Self-Funded

"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

"Don't compare GLP-1s to working out, because if they were working out, they wouldn't need the GLP1s." - Danish Nagda

“I think what RFK has done with the MAHA movement is he's gotten people interested in health again.” - Jonathan Lopez

Seth Denson, Trey Marinello, Danish Nagda, and Jonathan Lopez joined me for the most ambitious podcast we’ve ever attempted. On location in the Red Phone Booth speakeasy in The Colony, Texas, 35 guests joined us from across the United States to share ideas to shape the future of healthcare. In my longest podcast ever, we covered the doctor shortage in America, GLP-1s, AI’s role in healthcare, answered live audience questions, and so much more.

This podcast was made possible by Havencrest Capital Management and True Rx Health Strategists. Special thank you to Sawyer Stratton.

No matter what role you play in our healthcare ecosystem, I promise that you’ll learn something from these four amazing guests I had on this week’s episode of Self-Funded with Spencer.

Chapters:

00:00:00 The Future Of Healthcare Podcast
00:11:31 Solving The Healthcare Provider Shortage
00:16:49 AI’s Role In Healthcare
00:23:01 Enhancing The Healthcare Consumer Experience
00:29:27 Empowering Individuals in Healthcare Decision-Making
00:32:20 PBMs Role In Healthcare
00:39:06 GLP-1 Concerns
00:51:02 Improving Patient Outcomes
01:13:05 Audience Q&A

Key Links for Social:

@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFunded

Listen on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02

Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286

Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/

Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/

Key Words: 

Healthcare Innovation, Future Of Healthcare, Doctor Shortage, Care Navigation, GLP1, Ozempic, PBMs, Healthcare Incentives, MAHA, make america healthy again, rfk, jonathan lopez, danish nagda, seth denson, trey marinello, spencer smith, podcast, healthcare, health insurance, self funded, self funding, self funded health insurance, self funded insurance

#HealthcareInnovation #FutureOfHealthcare #DoctorShortage #CareNavigation #GLP1 #Ozempic #PBMs #HealthcareIncentives #MAHA #makeamericahealthyagain #rfk #jonathanlopez #danishnagda #sethdenson #treymarinello #spencersmith #podcast #healthcare #healthinsurance #selffunded #selffunding #selffundedhealthinsurance #selffundedinsurance

"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 engage effectively." - Ryan Coplon

Ryan Coplon, co-founder of HealthWallet, joined me to discuss why improving member engagement actually reduces health plan expenses, how we get members to understand their healthcare, and what the “perfect” employer health plan would look like. 

In my opinion, solutions like HealthWallet are something of a no-brainer if you’re an employer; you can implement amazing, cost-containing point solutions, but if your employees don’t know how to access them, they aren’t going to when they access care. Ryan and I talk about the importance of accessibility and empowering consumers to make the right choices with their care.

Tune in this week to learn how to simplify the way employees access their healthcare!

Chapters:

00:00:00 Fixing The Way Employees Access Healthcare with Ryan Coplon
00:14:26 Re-bundling Disparate Services To Improve Member Experience
00:19:50 Enhancing Member Engagement
00:21:28 Integrated Healthcare Reduces Expenses
00:31:50 Healthcare Simplification
00:46:45 Transitioning to Digital Member IDs
00:52:49 Building the Perfect Health Plan

Key Links for Social:

@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFunded

Listen on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02

Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286

Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/

Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/

Key Words: 

Member Experience, Health Wallet, Health Plans, Member Access, Accessing Healthcare, Digital ID, Direct Primary Care, Emergency Care Navigation, Care Navigation, podcast, healthcare, health insurance, self funded, self funding, self funded health insurance, self funded insurance

#MemberExperience #HealthWallet #HealthPlans #MemberAccess #AccessingHealthcare #DigitalID #DirectPrimaryCare #EmergencyCareNavigation #CareNavigation #podcast #healthcare #healthinsurance #selffunded #selffunding #selffundedhealthinsurance #selffundedinsurance

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, Last Month In Healthcare! Each month, producer Nathaniel joins me to discuss the previous month's podcasts, headlines, and listener-submitted questions.

