TL/DR –
The Health Economists & Academic Leaders (HEAL) Network will sponsor the 2026 BAHM Case Competition, which will challenge graduate students from seven leading business schools to address healthcare price transparency. The competition, hosted by the Business School Alliance for Health Management (BAHM), will task teams with creating a scalable business plan utilizing medical price transparency data in a consumer-facing solution. The HEAL Network, led by Founding Director Stephen T. Parente, is a community dedicated to improving healthcare policy through economic research.
The HEAL Network Backs the 2026 BAHM Case Competition for Enhancing U.S. Healthcare Price Transparency
Seven elite U.S. universities will be participating in the Business School Alliance for Health Management (BAHM) Case Competition, sponsored by the Health Economists & Academic Leaders (HEAL) Network (source) . The teams will present innovative business plans addressing healthcare’s most significant issue: converting medical price transparency data into scalable, consumer-friendly solutions at Morning Consult headquarters on April 10th, 2026.
A new era of price transparency in the U.S. healthcare system has arrived with federal requirements for hospitals and health plans to disclose detailed pricing information. However, despite wide data availability, consumer engagement is minimal, and price transparency’s potential for cost reduction and improved healthcare decision-making stays untapped.
The competition challenges student teams to transform medical price transparency data into a solution capable of reaching and engaging 5 million consumers by 2028. Business plans should address adoption roadblocks while demonstrating a feasible pathway to national or global scale. Evaluation will be based on strategic clarity, feasibility, financial sustainability, policy relevance, and societal impact.
Seven leading business schools are competing, each presenting a unique healthcare pricing solution:
Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business
Boston University Questrom School of Business
Georgia State University Robinson College of Business
Indian School of Business (ISB)
University of Colorado Denver Business School
University of Miami Herbert School of Business
University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management
The 2026 BAHM Case Competition is proudly sponsored by the HEAL Network. Led by Founding Director Stephen T. Parente, PhD, MPH, MS, the network fosters rigorous economic thinking in healthcare policy debates at federal and state levels.
Panel of Judges
Expert healthcare policy experts and industry leaders will evaluate student presentations:
– Adam Atherly, Seymour and Ruth Perlin Professor of Health Administration and Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University
– Andrew Bremberg, Former Director of the Domestic Policy Council of the United States
– Bryana Mayer, Adjunct Faculty, University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management
– Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Former Director of the Congressional Budget Office and Chief Policy Economist of the Council of Economic Advisers
– John Barkett, Managing Director in BRG’s Healthcare Transactions and Strategy Practice
– Paul Fronstin, Director of Health Benefits Research, Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI)
Event Details
Date: April 9–10, 2026
Venue: Morning Consult, Washington, D.C.
Format: Semifinal rounds, finalist presentations, and awards ceremony
Contact:
Stephen T. Parente
Health Economists & Academic Leaders (HEAL) Network
Email: steve@TheHEALNetwork.org
Social Media:
LinkedIn
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