Shows / Self-Funded
Self-Funded
Self-Funded, hosted by Spencer Smith, is the definitive resource for benefits consultants and employers who are ready to challenge the broken healthcare status quo. Each week, you'll get an insider's playbook of actionable strategies from industry leaders that help make healthcare better, together.
Episodes
Self-FundedWhy "Co-opetition" Is The Future Of Healthcare | with Dutch Rojas
“I think the next stage of American capitalism includes co-opetition." - Dutch Rojas On the last episode of Self-Funded with Spencer in 2025, Dutch Rojas joins…
Self-Funded21% Of Medical Care Is Unnecessary. Here’s How We Prevent It.
"Healthcare has had no star score, there's been no reliable pricing. It's all been just a black box." - Will Bruhn An estimated 21% of all medical care in the…
Self-FundedThe "Virtual Wallet" Strategy for Lowering Medical Claims
"Why in every other industry can we just check out and know exactly what it's going to cost? Why can't it be the same in healthcare? Why are we still mailing…
Self-FundedWhy Did They Dismiss The J&J Lawsuit? | with Chris Hamilton
If you'd like your question answered on next month's episode, call/text 469-213-6381 and leave us a voicemail/text. Each month on Last Month In Healthcare…
Self-FundedWhy Private Equity is Pouring Billions Into Healthcare
"Success leaves clues. And sometimes that clue is healthy leadership that is just able to take them from plateau to plateau." - Trey Marinello My guest this…
Self-FundedThe Secret to a Perfect Broker-Partner Relationship
"I love working with people who aren't afraid to own up to their mistakes. Integrity is the most important thing to me." - Cara Kirsch What is the secret to a…
Self-FundedThe Death Of The Broker, And The Rise of the Strategic Consultant
"People do more research on buying a refrigerator than they do on buying their health plan. And so I saw that as a level of brokenness that I felt... we as…
Self-FundedThe "Silent Killer" Your Members Don't Know They Have
"One out of seven people in the United States have some form of chronic kidney disease... 90% of those individuals have not been properly diagnosed." - Mark…
Self-FundedHow AI is Predicting Catastrophic Claims (Before They Happen) | with Sasha Gribov
"There needs to be a whole new suite of solutions that are forward looking and proactive and real time, and we gotta go and build that." - Sasha Gribov My…
Self-FundedWhat's Going On With Our Doctors? | with Kyle Minick
If you'd like your question answered on next month's episode, call/text 469-213-6381 and leave us a voicemail/text. Each month on Last Month In Healthcare…
Self-FundedBuilding A Cohesive Healthcare Ecosystem | with Garrett Jerue
“Just because someone hasn't gone to the doctor in four years does not mean they're not a walking time bomb." - Garrett Jerue My guest this week, Garrett…
Self-FundedThe 2025-2026 Stop-Loss State Of The Union | with Jay Ritchie
“I absolutely think we're in that tightening, hardening market... the days of the employers who were average risk seeing single digit rate increases, that's…
Self-FundedHow Health Insurance Was Broken Over The Last 40 Years | with John Rutledge
"The biggest shift was the consolidation that happened with the insurance carriers themselves. From 25 or more carriers to just four national carriers." - John…
Self-FundedHow Better Beef Can Solve America's Health Crisis
"Eat your food as medicine or medicine will become your food." - Chef Austin Simmons Can better beef solve America's health crisis? My guests this week, Chef…
Self-FundedHigh Healthcare Deductibles Are A Failed Experiment
"If we can remove the cost barrier, folks are going to engage more because it's not standing in the way of going to get the care that they need or even…
Self-FundedMaking Healthcare More Human...Using AI | with Amanda Volner
"I can look for something on Amazon and have it shipped to my door tomorrow... so why wouldn't employees want a similar experience with their healthcare?" -…
Self-FundedThe End of Confusing Health Benefits | with Matt Scovil & Nathan Gilchrist
"Good entrepreneurs fall in love with their solution and their platform, but great entrepreneurs fall in love with the problem." - Matt Scovil Matt Scovil and…
Self-FundedTuning Into The Frequency Of Excellence | with Scott Millson
"I think the three strongest words that you can use as a leader, as a salesperson, as a client relationship person is I don't know." - Scott Milson My guest…
Self-FundedFixing Healthcare's 528 Billion Dollar Mistake | with Chris Grilli
"We spend about $528 billion a year fixing the mistakes we make with medicines." - Chris Grilli Fixing healthcare's $528 billion dollar mistake starts with…
Self-FundedLessons In Healthcare And Life, with Todd Whitthorne