This episode covers healthcare news from February 2025, including:

- the start of the Make America Healthy Again commission

- executive orders to make healthcare prices more transparent

- beef tallow fries at Steak 'n Shake

- telehealth advertising and GLP-1 statistics

- the FTC lawsuit against huge PBMs

- American's wariness about AI in healthcare

- allowing AI to prescribe medicine

- a bipartisan bill to allow HSA dollars to be used for direct primary care

Chapters:

0:00 - Intro

1:09 - The Self-Funded Review

8:40 - Healthcare Headlines

30:40 - Ask Spencer Anything

Sources:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/america-healthy-again-timeline-maha-093054800.html

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/establishing-the-presidents-make-america-healthy-again-commission/

https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/02/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-announces-actions-to-make-healthcare-prices-transparent/

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/this-bill-could-make-it-legal-ai-prescribe-medicine-2025a1000504?utm_campaign=feed&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=later-linkinbio&form=fpf

https://www.benefitspro.com/2025/02/28/want-glp-1-coverage-workers-willing-to-switch-jobs-for-access/

https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/telehealth-ads-marketing-birth-control-mental-health-obesity/

https://healthexec.com/topics/healthcare-management/legal-news/federal-judge-sides-ftc-case-against-pbms-move-forward

https://thenationaldesk.com/top-videos/facing-burnout-us-doctors-see-hope-in-ai-for-better-patient-care-artificial-intelligence-athenahealth-survey-staffing-shortages-reimbursement-electronic-health-records-billing

https://www.dermatologytimes.com/view/study-reveals-majority-of-us-adults-distrust-health-care-system-s-use-of-ai

https://crenshaw.house.gov/2025/2/crenshaw-co-leads-bipartisan-legislation-expanding-direct-primary-care-access

"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, President of True Network Advisors, joins the show for a third time for this podcast filmed at his boathouse in Guntersville, Alabama. 

Scott and I talked about contagious communities, which Scott defines as a community that people want to share with other people in their life. We also talked about Scott’s list of paradoxes, why he calls his wife “Miss Hot Dog”, creating genuine relationships in life and business, and why authentic expression is so important to both of us. 

This is the longest podcast we’ve ever released, but also one of the most engaging, and Scott is always a fascinating person to talk to. 

Tune in this week to Self-Funded with Spencer to learn about what it takes to create a contagious community!

Chapters:

00:00:00 How to Build a Contagious Community | with Scott Smith
00:12:19 What’s in a name?
00:16:36 Scott’s definition of a “contagious community”
00:24:46 Organic growing an engaging community
00:36:27 Cultivating positive community experiences
00:40:09 Building a culture of kindness
00:46:33 Creating genuine relationships in business and life
00:57:48 Should we worry about our own legacies?
01:06:29 Dealing with the negativity that comes with building anything
01:16:37 Why authentic expression is so important
01:23:10 The burden of choice 

Key Links for Social:

@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFunded

Listen on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02

Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286

Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/

Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/

Key Words: 

Contagious Community, Contagious Communities, Creating Communities, Community Building, Relationship Building, Legacy, Free Speech, Paradox Of Choice, Positive Communities, podcast, healthcare, health insurance, self funded, self funding, self funded health insurance, self funded insurance

#ContagiousCommunity #ContagiousCommunities #CreatingCommunities #CommunityBuilding #RelationshipBuilding #Legacy #FreeSpeech #ParadoxOfChoice #PositiveCommunities #podcast #healthcare #healthinsurance #selffunded #selffunding #selffundedhealthinsurance #selffundedinsurance

"Reversing obesity, reversing diabetes is possible. You don't just have to manage a chronic condition." - Steve Hastings

Steve Hastings, Leader of Health Plans at Virta Health, joined me to share Virta’s strategy to help members reverse type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, and obesity. He also shared their findings on just how important food is to our overall health and the power it has as medicine.

If you’ve listened to pretty much any episode of Self-Funded with Spencer, you’ve heard my thoughts on the importance of healthy nutrition and eating, and how so many of America’s chronic health problems are due to what we eat. Steve shared how they put together effective plans that actually work to help people lose weight, and keep it off, without using GLP-1s or other drugs. And, if a member needs GLP-1s, they work to create a strategy to make sure the drug is effective and they can maintain that weight loss.

Join us on Self-Funded this week to learn how it’s possible to reverse diabetes and obesity!

Chapters:

00:00:00 Meet Steve Hastings
00:02:53 Food As Medicine
00:07:47 Membership-based Primary Care
00:15:29 Nutrition-Based Reversal of Diabetes and Obesity
00:17:35 America’s Obesity Health Crisis
00:20:03 Long-term Health Goal Support
00:27:42 Tailored Nutrition Plans To Reverse Diabetes
00:35:55 Mental Health Improvement From Weight Loss
00:49:00 Optimizing Health Outcomes Through Food

Key Links for Social:

@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFunded

Listen on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02

Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286

Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/

Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/

Key Words: 

Nutrition, Primary Care, Reversing Diabetes, Reversing Obesity, Diabetes, Obesity, Obesity In America, Behavior Change, Individualized Nutrition, GLP1s, GLPs, Ozempic, semiglutides, Food As Medicine, Wellness, podcast, healthcare, health insurance, self funded, self funding, self funded health insurance, self funded insurance

#Nutrition #PrimaryCare #ReversingDiabetes #ReversingObesity #Diabetes #Obesity #ObesityInAmerica #BehaviorChange #IndividualizedNutrition #GLP1s #GLPs #Ozempic #semiglutides #FoodAsMedicine  #Wellness #podcast #healthcare #healthinsurance #selffunded #selffunding #selffundedhealthinsurance #selffundedinsurance

"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, joined me to discuss working at an all-female insurance agency, why specialization is so important in today’s market, and some innovative approaches to self-funded healthcare.

