What Your Competitors Won’t Tell You: The Truth About Payer Strategy in 2027
Tuesday, September 29
4:00 PM - 4:45 PM (ET)
This panel session will unveil key findings from the 2027 SKYGEN Pulse Research Report, offering a rare, behind-the-scenes look at how payers and TPAs are thinking about the future of dental benefits.
Built on anonymous input from industry leaders, this year’s research is designed to answer a unique question: what do payers most want to understand about competitive strategy? The result is a candid, peer-driven view into competitive strategy, investment priorities, and the evolving pressures shaping the market.
Through a moderated discussion, panelists will explore:
- The top priorities and challenges influencing payer decision-making today
- How organizations are approaching plan design, provider engagement, and member experience
- Emerging trends in technology, regulation, and competitive differentiation
- Opportunities for stronger alignment across payers, providers, brokers, and employers
- What the future may hold—and how payers can better prepare for what’s next
Attendees will gain actionable, peer-level insights to help refine strategy, navigate uncertainty, and better understand where the industry is headed—all grounded in perspectives that are rarely shared publicly.
Donald Polite (moderator)
Chief Marketing Officer
SKYGEN
Donald Polite is the chief marketing officer at SKYGEN, where he leads the company’s marketing organization and drives efforts to position SKYGEN as a leader in health benefits technology and innovation.
Polite joined SKYGEN in July 2019 as vice president of customer success. Prior to joining the company, he served as vice president of brand and corporate marketing at Johnson Controls. He also held leadership roles at Warner Bros. as executive director of partner brands marketing, and at NBCUniversal, Abbott Laboratories and Disney in positions of increasing responsibility.
Polite earned a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University in 1990 and an MBA in marketing from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management in 1996. He also serves on the board of directors for the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center, which supports Milwaukee’s northwest community.
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