"There's a big difference for me in living and being alive. There's a difference between breathing and truly experiencing life." - Todd Whitthorne My guest…
Self-FundedHow to Think Like an Underwriter (And Why It's a Game-Changer) | with Bobby Stuart
"Understanding how an underwriter thinks and how they manage risk allows you to create a solution that actually creates impact and change for the long term." -…
Self-FundedYour Medical Bills Have Errors. Here's How Goodbill Fixes Them. (with Patrick Haig)
"The balance bill came in, it was 37 grand for this member, and we were able to get that thing fully wiped." - Patrick Haig My guest this week, Patrick Haig…
Self-FundedThis Pharmacy Went Cash-Only, Lost 70% Of Customers, & Doubled Profits | With Brad Hart
"I doubled my profit when I lost 70% of my customers, which is insane." - Brad Hart My guest this week, Brad Hart, owner of Forest Park Pharmacy, came on the…
Self-FundedRemoving The Middlemen Is The Key To Lowering Healthcare Costs | with Josh Walker
"Nomi actually stands for 'no middleman'. Take out that invented complexity... Price comes way down, becomes more simple to administer, and there's plenty of…
Self-FundedHow High-Performance Health Networks Actually Work | with Blake Allison & Riley Dearing
“Does your consultant understand these kind of strategies and mechanisms are available in the market and do they know how to implement them and make them…
Self-FundedMark Cuban's Healthcare Tweet, Healthcare Is America's Top Employer | Last Month In Healthcare
If you'd like your question answered on next month's episode, call/text 469-213-6381 and leave us a voicemail/text. Each month on Last Month In Healthcare…
Self-FundedHow the World's #1 Chevy Dealer Structures Their Benefits
“That race car you got, that you studied all the components and now you're just tweaking horsepower and how much can you get out of it? That's what this feels…
Self-FundedThe Empowering Employers Live Podcast, with Q&A!
"If employers do not think that they are in the healthcare business, they are sadly mistaken. Every employer is in the healthcare business whether they want to…
Self-FundedHealthcare Needs To Be Simpler | with David Silverstein
"There is no such thing as a health or medical problem for which we are not your partner." - David Silverstein The U.S. healthcare system is the third-largest…
Self-FundedWhy Brokers Must Constantly Innovate | with Taylor Orton
“As a broker, our job is counting cards against the system. Because everything catches up 5-10 years later. Every other broker, every other consultant gets in…
Self-FundedFunctional Medicine 101 | with Erica Armstrong, MD
“There's this ability to impact people directly through the employer in a very cost effective way, giving everyone the chance to improve their health. The more…
Self-FundedTrump's "Most Favored Nation" Executive Order, with Shawn Ferguson | Last Month In Healthcare
If you'd like your question answered on next month's episode, call/text 469-213-6381 and leave us a voicemail/text. Each month on Last Month In Healthcare…
Self-FundedVālenzONE: A Deep Dive Into Optimized Healthcare | with Rob Gelb
"I want to be in our own category." - Rob Gelb I recently joined Rob Gelb, CEO of Vālenz, which is a sponsor of this show, at the Vālenz office in Philadelphia…
Self-FundedCGMs: GLP-1 Weight Loss At A Fraction Of The Cost | with Colin Rogers
“We show…very similar weight loss outcomes to GLP1 in a similar timeframe at a fraction of the cost, but sustainable through behavior change." - Colin Rogers…
Self-FundedContinuing Marshall Allen's Legacy | with Sonja Allen
“You know, Marshall was known in the healthcare space, but there's 100 million Americans who don't know anything about the healthcare space. And those are the…
Self-FundedUS Healthcare Desperately Needs To Be A Free Market | with Dean Jargo
“That's the great thing about upfront, all inclusive, transparent specialty care is you eliminate all of that, right? You purchase the service, you never see…
Self-FundedThe In-Home Healthcare Revolution | with Jory Zunich
“Some of the most expensive real estate is healthcare real estate. And so by pulling that out of our business model, it allows us to bring care in a very…
Self-FundedHelping Each Other Through Mental Health Struggles | with Sims Tillirson
“I want other people to know that, like, there's nothing wrong with you. If you have mental health issues, there's help for you and there's life on the other…
Self-FundedThe Four Pillars of the Perfect LinkedIn Strategy | with Sims Tillirson
“If you've shied away from showing who you are because you fear that you'll lose sales: people that would not like the authentic version of you are not going…
Self-FundedUnitedHealth's Stock Crash, with Rob Gelb | Last Month In Healthcare
