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In this episode, Adam Smith sits down with Dr. Jonathon Harrison, PharmD, ACE, pharmacist and CEO of Wellyfe, to discuss the fundamental misalignment within the traditional Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) industry. Jonathon Harrison argues that the current system is built on financial complexity rather than clinical value, leading to a situation in which Americans must choose between medicine and basic needs. Through Wellyfe, he is empowering brokers to move beyond the spreadsheet by turning local health systems and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) into their own PBM hubs. This community-centric model not only reduces costs by up to 60% but also creates a new revenue stream for the health centers, providing brokers with a powerful strategy for breaking old playbooks and winning new business.
Traditional PBMs often extract value from communities rather than adding to them. Dr. Jonathon notes that these entities "make more money when drug prices go up through spread pricing, through rebates, and opaque fees". This creates a system where "a drug that was made for $6 is being charged at $6,000, and all of that is just essentially fluff profit".
Adam notes that, as rising health costs are manifesting in unprecedented premium increases, employers are finally starting to ask the hard questions. The lack of transparency in the traditional model is often "purposefully vague because there are tons of hands in the pot".
Wellyfe flips the script by white-labeling the PBM infrastructure for local hospitals and FQHCs. This allows these organizations to become their own PBM without investing hundreds of millions in infrastructure.
This model is a service to sales broker journey that shifts the focus from simple cost-cutting to breaking the cycle of how brokers can win with education transparency and real strategy.
For brokers, the primary advantage of this model is differentiation. While most brokers walk into meetings with standard data, Wellyfe provides a broker's blueprint, personal brand, strategic value, and winning strategy.
"Most brokers, when they walk into a client or a prospecting meeting, they're walking in with spreadsheets," Dr. Jonathon says. "Whereas Wellyfe lets them walk in with a strategy". Adam agrees, noting that "if you win a BOR on a new strategy to build new revenue, it's going to be hard to unseat you". By helping a health center become a PBM, the broker isn't just saving the client money: they are helping that client generate new revenue by serving other local employers.
Beyond the financials, the local PBM model improves health outcomes. Traditional mail-order specialty pharmacies can feel cold and detached. By contrast, a local hub allows for physical interaction, gestures, and facial expressions that are vital in healthcare.
Dr. Jonathon points out that this local care leads to higher adherence and fewer ER visits. It also reduces the "angry emails to HR" because employees can simply walk into their local pharmacy to resolve issues rather than calling a call center three states away.
The future of pharmacy benefits belongs to those who embrace transparency. As Dr. Jonathon predicts, "Direct pharmacy care is here to stay". For the modern broker, success in 2026 and beyond will depend on their ability to scale accuracy and client impact by offering solutions that prioritize the community over the corporate middleman.
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At the end of the day, Plansight is more than just software. It is a partner built with brokerages and their benefits teams in mind. Plansight is the only end-to-end benefits marketing platform that uses AI and automation to ensure every renewal and RFP is consistent, accurate, and fast.
From SmartSheetingAI™ to RFP automation to side-by-side comparisons to the intelligence of PlansightAI, everything we create is designed to lighten the load, reduce risk, and elevate your client relationships. Your team is your greatest asset, and Plansight is here to make sure they have the tools, insights, and support to shine.
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