Event Details

Future-Proofing Employee Benefits: What HR Leaders Need to Know

Interactive presentation will cover:

• 2025–2026 healthcare and benefits cost trends 
• Core drivers of rising costs: hospital consolidation, specialty drugs (GLP-1s, gene/cell therapies), chronic conditions, and behavioral health
• What employers are doing to take back control: pharmacy strategies, direct contracting, captives/stop-loss innovation, and integrated solutions
• Practical takeaways for HR leaders: 2–3 actionable ideas to both manage costs and better support employees

Register Today

HR Professionals and/or Active SHRM Members - $35
Click here to purchast tickets: https://buy.stripe.com/3cIbJ24um1R17bm5mL73G09

Non-HR Professionals / Vendors – $60
Click here to purchase tickets: https://buy.stripe.com/00wbJ22meeDNdzK3eD73G0a

More info on Presenters:

• Pat Kain, Managing Partner, Birch Benefits (co-founder, employee benefits consultant)

Patrick Kain is a Founding Partner of Birch Benefits, a Philadelphia-based employee benefits firm that strives to bring a breath of fresh air to employee benefit program strategy, design, and management.

Patrick started his career in the employee benefits industry his freshman year at Villanova University, making cold calls in his free time when he wasn’t competing as an All-American and international water polo athlete. After graduating from Villanova, he joined Philadelphia-based firm Trion (now Marsh McLennan Agency) and quickly became their top-performing producer. After 16 years of helping to grow Trion into the country’s largest privately held employee benefits brokerage, Patrick saw an opportunity to bring a fresh face and new leadership to a market of traditional consultants and brokerages.

In 2018, Patrick set out to create an employee benefits firm that coupled a culture of genuine client-first service with mature technical capabilities to provide a differentiated client experience. Today, Birch Benefits is one of the fastest organically-growing firms in the Philadelphia region.  When he isn’t spending time with his four kids, and two dogs, Patrick is giving back to the Greater Philadelphia community, volunteering locally, coaching his favorite sport, and serving on several boards.

• Kevin O’Donnell, Head of Strategy, Valenz Health

Kevin is Executive Vice President of Solution Strategy & Expansion at Vālenz® Health. In this role, he leads the expansion and integration of the Valenz Health platform for brokers, providers, and payers, leveraging more than a decade of expertise in operations, change management, payment integrity, and claims quality.

Since joining Valenz in 2022, Kevin has served on the senior leadership team and held roles as Senior Vice President of Product & Marketing and Vice President of Enterprise Solutions. He has been instrumental in broadening the reach of the Valenz integrated suite of solutions for the self-insurance industry, driving product innovation, operational enhancements, and marketing initiatives that increase visibility and growth.

Earlier in his career, Kevin held senior positions with Evolent Health and Navigant, where he focused on advisory services, project management, and operational improvement for healthcare organizations.

Based in Newark, Delaware, Kevin earned his Master of Public Administration with an emphasis in health and human services from the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management.