“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 people that we're really trying to serve." - Sonja Allen

Sonja Allen is the Managing Director of the Marshall Allen Project and the Allen Health Academy, and as many of you know, she was also married to our dear friend, the late Marshall Allen. Sonja joined me to discuss how she’s continuing Marshall’s mission of helping Americans fight back against our healthcare system, using the MAC, an AI clone of Marshall Allen.

She also shared the story of her and Marshall’s lives together, including how they met and how he found his passion for healthcare journalism, and I’m humbled to have had the chance to capture a permanent record of it for the world. 

Marshall was a dear friend and an inspiration, and I was honored to have him on the show. I hope you’ll tune in this week to hear how we can all continue his legacy.

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Continuing Marshall Allen's Legacy | with Sonja Allen
(00:03:40) Sonja’s Experience Growing Up In Kenya
(00:08:43) Meeting Marshall Allen
(00:16:04) Marshall’s Career Transformation
(00:30:58) The MAC - The Marshall Allen AI Clone
(00:33:53) Empowering Healthcare Navigation Using The MAC
(00:42:55) Informing Americans Of Their Healthcare Rights

Key Links for Social:

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

Listen/watch 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/

“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 another bill from it again. You're done." - Dean Jargo

Dean Jargo, CEO of Fair Market Health, joined me this week to share why US healthcare desperately needs to be a fair market. 

We talked about what that means and why it requires us to construct a new healthcare ecosystem, how it enables patients to actually receive better care at a lower price point, and how it can work in conjunction with employer benefits to create a more effective system for employers, employees, and providers. 

Join us this week on Self-Funded with Spencer as we talk the big-picture future of healthcare!

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Returning Healthcare To The Free Market | with Dean Jargo
(00:03:50) Streamlining Healthcare Payments
(00:10:02) Directly Purchasing Specialty Care
(00:16:00) Why Healthcare Desperately Needs A Fair Market
(00:21:44) Transparent Pricing Model
(00:26:23) Creating A New Healthcare Ecosystem

(00:53:12) Clear Pricing Leads To Informed Healthcare Purchases

Key Links for Social:

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

Listen/watch 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/

“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 convenient way directly into the homes of our patients." - Jory Zunich

This episode combines two topics we speak about frequently on Self-Funded: making healthcare more affordable, and improving access to care for employees. Jory Zunich of Nice Healthcare joined me to explain how Nice is able to provide in-home healthcare affordably, and how their model can potentially revolutionize primary care. 

We discussed how Jory got into healthcare and his track-and-field background before talking about Nice, and how simply removing the element of real-estate costs can make in-home care cheaper in some cases. Jory shared how his kids have only ever experience in-home care, and why that convenience is powerful.

Chapters:

00:00:00 How Nice Healthcare Provides Affordable In-Home Healthcare | with Jory Zunich00:20:05 The Power Of Virtual Healthcare00:30:58 How In-Home Care Can Actually Be Cheaper00:40:11 Convenient In-Home Labs00:40:57 Streamlined Patient Navigation in Primary Care00:42:29 Cost-Effective Healthcare Solutions

Key Links for Social:

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

Listen/watch 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/

“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 side." - Sims Tillirson

This is the second part of my conversation with Sims Tillirson, the first of which released this Tuesday. In this episode, we focused on Sims’ openness about his mental health issues on LinkedIn, his struggle to get off of antidepressants, and destigmatizing conversations about mental health, especially among men. Sims also shared some tips for men who have friends struggling mentally, and how we can all do a better job supporting each other.

This episode is pretty distinct from the first, and from most episodes of Self-Funded, but it was an important conversation to be had, and I hope you’ll tune in.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Helping Each Other Through Mental Health Struggles | with Sims Tillirson
00:00:32 Destigmatizing Mental Health
00:03:15 How Do We Increase Access To Mental Healthcare?
00:06:14 The Power of Genuine Listening
00:09:54 Holistic Approach to Medication and Mental Healthcare

Key Links for Social:

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

Listen/watch 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: 

Mental Health Awareness, Mens Mental Health, Break The Stigma, Empathetic Listening, Antidepressants, Mindfulness, Depression, Supporting Others, Alternative Therapies, sims tillirson, spencer smith, podcast, healthcare, health insurance, self funded, self funding, self funded health insurance, self funded insurance

#MentalHealthAwareness #MensMentalHealth #BreakTheStigma #EmpatheticListening #Antidepressants #Mindfulness #Depression #SupportingOthers #AlternativeTherapies #simstillirson #spencersmith #podcast #healthcare #healthinsurance #selffunded #selffunding #selffundedhealthinsurance #selffundedinsurance

“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 to be good customers of you anyway. Put yourself out there, disqualify the people that don't like the real you, and create a bunch of raving fans for yourself." - Sims Tillirson

I would honestly be surprised if you listen to this show and haven’t heard of Sims Tillirson; he has one of the best social media presences of anyone in the benefits industry, and he joined me this week to share what got him into benefits, how he got started with social media selling, and his thoughts on the importance of authenticity in the current LinkedIn environment. 

