Pharmacist and PBM executive will share why financial and clinical strategies must work together to deliver greater value for plan sponsors

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Nov. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Illuminate Rx, a low-net-cost pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) and affiliate of RxBenefits, announced that President Ritu Malhotra, PharmD, will speak on the panel “Redesigning the Benefits Blueprint” at HLTH 2026 in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 1 p.m. PST. She will join leaders from Amtrak, HelloFresh, and Collective Health to examine how employers and plan sponsors can better align cost and care considerations in benefits design, including the role of PBM strategy in supporting affordable access to care.

As plan sponsors face rising pharmacy costs, complex therapies, and higher expectations for financial and clinical accountability, longstanding benefits design approaches are being put to the test. More transparency or switching PBM partners may offer advantages, but neither necessarily addresses the underlying drivers of pharmacy spend.

“Pharmacy is one of the clearest places where cost and clinical value intersect, yet those considerations have too often been treated as competing priorities in benefit design,” said Ritu Malhotra, PharmD. “We can’t assume that existing contracting models and benefit strategies are still delivering the outcomes plan sponsors need, and visibility alone won’t translate into lower costs. Moving the needle requires examining how financial incentives, clinical oversight, and plan design work together.” 

Malhotra brings more than two decades of experience navigating PBM economics, benefit design, and pharmacy cost management. At Illuminate Rx, she applies that expertise to help brokers, consultants, and plan sponsors evaluate pharmacy benefits in the context of their broader business objectives. The pharmacist-led company’s approach combines transparent pricing, aligned incentives, and clinical stewardship to support appropriate care at the lowest net cost.

HLTH attendees can hear Malhotra on the Velocity Stage and connect with the Illuminate Rx team at booth 3812. View session details here.

About Illuminate Rx
Illuminate Rx is a low-net-cost pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) delivering unprecedented clarity to benefits advisors and employers. We go beyond transparency, combining clear visibility into pricing, rebates, and savings; pharmacist-led clinical management that controls spend before it hits the plan; and lowest net cost execution via flexible design and channel optimization to deliver client-aligned results. Backed by RxBenefits, a 30+ year industry leader, Illuminate Rx pairs a modern PBM model with proven infrastructure and service. Learn more at www.illuminate-rx.com.

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SOURCE Illuminate Rx