Episodes

Captives, keynote speaking, employee education, client testimonials, problem-solving, and having skin in the game with your customers, were a few of the many topics Robert Gelb, David Voorhees and I discussed during the final installment of the Self-Funded w/Spencer podcast on the road at the True Captive conference. Here is the registration link for the next Future of Benefits in Business conference in St. Louis, MO at Busch Stadium on 4/12/22. https://truecaptive.com/st-louis-registration/ htt...

How much does surgery cost? How good is my surgeon? Sanjay Prasad MD sits down with me to discuss the answers to both of those questions and more. Sanjay is an Ear, Nose, and Throat surgeon by trade, the Author of "Resetting Healthcare", and the founder of SurgiQuality. Sanjay is a brilliant man on a mission to create more transparency for patients around the ability of their surgeon, and the price the member will pay. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/spencer...

"Healthcare is Fixed" - That is the message Glenn Fisher, serial entrepreneur and Managing Partner of NavMD, is delivering to the employee benefits world. We talk data analytics, acting on these insights, FinTech, and why Glenn was attracted to the Healthcare space initially. Beyond the technical nature of his business, he stresses the importance of delivering value to your customer no matter what you do. We round out the discussion on pharmacy, consulting, reference based pricing, captives, and...

Rachel Strauss joined me in OKC to discuss the vital role of a transparent PBM, such as her employer EHIM. She has been a previous podcast guest (Episode 10), and she is one of the most knowledge people when it comes to Pharmacy Benefit Management. She implores employers to ask the simple question, "How does my PBM get paid"? Rachel also relates the problem of "rebates", to getting money back on your tax return. Is it really better to overpay, and then wait 12 months to get money back? She se...

Modern marketing is evolving, and Trey Hinson of Ocozzio shares everything you need to know about this changing landscape. We covered an array of topics from Self-Funding, Bourbon, LinkedIn Sponsored Posts, The Power of Video for Marketing, Personalized Prospecting, the Decentralization of Healthcare Solutions, Storytelling, and so much more! This was one of the most difficult episodes to edit because there was so much great content. I ended up making 4 promo clips instead of 1! --- Support th...

In installment 3 of my coverage of the True Captive Summit, I sit down with the CEO of Vālenz®, Robert Gelb. "Vālenz® simplifies the complexities of self-insurance for employers through a steadfast commitment to data transparency and decision enablement". Rob is quickly becoming one of my favorite people in Employee Benefits because of his charisma, his focus on company culture, and the "yes, and" mentality he brought over from studying improv to apply to the business he runs. In this episode...

In installment 2 of my coverage of the True Captive Summit, I sit down with Adam Berkowitz of Simpara, and his client Lance Young, of Shine Solar. In this mini-episode, we discuss Lance's experience working in Human Resources and how his partnership with Simpara inspired Shine Solar to transition from fully-insured to self-funded. Shine Solar went from experiencing annual costs increases with no ability to counteract this trend, to lowering their cost multiple years in a row, while simultaneou...

Episode 38 of Self-Funded with Spencer features Jorge Arzate, CEO and Founder of MAKINA BENEFITS. Jorge joined me on the show to discuss the role of a boutique-style independent TPA and his passion for helping small employers take control of their healthcare spend. We had conversations about discipline as an entrepreneur, focusing on growth over just setting goals, and even kicked the chat off with our mutual upbringing on #heavymetal. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com...

I recently took the Self-Funded w/ Spencer Podcast on the road to Oklahoma City where I covered the Future of Business and Benefits Conference, Hosted by True Captive Insurance and Presented by Valenz. In this mini-episode, I sat down with the CEO of True Captive, David Vorhees, to discuss the goals for the conference and what the audience should expect in terms of quality content. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/spencer-harlan-smith/support

Dan is the US Head of Sales, Middle Market for Meritain Health. He has an extensive career in Employee Benefits, especially in Self-Funding, and received his CEBS designation through an affiliation with the Wharton School. In particular, this episode focuses on the advanced role of a TPA for self-funded groups, and how they can serve as an open architecture solution for employers to customize their health plan and better control the cost of care. Dan is also an avid fitness enthusiast, partic...

One of the most neglected parts of our healthcare system in the last few years has been the lack of availability in virtual mental/behavioral health support for employees. In this episode, Mike Kohl of Vida Health joined me to discuss whole person healthcare, which includes a heavy emphasis on getting members of an employer sponsored health plan access to mental health support as quickly as possible. Mike is a great person, with an awesome story, and I hope you find this information valuable. ...

