Dr. Warris Bokhari, Co-Founder and CEO of Claimable, was named to the 2026 TIME100 Health List of the World's Most Influential Leaders in Health. The annual list celebrates innovators and pioneers working to build healthier populations around the world.

The recognition is truly meaningful. And for those of us building alongside Warris, it reflects something we've seen up close for years — steady advocacy, rigorous thinking, and a deep commitment to standing up for patients when it matters most.

We wanted to take a moment to share more about the person behind the recognition and the principles that guide his work.

A path shaped by lived experience

Warris’s work has always been personal.

He was raised in England by two parents living with long-term disabilities. His mother lived with severe rheumatoid arthritis, and his father retired when Warris was still a child because of chronic back problems. Affordable, guaranteed access to healthcare wasn’t an abstract concept in their household — it was a daily reality, directly influencing stability, opportunity, and quality of life.

That experience stayed with him. Warris trained and practiced as a physician in the UK before moving to the United States, where he later held leadership roles across major healthcare and technology organizations, including GE Healthcare, Amazon, Apple, and Anthem.

Over time, he developed a clear-eyed view of how modern U.S. healthcare actually functions — not as a system optimized for care, but as one structured around financial risk, complexity, and friction — a stark contrast to the system he experienced growing up in the U.K.

Again and again, he saw the same outcome: patients prescribed necessary care, only to face delays or denials driven more by financial incentives than medical judgment.

Why Claimable exists

Claimable was born from that inequity. Warris didn’t set out to build a healthcare company. He set out to address an escalating crisis and change what happens when patient care collides with a system built around cost control.

He brought together co-founders Alicia Graham and Zach Veigulis around a clear conviction: patients deserve real support in those moments — not more paperwork, not more waiting, and not a process designed to wear them down. From the beginning, Claimable has been built on a simple principle: patients shouldn’t have to become experts, advocates, or adversaries just to access care.

For Warris, that means not only building tools that support patients at scale, but stepping in personally when the stakes demand it.

The cases people never see

Some of the most meaningful advocacy Warris does happens out of view, supporting patients in situations where access to care is genuinely life-or-death. This includes complex organ transplant denials and advanced oncology cases, where clinical nuance, timing, and judgment matter deeply.

In many of these cases, Warris has taken the lead, navigating the medical complexity and policy reasoning that ultimately shape critical coverage decisions. Being directly involved in these moments has been both sobering and instructive, reinforcing how much responsibility comes with building in this space.

That hands-on engagement doesn’t just shape his perspective — it informs our research and development efforts, pioneering strategies in new conditions and therapies before translating them into tools within Claimable. It has pushed the boundaries of what we believe can be done at scale by combining clinical rigor with purpose-built technology. And it continually sharpens our understanding of what good judgment looks like under pressure.

“I’ve worked closely with Warris on some of the most difficult cases we’ve encountered. What stands out is his steadiness — knowing when to push, when to pause, and how to carry the weight of decisions that affect real lives.” — Zach Veigulis, Co-Founder & CAIO, Claimable

Real Patient Impact

Take the story of Keaton, a 35-year-old father who was diagnosed with Stage IV bile duct cancer confined to his liver. After an extensive multidisciplinary review, he had been fully cleared for a transplant at Houston Methodist. Despite being his only potentially curative option, the transplant was denied, effectively forcing Keaton toward palliative care.

His wife, Tori, posted online asking for help, and Warris didn’t hesitate. He stepped into one of the most complex and visible cases imaginable, not because it was easy, but because it was right.

Warris immersed himself in the clinical research, the transplant criteria, and the insurer’s policy language — and just as importantly, in Keaton’s story. He got to know the family. He understood what was on the line.

Keaton later wrote, “I honestly might not be alive today if it weren’t for Warris and the team. They are highly knowledgeable and genuinely want to help people. I would recommend them to anyone and everyone if you’re having issues with insurance or being denied a life-saving treatment like I was.”

Keaton’s story isn’t unique in Warris’s world. It’s representative of the calls he answers every day — quietly, urgently, and when the outcome matters most.

Advocate first, CEO second

Warris has always led as an advocate first: for patients, for providers, and for the integrity of medicine itself. Inside the company, that philosophy becomes culture.

He stays closely connected to the lived reality of navigating denials and keeps the urgency of this mission front and center. Whether cold-calling early provider partners, supporting families facing devastating denials, or digging into emerging research on new therapies, he sets the tone for how we operate.

Leading by example, Warris encourages us to be bold in our convictions, resourceful in our approaches, and unwavering in our integrity. That mindset has led to clear non-negotiables for Claimable: the patient story must be central; evidence must be expert-curated and accurate; patients’ rights must be defended, not sidelined; and there must always be a next step.

“I’m honored to work alongside Warris, who is a doctor by training and by creed — someone who takes ‘do no harm’ seriously in every interaction. He reminds all of us that this work is about more than overturning denials. It’s about restoring trust.” — Alicia Graham, Co-Founder & COO, Claimable

Warris’s recognition on the TIME100 Health list reflects years of difficult, often invisible work, and reinforces why Claimable exists in the first place. The lessons learned alongside individual patients continue to shape how we build — embedding empathy, rigor, and real-world insight into tools designed to support patients at scale. We’re incredibly proud of Warris for this well-deserved recognition. And we’re even more committed to the journey ahead.