Business & Government Forum - Rising Healthcare Costs for Employers

Healthcare costs continue to rank among the most significant balance-sheet pressures facing modern businesses. Join the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce for our upcoming Business & Government Forum, where top health policy and pharmaceutical leaders will unpack the complex forces driving healthcare expenditures, federal drug pricing mechanisms like the 340B program, and practical strategies employers need to manage their bottom line.

Presenting Sponsors: Wellpoint, WuXi Biologics, and Ventry Associates

Breakfast Sponsors: AbbVie and Bristol Myers Squibb

Featured Panelists

Dr. William S. Smith | Senior Fellow, Pioneer Institute

Dr. Smith leads the Pioneer Institute’s Life Sciences Initiative, drawing on more than 25 years of leadership across public policy and the private sector. A former Vice President at Pfizer and a veteran of senior advisory roles in both the White House and the Massachusetts Governor’s office, he provides deep strategic insight into the intersection of market dynamics, regulation, and corporate healthcare spending.
 

Edward Scheidler | Head of 340B Center of Excellence, AbbVie

Edward directs AbbVie’s dedicated 340B Center of Excellence, guiding strategic compliance and program integrity. His operational background spans hospital administration, pharmacy retail, wholesaling, and third-party administration, offering employers an insider's view of how federal pricing programs affect pharmacy benefit structures and overall employer healthcare costs.

Richard Meyers | Senior Director of U.S. Policy, Bristol Myers Squibb

Richard heads the 340B policy strategy team at Bristol Myers Squibb, coordinating across legal, market access, and commercial divisions to address shifting federal healthcare regulations. With extensive prior government affairs experience at Leavitt Partners, Alkermes, and AbbVie, he brings critical perspective on federal policy trends and their downstream economic impacts on organizational coverage plans.

Connect with regional business executives, policymakers, and industry analysts for a morning of actionable insight into one of the most critical operational challenges facing today's workforce leaders.