Plan Fiduciary? Lessons Learned From Tiara vs. Plan Administrator
Perrin Rynders, Partner at Varnum LLP
 2:00p

Employer Panel Discussion – What’s Working? Lessons Learned From the Front Lines
Kim Miller, VP of Human Resources at Big Dutchman
Jessica VandenBosch, HR Lead at Dykhuis Farms
Jayne Macomber, CFO of Outdoor Discovery Center

 2:30p Seminar Conclusion
 2:45p Bocce & Happy Hour
 4:00p Event Close

 

Why Health Insurance 4.0?

Since employers began providing health benefits to employees, the industry has gone through several periods of reinvention, each bringing about major benefits (and some unforeseen side effects) for employees. However, since the passage of the American Care Act, the industry has begun to accelerate in complexity with a financial burden that’s unsustainable for plan participants and employers alike.

Big healthcare is big business and like any business, it is looking to maximize margin within the constraints of the current system. However, without any real competition, these businesses are succeeding while employers and patients struggle to afford the cost.

 

The Evolution of Health Insurance

1.0 Ford Motor Company Sets the Precedent for Medical Coverage Among Major Employers

Henry Ford founded Henry Ford Health in 1915, advocating that a healthy workforce is paramount to his company’s success. Ford Motor Company was the first major employer to offer medical coverage, setting a significant precedent by providing quality care and promoting employee well-being for other companies to follow.
1.0 Ford Motor Company Sets the Precedent for Medical Coverage Among Major Employers

2.0 The Rise of the Common Deductible, All Things Covered Plan

As wage controls came into effect during World War II, the War Labor Board declared employer-paid health benefits exempt, driving demand for group insurance. Employers could now deduct their contributions toward employee health insurance as a business expense. This arrangement benefited both parties, as employees did not have to pay taxes on the value of their health insurance coverage.
By 1960, over 68 percent of the U.S. population was estimated to have a form of private health insurance. Insurance companies transitioned from community rating to experience rating to determine premiums for groups of people more or less likely to incur claims.
2.0 The Rise of the Common Deductible, All Things Covered Plan

3.0 Health Insurance After the Affordable Care Act

In 2010, the US passed a historic reform to ensure all individuals would have health insurance by 2014. In 2016, the individual mandate section of the ACA was eliminated, removing monetary penalties for large businesses that do not provide health insurance. Passage of the ACA in 2010 increased the complexity of our health insurance system significantly, exaggerating some misaligned incentives that have increased profits for major carriers / PBMs while passing unsustainable increases along to employers and employee rate payers.
3.0 Health Insurance After the Affordable Care Act

4.0 Data Driven Decision Making

There are more tools than ever before to help employers break free from the constraints of large insurance carriers - unlocking cost savings for employers and their team members. Solutions like direct contracting, stoploss insurance, captives, and alternative Rx strategies, employers across the country are using data to take control of their health insurance plans while providing great coverage for their employees.
4.0 Data Driven Decision Making

Event Summary (past event)

What: Health Insurance 4.0, a Summit for Michigan Employers

When: Tuesday, September 9, 2025 | 9:30a – 4:00p

Where: SILVA
975 Ottawa Ave NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Who’s Invited: Michigan and Midwest Employers

Start a Conversation

Let’s have a conversation on our dime to see if a Total Control Health Plan will meet your business or organization’s goals.

Contact us to schedule a free consultation today.