Episodes

Independent Benefits Consulting with Chris Wolpert of GBS In this podcast episode, Spencer Smith and Chris Wolpert discuss their careers, entrepreneurship, healthcare consulting, marketing strategies, and personal connections. They delve into Chris Wolpert's transition from journalism to the insurance industry, highlighting his focus on work-life balance and employee well-being as an insurance consultant. Chris shares his motivations for starting Group Benefit Solutions and his passion for th...

PBM Consulting - Bringing Transparency to Pharmacy with Trevor Daer of Granite Peak Analytics Trevor Daer, the founder of Granite Peak Analytics, joins me on the orange couch to explore the world of pharmacy analytics and the importance of data in making informed PBM decisions. This episode of the Self-Funded with Spencer Podcast explores the world of pharmacy rebates and the importance of collaboration in making progress and saving money. Spencer Smith and Trevor Daer discuss the PBM space a...

Enhanced Benefits with VB - Eric Silverman - Voluntary Disruption Are you looking for a way to get better engagement among your workforce without employees feeling like they just talked to a used car salesperson? Then you need to listen to the episode of Self Funded With Spencer featuring Eric Silverman! In this episode, Spencer and Eric discuss the enhanced benefit industry, plan design and enrollment, and technology. Voluntary Benefits are employer-sponsored benefits that provide employees ...

Unlocking Cost Savings with Reference Based Pricing (RBP) - ClaimDOC - Omar Arif This week I sit down with Omar Arif, SVP of Growth with ClaimDoc to answer the question, "What is Reference Based Pricing, aka "RBP"?" Omar Arif, the SVP of Growth for Claim Doc, a cost containment vendor, was sold on RBP when he discovered it. Claim Doc provides a balanced approach to RBP, combining both "pay and defend" and "negotiate and settle strategies". Omar states that their network replacement is the mos...

Pro Soccer, Super Bow Bids, and Formula One? - Neal Carter of Cvent Neal Carter joins me on the orange couch to discuss the logistics of planning Large Conferences, the process of putting together a Super Bowl bid, the impact of COVID-19 on the hospitality industry, and the 2023 Formula One race season. We also discussed the technical aspects of Formula One, the impact of Lewis Hamilton on the sport, and Neal's new Instagram channel - "American Gearbox". Like me, soccer has been a huge part o...

Episode 100! - The Benefits Roundtable with Seth Denson, Dennis Fowler & Chris Hamilton Self-Funded with Spencer is excited to release the 100th episode of the podcast! For this episode, we set out to deliver a truly unique experience, with 3 guests, 5 cameras, and 90 minutes of insights from the brightest minds in employee benefits! With a wide variety of opinions from their extensive experience in insurance and benefits companies, Spencer, Dennis, Scott and Chris explore major trends in the...

How AI Could Repair our Healthcare System - Meet Healthee Join Spencer Smith in his latest episode of Self-Funded with Spencer as he delves into the world of artificial intelligence with Healthee and their co-founder/co-CEO - Guy Benjamin. Guy shares the story behind "Zoe", Healthee's AI-based personal health assistant. The podcast also discusses biases and inefficiencies in the healthcare industry and how Healthee's platform uses AI to improve the health coverage services and experience for e...

he Connective Tissue of a Health Plan - Planned Administrators Inc In the latest episode of "Self-Funded with Spencer," host Spencer Smith invites George Stiles, the President and COO of Planned Administrators Inc (PAI), to discuss the transformation of the TPA industry and what makes a good TPA partner. George shares his journey from claims processor at Blue Cross Blue Shield to his current role at PAI. The conversation covers topics from data analytics, and direct primary care, to how to na...

How to Create Better Wealth with The AND Asset - Caleb Guilliams Welcome to the Self-Funded with Spencer podcast! In this episode, we are thrilled to have Caleb Guilliams, founder of Better Wealth and author of "The And Asset." Spencer and Caleb discuss the power of life insurance as an investment tool, and how it can help people achieve their dreams while building wealth. Caleb shares his inspiring story of overcoming his insecurities and using his fear of failure to become a successful busi...

Health Payment Accounts (HPA) with Paytient CEO - Brian Whorley Welcome to Self-Funded with Spencer, where we dive into the world of healthcare and explore ways to make healthcare coverage more accessible and effortless for everyone. In this episode, Spencer Smith welcomes Brian Whorley, CEO and founder of Paytient. Brian is creating a new category for health payment accounts that helps remove the impediment of out-of-pocket costs for patients. Together they discuss the importance of creating ...

Revolutionizing Healthcare Coordination and Advocacy with Curus Get ready to dive into the world of healthcare benefits and savings with Spencer Smith's Self-Funded podcast, sponsored by Pareto Health. In this episode, COO Jared Mort from Curus Health shares his expertise on clinical care coordination, or as he refers to it "Care Orchestration", and how to help mid-sized employers reduce their healthcare costs. Jared also discusses Curus Health's approach to total life concierge services, whi...

Data Analytics for the Modern Benefits Broker - Mike Pattengale - Springbuk Looking to learn about the future of data analytics in healthcare? Look no further than Self-Funded with Spencer! Host Spencer Smith welcomes guest Mike Pattengale from Springbuk to discuss their innovative approach to data analytics and how it helps drive informed decisions. The two discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the healthcare industry and how data analytics can help employers make better decisions regarding the ...