Erik Templin is Executive Vice President at Brown & Brown. He is one of the most knowledgeable people in our industry, and the person responsible for introducing me to the concept of self-funding. He's also an outstanding strategist, salesman, and family man, and has been a mentor for me as I go through my own career journey in this industry. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/spencer-harlan-smith/support

Allison is the Founder of Altiqe Consulting, a boutique employee benefits consulting firm out of San Antonio, Texas. Allison is easily one of the most innovative EB consultants I know, and also a podcast host herself, with her show called "Raising the Bar with Allison De Paoli". https://raisingthebar.live/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/spencer-harlan-smith/support

Chris Fisher is the Founder of BenefitsAlly and the creator of the 3x3x3 podcast series. Chris has alway had a finger on the pulse of what’s new and innovative in the insurance space, and he’s one of the most connected people I know in employee benefits. We discuss everything from new benefit solutions, carrier group school, Vonlane luxury bus travel, and Chris’ COVID hair! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/spencer-harlan-smith/support

Megan Chiarello and Andy Neary join me in the studio to discuss how to maximize your efforts on LinkedIn. If you are a salesperson, an entrepreneur, a marketing specialist, and insurance broker, or just someone that wants to grow your network of prospects and clients, this special episode of the podcast is for you! Make sure you follow all of us on LinkedIn for more great content! Megan Chiarello - https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganchiarello/ Andy Neary - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyneary...

Chetara Brisbon is the Director of Growth for Nice Healthcare. Chetara flew all the way in from South Carolina to share her story, as well as her company’s value proposition. In the show we talk family, her pursuit of a PhD, in-home healthcare visits, virtual primary care services, and so much more. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/spencer-harlan-smith/support

Reid Rasmussen came on the show to discuss the origins of freshbenies, what it was like moving from Canada to the US and how our healthcare systems differ, as well as his own original employee benefits show "Brokers in Cars Getting Coffee. freshbenies website - https://www.freshbenies.com/ Brokers in Cars Getting Coffee - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0X1umyPQ0QA&t=19s --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/spencer-harlan-smith/support

"Captives" Part-2 with David Voorhees, CEO of True Captive Insurance. David stopped by Frisco, TX on his way back to Kansas City and graciously helped me complete the second part of the #captive podcast miniseries. He brings a unique perspective having spent the majority of his career in recruiting and human resources, and his captive model has a very employee-centric approach to risk management. David was also the person who recommended I pitch Waterloo Sparkling Water on a podcast sponsorsh...

Phil is the Chief Operating Officer of Complete Captive Management Services. He entered the captive world more In 2010, after his 25 years as a Paramedic actually brought him into this world accidentally. Phil was one of the early warriors out there telling the story of Employee Benefits Captives long before they became as popular as they are today. This episode is Part 1 of a 2-Part miniseries on Captives, and Phil spends a big chunk of this podcast explaining what Captives are, as well as de...

Geniece is a Principal at EPIC Insurance Brokers, and has spent her entire year in the employee benefits and consulting space. In this episode, we discussed her perspective on self-funding, as well as her interest in cryptocurrency, nomad capitalism, and her love for music as a choir director at her church. Enjoy! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/spencer-harlan-smith/support

Preston was recommended separately to me by two industry peers, so I anticipated that it would be an exciting conversation, and he certainly didn’t disappoint. Not only is he an expert in Employee Benefits & Underwriting, but Preston also used to moonlight as a youth soccer coach for many years and has a son that’s pretty decent at the game ⚽️. He even gave me a few pointers as a newbie soccer coach, the most important of which was don’t put “Coach Spencer” on the back of your shirt. (Too late...

Vince is VP of Sales at Partners MGU, a stop loss managing general underwriter with a unique business model that allows their clients an opportunity to financially benefit from the sale of the company in the future. Vince came on the show to discuss his upbringing in Detroit as the son of a Tailor, his accidental career move into insurance underwriting, and his eventual progression into Stop Loss Sales. Vince is a wealth knowledge, a kind man, and as you can see, a very sharp dresser as well. -...

Matt shares his journey from being an All-American Golfer at the University of Texas, to spending 5 years as a professional golfer, to eventually finding his passion in the insurance world as a Benefits Consultant. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/spencer-harlan-smith/support

Dwight Mankin is the President of WebTPA, a third party administrator with the tagline "We Do Weird" because they focus on large group self-funded clients that want to build a customized health plans for their unique needs. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/spencer-harlan-smith/support