Maggi shares her journey into insurance, as well as how she found her way to Intrepid, and why the relationship side of the business is the most important to her. We also discuss what makes Intrepid so different, and how that’s won (and lost) them business over the years. 

Tune in this week to Self-Funded with Spencer to learn why I gave Maggi the name “Maggi Quinn, Benefits Woman”.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Meet Maggi Quinn
00:11:18 Maggi’s Journey To Intrepid
00:22:11 Enhancing Employer Healthcare
00:26:09 Customized, Personal Solutions For Employers
00:31:06 Mutual Fit in Client Relationships
00:37:11 Enhancing Client Understanding in Healthcare Communication
00:39:18 Personalized Medication Management through DNA Sequencing
00:42:39 Enhancing Well-being Through Health Education
00:55:14 Innovative Approaches To Employer-sponsored Healthcare

Key Links for Social:

@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFunded

Listen on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02

Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286

Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/

Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/

Key Words: 

Healthcare Solutions, Wellness, Personalized Medication, Client Relationships, Innovative Healthcare, Self Funded Employers, Specialized Healthcare, Future Of Healthcare, Cost Effective Healthcare, podcast, healthcare, health insurance, self funded, self funding, self funded health insurance, self funded insurance

#HealthcareSolutions #Wellness #PersonalizedMedication #ClientRelationships #InnovativeHealthcare #SelfFundedEmployers #SpecializedHealthcare #FutureOfHealthcare #CostEffectiveHealthcare #podcast #healthcare #healthinsurance #selffunded #selffunding #selffundedhealthinsurance #selffundedinsurance

"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 ParetoHealth, joined me for a podcast that is far less about captives than it is about being a sales ninja. We talk about getting started in sales, the buyer as a skeptic, collaborative selling, and sales mentorship.

Sean was actually a pro basketball player, and he shares how his point guard experience has translated to his career. He shares what led him into sales and why he embraced it so quickly, and why Pareto felt like a natural fit when he joined. 

Whether you’re just getting started in sales or you’re a sales veteran, I promise you’ll learn something from this week’s episode of Self-Funded with Spencer.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Meet Sean Wood
00:04:16 Elevating Your Team As A Leader
00:11:04 Transitioning From Pro Basketball To Sales
00:20:04 Trust-Based Team Selling
00:24:11 Long-term Relationship Building In Sales
00:31:30 The Importance Of Sales Mentorship
00:53:09 Healthcare Solutions Driven By The Market
00:59:57 The Future Of Healthcare Consulting

Key Links for Social:

@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFunded

Listen on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02

Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286

Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/

Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/

Key Words: 

Transition To Sales, Collaborative Selling, Team Sales, Mentorship, Relationship Building, Sales Process, Healthcare Solutions, Buyer Mentality, Sales Success, podcast, healthcare, health insurance, self funded, self funding, self funded health insurance, self funded insurance

#TransitionToSales #CollaborativeSelling #TeamSales #Mentorship #RelationshipBuilding #SalesProcess #HealthcareSolutions #BuyerMentality #SalesSuccess #podcast #healthcare #healthinsurance #selffunded #selffunding #selffundedhealthinsurance #selffundedinsurance

“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 attractive and want to acquire your agency.”- Shelby Cowley

Shelby Cowley joined me this week to discuss the complicated world of insurance mergers & acquisitions. How do you get the best valuation for your agency? What key metrics are most attractive to buyers? How much does personality impact the value?

