Name: The Rising Cost of Healthcare: How Employers & the Healthcare Industry Can Partner to Strengthen the Economy
Start: 2026-10-22T10:30:00-05:00
End: 2026-10-22T13:30:00-05:00
Location: The Rising Cost of Healthcare: How Employers & the Healthcare Industry Can Partner to Strengthen the Economy

Rising healthcare costs are placing increased pressure on employers, workers, and the broader Central Texas economy. At the same time, the healthcare industry plays a critical role in workforce stability, productivity, and regional competitiveness.

This summit convenes business and healthcare leaders to examine factors driving today’s healthcare cost increases and how employers and the healthcare industry can work together to address them.

Through a business-focused lens, the program will explore issues including the economic impact of pharmacy costs, health insurance coverage premiums and gaps, care delivery, and prevention, and highlight opportunities for collaboration that support a healthier workforce and a stronger Central Texas economy.

Featured Speakers

John Zerwas, MD – Keynote Speaker

Chancellor
The University of Texas System

Keynote Topic – The Future of Healthcare in Texas: Innovation, Economic Pressures, & Regional Impact
John M. Zerwas, MD, is Chancellor of The University of Texas System, effective August 20, 2025. He leads a system of public higher education composed of 13 academic and health institutions that serve more than 256,000 students, including leading research universities and nationally top-ranked hospitals. Collectively, The University of Texas System employs more than 160,000 faculty, health professionals, researchers and staff, and has a FY 2026 operating budget of $33.3 billion.

Dr. Zerwas joined UT System as executive vice chancellor for Health Affairs in 2019, providing strategic and administrative oversight for one of the largest networks of academic health institutions in the country, with seven medical schools and a clinical care infrastructure that provides millions of patient visits each year.
Mayor Kirk Watson

City of Austin
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson has been immersed in public policy in both local and state government in Texas for three decades. He won his first term as Austin mayor in 1997 and earned praise for bringing different political factions together around transformative environmental and economic development initiatives. Watson returned to Austin City Hall in 2023 for a third term as mayor after serving more than 13 years in the Texas Senate, where he led on issues such as public education, healthcare and government transparency. Watson also was the founding dean of the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston.

In 1991, Watson was appointed by Gov. Ann Richards as Chair of the Texas Air Control Board, the agency charged with addressing air quality issues. As chair, he worked with the chair of the Texas Water Commission to create what is now called the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, created a statewide task force on environmental racism, and worked with the EPA to create the first-ever international air shed to address air quality in El Paso, Texas, among other achievements.

In Partnership With

Presented by

Program Sponsors

Corporate Sponsors

Economic Growth Series Sponsors

Thank you to our Partners

Pivotal Partners

Foundation Partners

Corporate Partners

Terms & Conditions

Please contact sponsor@austinchamber.com for table reservations or sponsorship opportunities.

Cancellation Policy
The Austin Chamber of Commerce must maintain a cancellation policy for events in order to properly plan for catering, venue expenses, and marketing efforts. Unless stated otherwise, Chamber reservations must be canceled 5 business days prior to the event to be eligible for a refund. All refunds will be issued 10 days after the event. No refunds will be issued for non-attendance. You are welcome to send another member of your staff in your place.

The Rising Cost of Healthcare

John Zerwas, MD – Keynote Speaker

Mayor Kirk Watson