If you’re just getting started with social media posting or you’ve been posting for a while, there’s a lot to learn from Sims and I’ve been continually impressed to see how his personal brand has grown over the years. 

Tune in to this week’s episode of Self-Funded with Spencer to learn the power of being authentic on LinkedIn, from the social media master himself!

Chapters:

00:00:00 The Four Pillars of the Perfect LinkedIn Strategy | with Sims Tillirson
00:06:57 How Sims found his way into benefits
00:11:13 Navigating the challenges of working at startups
00:21:21 How Sims built his personal brand
00:24:35 Why personalized video messages are so effective
00:27:03 Relationship-focused outbound sales techniques
00:28:54 Building trust through social media

Key Links for Social:

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

Listen/watch 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: 

Sales Techniques, Sales Networking, Social Media Selling, Authenticity, Personal Storytelling, Video Messaging, Outbound Sales, Social Selling, Benefits Industry, Sales Success, Social Media Presence, sims tillirson, spencer smith podcast, healthcare, health insurance, self funded, self funding, self funded health insurance, self funded insurance

#SalesTechniques #SalesNetworking #SocialMediaSelling #Authenticity #PersonalStorytelling #VideoMessaging #OutboundSales #SocialSelling #BenefitsIndustry #SalesSuccess #SocialMediaPresence #simstillirson #spencersmith #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.

This month, we were joined by Rob Gelb in his office in Philadelphia!

Welcome to 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 April 2025, including:

- RFK banning artificial food dyes

- Phasing out animal testing

- The amount of microplastics in our brains

- An update on the FTC lawsuit against PBMs

- Can AI answer medical questions better than your doctor?

- Bill Gates on AI doctors/teachers

- The UnitedHealth stock crash

- Heavy metals in Girl Scout cookies

And, we play a game of "Medical Myths."

Chapters:

0:00 - Intro

0:47 - The Self-Funded Review

7:44 - Healthcare Headlines

33:11 - Medical Myths

35:12 - Ask Spencer Anything

Sources:

⁠https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-announces-plan-phase-out-animal-testing-requirement-monoclonal-antibodies-and-other-drugs

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/can-ai-answer-medical-questions-better-than-your-doctor-202403273028

https://www.instagram.com/breakfreefromplastic/p/DGBbTB5z48n/

https://www.barrons.com/articles/unitedhealth-stock-falls-medicare-advantage-6c54e1c1

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/unitedhealth-lowers-annual-profit-forecast-higher-costs-2025-04-17/

https://unusualwhales.com/news/bill-gates-says-ai-will-replace-doctors-and-teachers-in-10-years

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/rfk-jr-announces-plans-remove-artificial-dyes-nations-food-supply-rcna202184

https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/ftc-pbm-case-move-forward-ferguson/744454/

"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 for its users. We talked about what led him to create this app, how it sets itself apart in that market, and how he’s working with employers to use the app for employee wellness programs. 

Chris never intended to start an app, and he shares what the experience has been like from initial idea, to taking on investment, and now expanding in different markets. We talked about the psychology behind paid vs. free apps, what he sees as the future for Afiili-Fit, and how it’s found success with its users.

Tune in this week to learn about a fitness and diet app for employee wellness!

Chapters:

00:00:00 A Fitness And Diet App For Employee Wellness | with Chris Burgess
00:06:07 Chris’s Construction Background
00:21:32 Automated Meal Planning/Nutrition App
00:31:26 Using AI To Help Build Meal Plans
00:37:29 Helping Users Meet Their Health Goals
00:48:35 How Affilifit Can Be Used For Employee Wellness
01:06:09 Employer-Sponsored Fitness Plans

Key Links for Social:

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

Listen/watch 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: 

Construction, Nutrition App, Affilifit, Meal Planning, Employee Wellness, Custom Workout, diet app, exercise app, fitness app, wellness, diet, nutrition, fitness, exercise, chris burgess, spencer smith, podcast, healthcare, health insurance, self funded, selffunding, self funded health insurance, self funded insurance

#Construction #NutritionApp #Affilifit #MealPlanning #EmployeeWellness #CustomWorkout #dietapp #exerciseapp #fitnessapp #wellness #diet #nutrition #fitness #exercise #chrisburgess #spencersmith #podcast #healthcare #healthinsurance #selffunded #selffunding #selffundedhealthinsurance #selffundedinsurance

“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 consultant, joined me this week to discuss what HR’s role in mergers & acquisitions is, and why HR is so key to that process. We talked about doing the right due diligence before an acquisition, how to merge cultures, and how to navigate the different reactions that employees inevitably have. 

Diane and I also dove into the psychology of both the buyer and the seller in an M&A transaction, and why the reasons to buy are often not the same as those to sell. Founders often have much more emotions surrounding the transaction, which have to be taken into account to make sure the transition is as smooth as possible for them and their employees.