We answer all of those questions and more on this week’s episode of Self-Funded.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Meet Shelby Cowley
00:08:51 Empowering Entrepreneurs through Unique Insurance M&A

00:11:42 Valuation Impact on Agency Acquisition Success
00:15:46 High Demand Driving Top-Tier Valuations in Acquisitions
00:19:29 Strategic Evaluation for Successful Business Acquisitions
00:22:18 Long-term Partnership Potential in Buyer Selection
00:28:45 Performance-Based Growth In Business Sale Agreements
00:37:57 Leveraging Private Equity for Growth and Acquisitions
00:42:15 Maximizing Acquisition Value Through Seller's Representation

00:45:18 Value-Driven Consulting in Client Relationships

Key Links for Social:

@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFunded

Listen on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02

Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286

Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/

Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/

Key Words: 

Insurance Mergers, Mergers And Acquisitions, Business Sales, Sales, Business Acquisition, Market Dynamics, Transactions, Private Equity Deals, PE, Private Equity, Buyer Selection, Earn Out Period, Seller Representation, Consultant, Insurance Industry, Broker, Representative, Valuations, Growth Strategies, Transaction Goals, Employee Benefits, fixing healthcare, podcast, benefits, health, healthcare, health insurance, self funded, self funding

#InsuranceMergers #MergersAndAcquisitions #BusinessSales #Sales #BusinessAcquisition #MarketDynamics #Transactions #PrivateEquityDeals #PE #PrivateEquity #BuyerSelection #EarnOutPeriod #SellerRepresentation #Consultant #InsuranceIndustry #Broker #Representative #Valuations #GrowthStrategies #TransactionGoals #EmployeeBenefits #fixinghealthcare #podcast #benefits #health #healthcare #healthinsurance #selffunded #selffunding

“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 situations and some events inside that episode of care that are going to be stop-loss related, so we want the two to work together.” - Robby Kerr

Guy Finley and Robby Kerr from HCC joined me in studio for this week’s episode of Self-Funded to discuss covering organ transplants. The costs associated with and frequency of these procedures have greatly increased in recent years, and Guy and Robby share HCC’s strategy to separately insure transplants.

Before jumping into the world of organ transplants, we talked about Guy and Robby’s backgrounds and how they made their way to HCC, as well as each of their roles currently. I was interested to learn why organ transplants became such a passion project for Guy, and how covering them is similar to other high-cost expenditures like specialty drugs. 

Join us this week to get an education on organ transplant policy and the best way to cover them in today’s market!

Chapters:

00:00:00 Meet Guy Finley and Robby Kerr
00:07:52 Organ Transplant Insurance
00:13:05 Rising Costs of Transplant Procedures
00:17:31 Comprehensive Coverage for Potential Transplants
00:21:56 Transplant Coverage Financial Assessment
00:27:11 Transplant Nurse Advisors
00:33:24 Transplant Policy Evaluation and Underwriting Process
00:37:26 Rising Liver Transplant Numbers
00:47:42 Innovative Risk Mitigation in Gene Therapy
00:50:17 Rising Rates of Organ Transplants Nationwide
00:59:41 Empowering Consumers Through Healthcare Price Transparency

Key Links for Social:

@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFunded

Listen on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02

Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286

Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/

Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/

Key Words: 

insurance industry, organ transplant, transplants, transplant, transplant insurance, healthcare costs, risk mitigation, transplant coverage, care coordination, stop loss, price transparency, financial planning, Employee Benefits, fixing healthcare, podcast, benefits, health, healthcare, health insurance, self funded, self funding

#insuranceindustry #organtransplant #transplants #transplant #transplantinsurance #healthcarecosts #riskmitigation #transplantcoverage #carecoordination #stoploss #pricetransparency #financialplanning #EmployeeBenefits #fixinghealthcare #podcast #benefits #health #healthcare #healthinsurance #selffunded #selffunding

“It's everything. Exposure, knowledge, education, generating new business, solving clients, risk management objectives. It's all here." - John Capasso
“And the question comes up year over year, what is the ROI of SIIA? Did we have a legitimate hard dollar return on investment? And the answer is yes, we've always seen a return.” - Amy Gasbarro

Along the way, we also dive into the history of SIIA, what’s made it so relevant for so long, and what the real ROI is for both the attendees and the sponsors. At the end of the podcast, we have a Q&A with the audience. 

Thank you to SIIA for sponsoring this special edition of the podcast! 

Chapters:

00:00:00 Self-Funded At SIIA

Key Links for Social:

@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFunded

Listen on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02

Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286

Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/

Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/

Key Words: 

SIIA, Insurance Conference, Advocacy, Networking, SIIA Conference, Self Insurance, Sponsorship, Event Planning, Industry Education, Legislation, ROI, Self Insurance Community, Employee Benefits, podcast, benefits, health, healthcare, health insurance, self funded, self funding

#SIIA #InsuranceConference #Advocacy #Networking #SIIAConference #SelfInsurance #Sponsorship #EventPlanning #IndustryEducation #Legislation #ROI #SelfInsuranceCommunity #EmployeeBenefits #podcast #benefits #health #healthcare #healthinsurance #selffunded #selffunding