Join podcast host Spencer Smith as he sits down with guest Scott Smith from TRUE Network Advisors to discuss topics ranging from leadership to personal growth in the latest episode of Self-Funded with Spencer. Scott and Spencer delve into the concept of authentic leadership, exploring what it means to be "authentic" (a buzzword that makes them cringe) and striving to be the best version of oneself. The discussion also touches on the challenges of providing mentorship and guidance to others and ...

Join host Spencer Smith on another episode of Self-Funded with Spencer, as he welcomes the PBM Princess, Rachel Strauss from EHIM. In this engaging and informative podcast episode, Rachel shares valuable insights about the Pharmacy Benefits Management industry and EHIM's merger with ProCare Rx. Rachel and Spencer also take a deep dive into the importance of transparency in PBMs and how it affects the relationship between PBM and clients. Rachel shares her journey of becoming a PBM consultant a...

How to Find Money in Medical Bill Errors - Zoe Holderness - Co-Founder of Slingshot Zoe Holderness, the CTO and co-founder of Slingshot, recently appeared on the podcast, Self-Funded with Spencer featuring host Spencer Smith. Slingshot is a software company that specializes in auditing medical bills. They automatically monitor every claim that comes through for an employer, finding savings and overcharges both for the plan and member. Zoe grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, and later attend...

How Artificial Intelligence is Powering the Future of Risk with Matt Weaver of Gradient AI In this episode of "Self-Funded with Spencer," host Spencer Smith chats with Matt Weaver, Director of Sales for Gradient AI, about Artificial Intelligence in underwriting tools for self-funding and other stop-loss initiatives. Gradient AI helps underwriters make better assessments of risk, especially when limited loss and claims history exists, or even in the potential absence of claims data altogether. ...

A Professional's Guide to Bespoke Fashion in 2023 - Will Russ - R6 Clothier Get ready to elevate your fashion game with Spencer Smith and his guest, the founder of R6 Clothier, Will Russ. In this exciting episode, they discuss men's fashion in a professional setting, sharing insights from Will's experience in door-to-door sales and the importance of relationships and credibility in starting a successful clothing business. They delve into the mechanics of setting up a custom clothing business,...

Ross Conner, CIC, CRM is a Partner at Hotchkiss Insurance in Fort Worth, TX, where he focuses on helping middle market and franchise businesses grow through a compliant, consistent, and streamlined risk management program. Oh, and Ross is in Property and Casualty, not Employee Benefits. Now you might ask what is a P&C guy doing on a self-funded benefits podcast?! Well besides being hilarious (follow him on LinkedIn here ----> https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-conner-cic-crm-9b1189a/ ) and having...

ICHRA Explained - Everything You Need to Know About Individual Coverage HRA's with Kyle Estep Self-Funded with Spencer, hosted by Spencer Smith, is a podcast for those looking to strategically navigate the complex landscape of health insurance. In this episode, Spencer speaks with guest Kyle Estep from Take Command Health. Kyle Estep is the VP of Growth for Take Command Health. Kyle spent 8 years of his career early on consulting for Deloitte, one of the top consulting firms in the world. He a...

Welcome to Self-Funded with Spencer, a podcast that explores how employers can most effectively manage their health plan costs by "Self-Funding" their insurance. In this episode, Spencer talks to Kari L. Niblack, Esq. from Blackwell Captive Solutions, a risk attorney with 30+ years of experience in the business. Kari shares how her law career prepared her for sales, and her experience with the obstacles faced by women in the benefits industry, especially those seeking leadership positions. Perso...

This is a great episode for anyone interested in what it is like to succeed within the largest insurance brokerage in the United States. Travis is EVP at Marsh McLennan Agency (MMA). Travis was an exceptional wrestler in high school but hung up his wrestling singlet in college, where he studied general business at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. Like quite a few of my guests in the past, Travis has a thrill-seeking side, being an avid skydiver AND scuba diver, where he jokingly says to ...

The Black & White Truth with Kareim Cade and Andy Neary. This episode features the duo of: 1) Kareim Cade - Owner and CEO of the Great Lakes Benefits Group 2) Andy Neary - Founder of Complete Game Consulting Together they make up a partnership called "The Black & White Truth". Their program has 3 pillars: Modernize how Salespeople are Trained Redefining Leadership Encourage Diversity of Thought Black & White Truth combines collaborative coaching, on-site workshops for insurance agencies, ...

Jason Scott is First Vice President for Alliant Insurance Services in Dallas, TX. Jason originally learned the art of sales from his Dad, who taught him how to sell without being "sales-y". He also taught Jason the power of getting to the yes or the no as fast as possible, because the "maybe's" are career killers. His Dad was actually instrumental in helping popularize a seasoning in the United States called "Tajin", which is a mixture of lime, chili powder, and salt, and is very popular within ...

Can one app manage pricing, communications, and payments for health plans? In short, YES! Medxoom "unifies member identity, pricing, communication and payments into one, easy-to-use app". For Episode 82, my guest is James the EVP of Strategy and Growth for MedXoom. His hobbies are triathlons, for which he trains 16-20 hours a week to prepare for events, and scuba diving. Jame calls himself "a back-of-the-pack triathlete", and recently he had to back out of a full Ironman race in Florida about...