Join me this week on Self-Funded with Spencer to find out what HR’s role is in the M&A process!

Chapters:

00:00:00 HR’s Role In M&A: Due Diligence, Culture, and Integration | with Diane Dooley
00:08:08 Assessing Cultural Fit in M&A
00:15:49 Thorough Due Diligence When Acquiring
00:20:52 Impact of Company Culture in Mergers
00:25:26 Navigating Integration With Change Management
00:39:17 Leadership Continuity
00:41:54 The Importance of Employee Incentives
00:46:37 Avoiding Hiring Mistakes
01:06:51 Being Proactive In HR

Key Links for Social:

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

Listen/watch 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: 

HR, Mergers And Acquisitions, M and A, Mergers, Acquisitons, CHRO, Due Diligence, Culture, Integration, Change Management, Succession, Recruitment, Diane Dooley, spencer smith, podcast, healthcare, health insurance, self funded, self funding, self funded health insurance, self funded insurance

#HR #MergersAndAcquisitions #MandA #Mergers #Acquisitons #CHRO #DueDiligence #Culture #Integration #ChangeManagement #Succession #Recruitment #dianedooley #spencersmith #podcast #healthcare #healthinsurance #selffunded #selffunding #selffundedhealthinsurance #selffundedinsurance

"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

Christopher Cordon joined me this week to talk about something that may initially seem contradictory to what I typically preach: level-funding. Chris shares why worksite benefits sales for employers with under 50 employees led him to level-funding as a solution, and why he’s so passionate about serving that under-served market.  

Chris has a background as an actor, and we also discussed how that has helped him in sales and in the entrepreneurial world, as well as in his recent LinkedIn content. 

Chris is a passionate guy who genuinely wants to make insurance affordable and easy for small employers, and I hope you’ll tune in to hear just how he does that. 

Chapters:

00:00:00 Health Insurance Benefits With Less Than 50 Employees | with Christopher Cordon
00:08:37 Chris’s Career Path
00:23:56 Learning How To Navigate Sales
00:33:45 Why Large Employers Are Almost All Self-Funded
00:44:33 The Efficiency and Cost-Effectiveness of Direct Primary Care
00:48:21 Why Chris Has Embraced Level-Funding
00:52:59 Simplifying Self-Insurance
01:01:51 How Do We Make Healthcare Sustainable?
01:10:27 AI's Impact on Healthcare Costs

Key Links for Social:

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

Listen/watch 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: 

Direct Primary Care, DPC, Level Funded, Level Funding, Employer Solutions, Healthcare Consulting,  Insurance Business, AI in Healthcare, entrepreneurship, christopher cordon, spencer smith, podcast, healthcare, health insurance, self funded, self funding, self funded health insurance, self funded insurance

#DirectPrimaryCare #DPC #LevelFunded #LevelFunding #EmployerSolutions  #HealthcareConsulting  #InsuranceBusiness #AIinHealthcare #entrepreneurship #christophercordon #spencersmith #podcast #healthcare #healthinsurance #selffunded #selffunding #selffundedhealthinsurance #selffundedinsurance

"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 week to discuss the PBM industry in 2025. If you’re a PBM, how do you gain trust with employers and build plans that work for them? We talk about what every PBM should be doing for their employers, what true transparency looks like, how to reach employees directly through software, and how GLP1s are changing the industry.

If you’re a PBM or work with them, or are just curious about one of the biggest industries in healthcare, make sure to tune in this week to Self-Funded with Spencer to hear from Julie on what the best practices need to look like.

Chapters:

00:00:00 What The PBM Industry Should Focus On In 2025 | with Julie Wasserman
00:15:07 Increasing Employee Engagement
00:20:16 Complexity in the PBM Industry
00:25:03 Data-Driven Health Savings for Employers
00:31:27 What Does True Transparency Look Like
00:49:36 Global Drug Price Discrepancies
00:56:38 Incentivizing Cost-Effective Healthcare Decisions in PBMs
01:01:11 Financial Risks of Covering GLP1s for Weight Loss

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: 

VerusRx, PBM, PBMs, Rebate, Rebates, Pharmacy Rebates, Transparency, PBMIndustry, GLP1, GLP1s, Ozempic, Wegovy, pharma, Reference Based Pricing, RBP, Healthcare Costs, julie wasserman, spencer smith, podcast, healthcare, health insurance, self funded, self funding, self funded health insurance, self funded insurance

#VerusRx #PBM #PBMs #Rebate #Rebates #PharmacyRebates #Transparency #PBMIndustry #GLP1 #GLP1s #Ozempic #Wegovy #pharma #ReferenceBasedPricing #RBP #HealthcareCosts #juliewasserman #spencersmith #podcast #healthcare #healthinsurance #selffunded #selffunding #selffundedhealthinsurance #selffundedinsurance