Your Benefits Broker Should Have Answers. Do They?
The Questions Every HR Leader Needs to Ask About Benefits, Costs, and What's Coming Next
August 12, 2026 1:00 PM ET
Benefits costs are rising. GLP-1 drugs are reshaping pharmacy spend. Pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) contracts are more complicated — and less transparent — than most HR teams realize. And renewal season has a way of arriving before anyone is ready.
Most HR leaders rely on their brokers to surface the right information at the right time. But the best broker relationships don't work that way — they work because HR comes to the table with the right questions.
In this session, SHRM brings together benefits and insurance experts to walk through the questions every HR leader should be asking their brokers right now.
You'll leave knowing:
- Which cost drivers in your plan are actually within your control — and how to address them without shifting the burden to employees.
- What your pharmacy spend is really telling you, including how to think about GLP-1 utilization and specialty drug trends before they become a crisis.
- Where hidden fees, PBM spreads, and opaque contract language may be costing you more than you realize.
- Which plan design changes improve both employee experience and long-term cost trajectory.
- What data HR should be reviewing every quarter to avoid renewal surprises.
- How to evaluate emerging benefits vendors with the skepticism they deserve — and the openness to what actually delivers return on investment.
- What regulatory and compliance changes are coming in the next 12-18 months and how to get ahead of them.
This is not a vendor pitch. This is the conversation your broker should be having with you — and a road map for making sure they are.
SHRM Knowledge Advisors will join the live webinar to answer your questions in real time—right in the chat. If we don’t get to your question during the session? No problem, SHRM members can head to SHRM Connect after this webinar to keep the conversation going with advisors for 30 extra minutes. This benefit is only for members who join the live webinar and not included later on demand.
Meet the Presenters
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Victoria Collar
Victoria Collar, SHRM-SCP, is Director, Knowledge Community and Operations at SHRM. She brings more than 20 years of experience in human resources, business development, operations, and leadership. She has worked across hospitality and customer service in family-owned businesses, regional multi‑unit organizations, and a Fortune 500 hotel company. Her career spans serving as an HR department of one, setting up HR departments from the ground up, building and scaling HR functions, and partnering with global HR organizations to drive growth and organizational transformation. Collar is passionate about developing high‑performing teams and aligning people and culture strategies with business goals across all stages of the organizational life cycle. She believes strong partnerships between HR, business leaders, and operational teams are essential for success. She is equally committed to the well-being of HR professionals. Recognizing that caring for the teams who support others is essential to sustaining a healthy, high‑performing organization. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Chicago, an MBA from Western Governors University, and a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. Outside of work, Collar enjoys baking, traveling, and spending time with her family.
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Joe Appelbaum
Joe Appelbaum is a nationally recognized employee benefits and HR expert with more than three decades of experience helping organizations build stronger, more competitive workplaces. In 1990, he founded Potomac Companies, which grew into one of the Washington, D.C., area's leading employee benefits brokerage and consulting firms. In 2022, Potomac Companies merged with Acrisure, one of the world's largest and fastest-growing fintech organizations. In 2020, Appelbaum launched CalmHR, a professional employer organization (PEO) that provides comprehensive HR, payroll, compliance, retirement, and employee benefits solutions. CalmHR is among fewer than 5% of PEOs to earn and maintain ESAC Accreditation, reflecting the industry's highest standards for financial stability, ethical business practices, and regulatory compliance. Throughout his career, Appelbaum has specialized in integrating employee benefits, controlling healthcare costs, streamlining back-office operations, and developing innovative attraction and retention strategies, particularly for law firms. A sought-after speaker, he regularly presents at industry conferences, SHRM events, trade associations, and national and local Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) programs. Originally from New Jersey, he attended Carnegie Mellon University before earning a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Rutgers University. He currently divides his time between Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Rockville, Maryland, where he enjoys spending time with his wife, children, and grandchildren.
SHRM certification has approved this webinar for 1 PDC toward SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP recertification. A program code will be provided at the end of the webinar.