If you'd like your question answered on next month's episode, call/text 469-213-6381 and leave us a voicemail/text. This month, we were joined by Rob Gelb in…
Self-FundedA Fitness And Diet App For Employee Wellness | with Chris Burgess
"Automating those healthy habits is essential." - Chris Burgess Chris Burgess is the creator of the app Affili-Fit, which creates custom workout and diet plans…
Self-FundedHR's Role In M&A: Due Diligence, Culture, and Integration | with Diane Dooley
“Each acquisition has its own fingerprints. You kind of think, oh, it's an acquisition. No, it's all different.” - Diane Dooley Diane Dooley, a CHRO and…
Self-Funded(Really) Small Business Health Insurance Benefits | with Christopher Cordon
"If you're an employer, if someone comes up and knocks on your door, take a second, breathe, and listen to what they have to say." - Christopher Cordon…
Self-FundedWhat The PBM Industry Should Focus On In 2025 | with Julie Wasserman
"If you know how a PBM gets paid, that's the best transparency you can ask for.” - Julie Wasserman Julie Wasserman, VP of Sales for VerusRx, joined me this…
Self-FundedMarty Makary's FDA, Operation Stork Speed, Healthcare Cybersecurity | Last Month In Healthcare
If you'd like your question answered on next month's episode, call/text 469-213-6381 and leave us a voicemail/text. Last Month In Healthcare is officially a…
Self-FundedEmpowering Americans To Shop For Their Healthcare | with Kylie Everhart
"Insurance is about health and wealth. It protects your health, it should protect your wealth." - Kylie Everhart Kylie Everhart, Chief Growth Officer at…
Self-FundedThe Future of Healthcare Podcast - Live Show With Q&A!
"I think innovation is supposed to be hard. That's why it's innovation.” - Seth Denson “Better consumption requires a lot more education.” - Trey Marinello…
Self-FundedSimplifying Access To Healthcare | with Ryan Coplon
"Our business is predicated on two things: consolidating things that would otherwise be disparate, and then using that as a trusted chassis to communicate and…
Self-FundedMAHA, Steak 'n Shake, and AI Prescriptions | Last Month In Healthcare
If you'd like your question answered on next month's episode, call/text 469-213-6381 and leave us a voicemail/text. Welcome to our new monthly podcast series…
Self-FundedBuilding a Contagious Community | with Scott Smith
"I think that's the difference with a contagious community. Like, I want to bring other people that I like into this community." - Scott Smith Scott Smith…
Self-FundedReversing Diabetes Instead Of Managing Symptoms | with Steve Hastings
"Reversing obesity, reversing diabetes is possible. You don't just have to manage a chronic condition." - Steve Hastings Steve Hastings, Leader of Health Plans…
Self-FundedLeading An All-Female Insurance Agency | with Maggi Quinn
"If you're not going to be excited when I'm calling you, we're probably not a mutual fit." - Maggie Quinn Maggi Quinn, SVP of Consulting at Intrepid Benefits…
Self-FundedSelling In A Collaborative Environment | with Sean Wood
"Be kind, be focused on others, be a steward of your craft and take the opportunity to take action.” - Sean Wood Sean Wood, SVP of National Partnerships at…
Self-FundedPrivate Equity In Healthcare | with Shelby Cowley
“Whatever your clients find attractive about you and the reason they want to work with you is the exact same reason that a buyer is going to find you…
Self-FundedHealth Insurance After Organ Transplant | with Guy Finley & Robby Kerr
“Organ transplant is not something that the employer or even the TPAs are necessarily all experts in." - Guy Finley “There are still going to be some…
Self-FundedSIIA 2024 Live Show: Legislative Efforts, SIIA ROI, Networking, And Q&A
“It's everything. Exposure, knowledge, education, generating new business, solving clients, risk management objectives. It's all here." - John Capasso “And the…
Self-FundedThe Primary Care Crisis: How We're Failing Patients | with David Kinzler
"If we're not accessible to you, we can't help you." - David Kinzler David Kinzler, CEO of One-to-One Health, joined me this week to talk about the importance…
Self-FundedProducing A Healthcare Documentary | with Chelsea & Donovan Ryckis
"The problem with a lot of healthcare is everybody is coming in, making their own solution. So you have thousands of point solution vendors and all we're doing…
Self-FundedThe Essential Guide To Value-Based Care | with Binu Samuel
"I think I'd say our patients deserve better. Our Americans who are encountering the healthcare system deserve better." - Binu SamuelBinu Samuel, Director of…
Self-FundedHow To Build Your LinkedIn Presence In 2025
"Everybody makes an excuse at the end as to why they didn't post or why they didn't start the thing they really wanted to start." - Me Happy New Year! As a…