rule of three® Announces 2026 March Healthcare Classic Champion, Highlighting Employers' Rising Influence in Healthcare

ATLANTA, May 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- rule of three^® (ro3), a healthcare advisory firm, announced the conclusion of its sixth annual March Healthcare Classic and the selection of the 2026 Champion: Employers Rewrite the Benefits Playbook, the one‑seed out of the Purchasers & Plans region. Chosen directly by the broader community focused on transformative healthcare initiatives, this year's winner emphasizes the growing role of employers in reshaping affordability, benefit design, and accountability across the healthcare ecosystem.

Since its launch in 2021, the March Healthcare Classic has become a signature series, turning complex market dynamics into a bracket-style tournament that pits top healthcare trends against one another to crown a single "Champion." In 2026, the Classic expanded its community-driven format, inviting nearly 20 executive Expert Analysts to weigh in on five virtual expert conversations—an industry overview discussion, along with four domain-specific region discussions.

This year's field featured trends spanning regions that mirror ro3's core client focus areas—Providers, Purchasers & Plans, Policy, and Pioneers. After weeks of matchups and debate, the LinkedIn community advanced a Top Four that included:

• AI Becomes the New Clinical Infrastructure (1, Providers)
  
  
• Employers Rewrite the Benefits Playbook (1, Purchasers & Plans)
  
  
• Price Transparency Enforcement (4, Policy)
  
  
• Consumers Take Health Optimization Direct (6, Pioneers)

Ultimately, Employers Rewrite the Benefits Playbook emerged as the 2026 Champion, reflecting a clear signal from the market. In an environment of rising costs and mounting affordability concerns, employers are moving beyond incremental changes to fundamentally re-examine how benefits are designed, paid for, and delivered.

"The strength of this year's Champion says a lot about where real momentum sits in healthcare right now," said Josh Berlin, CEO of ro3. "Our Expert Analysts and the broader community consistently pointed to employers as having a much-needed voice, demanding a seat at the table to rethink the status quo—through new contracting approaches, different expectations of plans and PBMs, and a sharper focus on value for their employees. The fact that the Purchasers & Plans region produced this year's winner is no coincidence."

The 2026 March Healthcare Classic also marked the series' highest engagement to date, with dozens of votes cast across rounds and robust discussion from leaders representing providers, health plans, employers, innovators, and policy organizations. ro3 will continue to track how the Champion and Top Four trends play out over the remainder of the year through ongoing analyses and market commentary.

To explore the final 2026 bracket, watch the Expert Analyst region overview sessions, and read ro3's takeaways on this year's results. Visit ro3.com/healthcare-classic and follow rule of three on LinkedIn for continuing coverage.

This year's Expert Analysts included:

• Industry Overview: Shawn Gremminger (National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions), Dan Mendelson (Morgan Health), Michael Meucci (Arcadia), and Dr. Jaewon Ryu (Risant Health)
• Providers Region Overview: Eric Gallagher (Ochsner Health Network), Lee Handke (Nebraska Health Network), Dr. Matt Hanley (Northeast Georgia Health System), and John Herman (Tufts Medical Center)
• Purchasers & Plans Overview: Jake Frenz (SmithRx), Cora Opsahl (Peterson Center on Healthcare, formerly of Building Service 32BJ Benefits Fund), Anisha Sood (First Choice Health), and Nick Stefanizzi (Northwell Direct)
• Policy Overview: Leah Binder (The Leapfrog Group), James Gelfand (The ERISA Industry Committee), Stephanie Mercado (National Association for Healthcare Quality), and Steve Sellars (Urgent Care Association)
• Pioneers Overview: Dr. David Carmouche (Lumeris), Michael Dalton (Ovatient), and Dr. Zeev Neuwirth (Rezilient Health)

About rule of three^®: Founded in 2020, rule of three®, LLC (ro3) is an Atlanta-based boutique healthcare advisory firm that integrates deeply within clients' internal teams to provide highly specialized strategic direction and execution support to a diverse array of organizations—including providers, Accountable Care Organizations, employers, health plans, advocacy groups, associations, Fortune 500 companies, and innovative startups. With established expertise in healthcare strategy, value-based care, and operational excellence, amongst others, ro3 delivers sustainable, performance-driven thinking that is effective in nuanced, real-world environments. Its name reflects its core philosophy, inspired by the literary principle of distilling complex concepts into their most salient form. Through an intimate understanding of each client's distinct attributes and surrounding market dynamics, ro3 has built a track record of success, continually earning industry accolades and multi-year relationships that reflect its ability to create meaningful impact and lasting value. For more information, visit ro3.com.

SOURCE rule of three