Fiduciary Risk Is Rising: How to Defend Your Health Plan Decisions
A SHRM webinar sponsored by Wellnecity
Healthcare costs for U.S. employers are projected to increase 9.5% in 2027, marking a second consecutive year of near double-digit growth before mitigation strategies are applied.
As financial pressure intensifies, employers are increasingly expected to defend not only health plan outcomes, but the decisions behind them.
That requires more than periodic reporting. Fiduciary responsibility now calls for documented oversight, transparent decision-making, independent validation, and governance that can withstand executive, regulatory, and legal scrutiny.
Join this SHRM webinar to learn how leading employers are strengthening fiduciary governance and building a more defensible decision-making process.
Webinar Details
Tuesday, August 25, 2026
12:00 p.m. ET | 11:00 a.m. CT | 9:00 a.m. PT
Duration: 60 minutes
What You’ll Learn
During this session, you’ll learn how to:
- Strengthen governance across your health plan
- Identify emerging fiduciary risks before they become liabilities
- Validate vendor performance with greater confidence
- Build audit-ready documentation that stands up to executive, regulatory, and legal scrutiny
Can You Defend the Process Behind Your Decisions?
A favorable outcome does not replace a defensible process.
Employers should be able to demonstrate what information was reviewed, which alternatives were considered, how vendor performance was evaluated, and why a particular course of action was taken.
Speakers
Kate Sullivan Morgan
Partner, Dentons
Kate Sullivan Morgan advises employers, plan sponsors, and fiduciaries on ERISA compliance, health and welfare plan governance, and risk management. Her work focuses on helping organizations navigate evolving regulatory expectations, strengthen fiduciary processes, and ensure that plan decisions are both well-documented and defensible. She regularly counsels clients on complex issues including vendor oversight, plan design, and fiduciary exposure in high-cost and high-scrutiny areas.
Jed Cohen
Co-Founder & COO, Fiduciary In A Box
Jed Cohen works with employers to operationalize fiduciary responsibility through structured governance frameworks, documentation standards, and repeatable oversight processes. He focuses on helping organizations move beyond informal or periodic review toward audit-ready practices that demonstrate consistent, defensible decision-making. His work emphasizes practical implementation—ensuring fiduciary standards are not only defined, but executed.
Paul Richmond
Chief Commercial Officer, Wellnecity (moderator)