Episodes

"Whoever makes patient care more convenient is likely to win." - Chris Yarn My guest this week is Chris Yarn, Founder of Walk On Clinic, who joins me to explain why convenience is the ultimate currency in healthcare. Chris shares his journey from insurance broker to building a direct primary care (DPC) model that brings care directly to the employee's doorstep - literally. Chris breaks down the "Walk On" model, which combines mobile on-site clinics, near-site access, and virtual care to achiev...

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, producer Nathaniel joins me to discuss the previous month's podcasts, headlines, and listener-submitted questions. This month, we’re doing something a little different to close out 2025. Instead of just looking back at December, we are ranking the biggest healthcare stories of the entire year on a Tier List, from "Not Impactful" to "Super I...

“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 the show to expose the financial "arbitrage" that he believes is destroying independent medical practices in America. Dutch explains how current CMS incentives allow hospitals to buy independent clinics and immediately charge 165% more for the exact same services, which is a practice that is crushing employers and patients alike. In thi...

"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 U.S. is completely unnecessary. My guest this week is Will Bruhn, CEO and Co-Founder of GAM (Global Appropriateness Measures), and he joins the show to explain exactly where that waste comes from and how we can fix it. Will argues that we've been measuring quality wrong. Instead of just looking at outcomes (did the surgery go well?), we ...

"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 physical checks in 2025?" - Cory Morin My guest this week is Cory Morin, Co-Founder of Benji Card, who has developed a "virtual wallet" strategy that is revolutionizing how self-funded plans pay for care. Cory joined the show to explain how giving members and care coordinators instant access to funds can drastically lower medical claim cos...

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, producer Nathaniel joins me to discuss the previous month's podcasts, headlines, and listener-submitted questions. This month, we’re joined by Chris Hamilton! We talk about the J&J lawsuit being dismissed, Eli Lilly switching PBMs, AI in healthcare, and much more. We also play a Christmas game called Home Alone: The Wet Bandit's Bills, wher...

"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 week, Trey Marinello of Houlihan Lokey, is an expert in a topic everyone is constantly talking about: Private Equity. Trey joined the show to demystify the world of investment banking and explain exactly why private equity firms are pouring billions of dollars into the employer-sponsored healthcare space. Trey breaks down the current trend...

"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 perfect broker-partner relationship? My guests this week, Cara Kirsch and Libby Henry, join the show to answer that question. They share the story of how a single "virtual lunch" during the pandemic sparked one of the most effective partnerships in the industry. Cara and Libby break down the ingredients of their success: radical transpar...

"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 consultants could actually make a profound impact." - Trey Halbert The old-school, transactional broker is dead. My guest this week, Trey Halbert, CEO of ExperINS, joins the show to discuss the rise of the modern "Strategic Consultant" and what that evolution means for employers. Trey breaks down the playbook for this new, elevated role. We...

"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 Masson My guest this week is Mark Masson, President of Renalogic, here to shine a light on one of the most expensive and hidden risks in every health plan: Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). It's a "silent killer" that affects 1 in 7 Americans, but a staggering 90% of them don't even know they have it until it's too late. In this episode, Mark ...

"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 guest this week, Sasha Gribov, founder of Milu Health, is on a mission to build the proactive, forward-looking solutions our healthcare system desperately needs. He joins the show to discuss how he's using AI to create an "early warning system" for health, moving our model from reactive to proactive. Sasha breaks down the Milu model, which u...

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, producer Nathaniel joins me to discuss the previous month's podcasts, headlines, and listener-submitted questions. This month, we’re also joined by Kyle Minick! This episode is a bit different than usual as we focus on the many issues our physicians are dealing with in 2025, from AI to burnout to compensation. And we play a new game called ...

“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 Jerue, argues that the key to solving our healthcare crisis is to think differently and build a truly cohesive healthcare ecosystem. Driven by his personal experience battling cancer and navigating a fragmented system, Garrett has dedicated his career to designing benefits strategies that actually work for people. In this episode, Garrett sha...

“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 gone. It's going to be a double digit rate increase market going forward." - Jay Ritchie The president of one of the largest stop-loss carriers is here to deliver the State of the Union for our market. My guest this week is Jay Ritchie, President of Tokio Marine HCC, and he shares the current state of the market and what to expect for 2025-...

"The biggest shift was the consolidation that happened with the insurance carriers themselves. From 25 or more carriers to just four national carriers." - John Rutledge How did health insurance get so broken? My guest this week, 40-year industry veteran John Rutledge of Marsh McLennan Agency, joins the show to walk us through the last 40 years of decisions that led us to the consolidated, expensive, and frustrating market we have today. John explains how the market went from over 25 competing ...

"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 Austin Simmons of Chef and Rancher and benefits/nutrition expert Chris Pierron, believe it's a critical part of the solution. They join the show to discuss the deep connection between cattle genetics, our broken food system, and our exploding healthcare costs. Chef Austin explains his "hoof to fork" model for creating "better beef." We di...

"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 preventive care." - Trey Smith High healthcare deductibles were sold to employers as a way to create better "consumers" of healthcare. My guest this week, Trey Smith of Hub International, argues that they've been a failed experiment that has done more harm than good. Instead of creating smarter shoppers, high deductibles have become a massive ba...

"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?" - Amanda Volner Can artificial intelligence actually make healthcare feel more human? Amanda Volner, AVP of Broker Partnerships at Healthee, joins the show for a deep dive into the real role of AI in the benefits industry. We discuss how artificial intelligence is a powerful tool to augment our abilities, but why uniquely human skills like c...

"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 Nathan Gilchrist of Medify Health, have fallen in love with one of the biggest problems in benefits: nobody wants to engage with them. They joined the show to discuss their journey of building a platform designed to solve the engagement crisis and simplify the healthcare experience for everyone. Matt and Nathan break down their "bottoms-...

"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 this week, 35-year industry veteran and author Scott Milson, joins the show for a deep dive into the mindset required for a long and successful career. We discuss his journey from a self-described "career B student" to a partner at a major firm, and the lessons he learned about loyalty, hard work, and what it truly means to be excellent. S...

"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 ending the "trial-and-error" prescribing that plagues our system. My guest this week, pharmacist and genomics expert Chris Grilli of RxMapper, joined the show to explain how personalized, DNA-guided medicine is the key to solving this massive problem. Chris breaks down the RxMapper model, explaining how they analyze 36 million data points f...

"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 this week Todd Whitthorne joined me for a conversation that goes far beyond the balance sheet to explore the true meaning of well-being. We discuss why a leader's personal health is the foundational, non-negotiable asset for their professional success. Todd breaks down the crucial role leaders play in building trust and creating a "culture ...

"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." - Bobby Stuart This week on the show, I'm joined by Bobby Stuart, a benefits consultant with Hotchkiss Insurance, for a deep dive into the mindset of a modern, forward-thinking advisor. We discuss his journey into the industry and what it takes to guide employers through the complexities of self-funding. Bobby also broke down his playbook...

"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, Co-Founder of Goodbill, has built a company designed to find errors in medical bills and fix them. From upcoding to time-based discrepancies, these inaccuracies cost health plans and their members a fortune. In this episode, Patrick breaks down the Goodbill model. We discuss how their technology integrates directly with health plans to au...