Kiran Batheja: Why healthcare finance leaders must find the will to lead

Amelia Earhart, an American pioneer and the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, was propelled by courage and sheer will. In her words: “The most difficult thing is the decision to act; the rest is merely tenacity.”

Will is the final pillar of my HFMA 2025–26 Chair’s theme, Lead Now (Learn, Embrace, Aspire, Deliver, Network, Opportunity and Will) and arguably the most important. To succeed as healthcare finance leaders, we must have the will to act and the tenacity to navigate the fundamental transformation of American health, healthcare and healthcare finance that lies ahead.

Inner-city food deserts, housing access and other socioeconomic challenges are critical drivers of poor health outcomes in the United States that are largely beyond the direct scope of healthcare finance leaders. Yet this reality should not stop healthcare financial management leaders from recognizing that many other factors contributing to our nation’s healthcare crisis are within our responsibility — and now is the time to tackle them.

Reliance on transactional care rooted in outdated payment models, unnecessary business processes and limited clinical connectivity continues to drive a highly fragmented and increasingly expensive healthcare system. According to a recent KFF survey, the average American family’s annual health coverage premium today is nearing $27,000. And a February 2024 KFF analysis found that U.S. residents then owed at least $220 billion in medical debt — an amount that likely has only increased since then.  When people cannot afford healthcare, outcomes inevitably suffer.

Other stakeholders — including pharmaceutical companies, payers, employers and government — share responsibility for today’s affordability crisis. As the cover story of the December 2025-January 2026 issue of hfm noted, “Now, the healthcare industry is at a tipping point that demands stakeholders come together to create a system that is more affordable, more equitable, more sustainable and more human.”

HFMA’s pioneering commitment to change is embodied in the launch of Vitalic Health, powered by HFMA. Vitalic Health will convene diverse stakeholders to address healthcare affordability while tackling the underlying drivers of U.S. health outcomes that lag behind those of other developed nations.

As our Association demonstrates the vision and courage to Lead Now, each of our more than 140,000 members has the opportunity — and responsibility — to be part of this transformation.

Will is more than intent; it is about commitment. The solutions to healthcare finance’s biggest challenges will not come from playing it safe, but from leaders who, no matter how daunting the challenge, step up and turn today’s insights into tomorrow’s innovations.

Let’s be honest: Vision without action is merely words and untested ideas. True leadership is measured by results — and results begin with bold steps, followed by informed decisions and sustained commitment.

So consider how you can truly make a difference by finding the will to act:

• Will you join me — and HFMA— and step up now?
• Will you pledge to learn, adapt and lead now?
• Will you challenge yourself to think beyond today, step out of your comfort zone and embrace innovation now?
• Will you help shape the future of healthcare financial management — now?

The innovative transformation of U.S. healthcare and healthcare finance depends on stakeholder collaboration, committed leadership and decisive action. Like Earhart, as healthcare finance leaders, we can do great things only when we have the will to act, the tenacity to move forward with courage and the resolve to Lead Now.