Permanente Live fireside chat – Tough pill to swallow: Balancing access and affordability in pharmacy

Register now to save your spot for this free fireside chat on October 6, 2026, featuring leaders from Kaiser Permanente and Tufts Medical Center.

OAKLAND, Calif. (September 9, 2026) — National health care leaders from Kaiser Permanente and Tufts Medical Center will present a free Permanente Live fireside chat on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, to explore the challenges of high-cost, highly effective medications — like GLP-1s — and discuss new strategies to balance better patient outcomes, access, and affordability.

Rising chronic disease rates and the growing cost of specialty medications are placing added pressure on health care organizations, challenging their ability to deliver high-quality, value-based care amid financial realities. It’s a conversation happening in boardrooms and exam rooms across the country.

The rapid adoption of GLP-1 medications has highlighted the tension between expanding access to effective treatments for those who need them and maintaining care that is fiscally responsible and affordable.

What:

“Tough pill to swallow: Balancing access and affordability in pharmacy” attendees will learn:

• How preventive, value-based care can help reduce rising medication costs
• The role biosimilars could play in improving outcomes while controlling costs
• What GLP-1s reveal about whether value-based care can transform pharmacy policy, access, and affordability

Who:

• Peter J. Neumann, ScD, director, Center for the Evaluation of Value and Risk in Health, Tufts Medical Center
• Maisha Draves, MD, MPH, associate executive director, The Permanente Medical Group
• Stephen Parodi, MD, executive vice president, The Permanente Federation (moderator)

When:

Tuesday, October 6, 2026
10:00 a.m. PT / 12:00 p.m. CT / 1:00 p.m. ET

Where:

Register to attend this complimentary virtual one-hour event. Can’t attend live? Registering gives you access to the recording.

Join the conversation on social media using the tag #PermLiveLeadership.

To learn more about Permanente Medicine, visit permanente.org.

About the Permanente Medical Groups

Permanente Medical Groups provide award-winning care to Kaiser Permanente’s 12.9 million members. More than 25,000 primary care physicians and specialists are dedicated to the mission of providing high quality, affordable care to all our patients and communities. Our ethical, compassionate approach to value-based care is physician-led, patient-centered, and evidence-based. We work collaboratively, supported by state-of-the art facilities and technology, to provide world-class primary, complex, and chronic care in eight states — from Hawaii to Maryland — and the District of Columbia. Find out more at permanente.org.

About The Permanente Federation

The Permanente Federation is the national leadership and consulting organization of Permanente Medical Groups, which provide high-quality, affordable health care to the members of Kaiser Permanente. The Federation works to spread the ethical and compassionate value-based care we call Permanente Medicine. Our model of care is physician-led, patient-centered, and team-delivered. We foster and accelerate medical research, clinical innovation, and performance improvements. With Kaiser Foundation Health Plans and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, we’re expanding the reach of Kaiser Permanente’s unique approach to integrated care delivery, transforming health care in America. Find out more at permanente.org.