Self-Funded With Spencer

“There's this ability to impact people directly through the employer in a very cost effective way, giving everyone the chance to improve their health. The more employers that we can impact, the more people we're going to impact." - Erica ArmstrongI recently had the pleasure of speaking with Erica Armstrong, MD, IFMCP, the founder of Root Functional Medicine, who is on a mission to use functional medicine to find and treat the root cause of our health issues. After first connecting with Erica on LinkedIn, I was excited to have her on the show to discuss her holistic approach to healthcare.We discussed the core pillars of functional medicine, including a nutrition-first care model, the critical importance of a healthy gut microbiome, the keys to inflammation management, and even the potential for reversing chronic conditions. We also cover how she is bringing this new, more comprehensive model to employers and their employees.Tune in this week to learn all about functional medicine!Chapters:(00:00:00) Functional Medicine 101 | with Erica Armstrong(00:05:37) The “Root Cause” Approach(00:07:03) Holistic Approach Of Functional Medicine (00:16:56) Nutrition-First Care(00:25:59) The Importance Of A Healthy Gut Microbiome(00:34:46) Chronic Condition Reversal(00:44:10) The Key To Inflammation ManagementKey Links for Social:@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFundedListen/watch on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/

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 were joined in studio by Shawn Ferguson from Acrisure!This episode covers healthcare news from May 2025, including:- Trump's 'most favored nation' executive order- AI in the FDA- FDA's plan to review chemicals in our food supply- Prices for new drugs doubling in the last 4 years- Hospitals outsourcing minor surgeries- The DOJ lawsuit against Aetna, Elevance, and HumanaAnd we play a new game called the Macro Matchup, where Spencer and Shawn attempt to guess the calories, sugar, fat, and protein of 4 very unhealthy fast food items.Chapters: 0:00 - Intro1:01 - Healthcare Headlines18:21 - The Self-Funded Review31:29 - Macro Match-up (this month's game)38:06 - Ask Spencer AnythingSources: https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/trump-most-favored-nations-drug-pricing-plan/747761/https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-fda-centers-deploy-ai-internally-immediately-2025-05-08/https://www.reuters.com/world/us/fda-plans-review-chemicals-us-food-supply-official-says-2025-05-15/https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/prices-new-us-drugs-doubled-4-years-focus-rare-disease-grows-2025-05-22/https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/innovation/healthcare-diversified-hospitals-are-outsourcing-minor-surgerieshttps://www.reuters.com/sustainability/us-files-false-claims-complaint-against-three-health-insurers-2025-05-01/

Rob Gelb, CEO of Vālenz, leads a firm at the forefront of healthcare innovation. He discusses the unique VālenzONE platform, which acts as a health plan optimizer, aiming to simplify healthcare costs for employers. Gelb dives into the complexities of today's healthcare market, addressing issues like over-insurance and the need for integrated solutions. He emphasizes the importance of preventive care and using data to tackle high-cost claims early, advocating for partnerships over competition within the industry.

“We show…very similar weight loss outcomes to GLP1 in a similar timeframe at a fraction of the cost, but sustainable through behavior change." - Colin RogersColin Rogers, VP at Signos, joined me for episode 200! On this special episode, we talked about something I’m very passionate and vocal about: weight loss for everybody. Signos combines continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), our phones, and AI to track longitudinal data and help educate and prompt members to make better health decisions. If you’re into personalized population health, then this is the episode for you!On one of our earliest episodes, a guest shared that the best way to solve the problem of healthcare is to produce less disease. GLP-1s definitely appear to have a role to play in that, but as Colin shares on this episode, the more we can achieve GLP-1 results in a way that’s sustainable, the better, for employers and for America.Chapters:(00:00:00) GLP-1 Weight Loss At A Fraction Of The Cost | with Colin Rogers(00:11:29) Real-world CGM Data Impact(00:15:26) Health Programs for Metabolism Control(00:21:37) Real-time Glucose Monitoring Devices Empower Employees(00:36:03) How CGMs Can Optimize A Health Plan(00:42:05) Why This Data Is So PowerfulKey Links for Social:@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFundedListen/watch on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/

“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 AllenSonja 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 RightsKey Links for Social:@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFundedListen/watch on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/

Dean Jargo, CEO of Fair Market Health, advocates for a transparent healthcare system that prioritizes upfront pricing and consumer choice. He discusses how a free market in healthcare can lead to better care at lower costs, highlighting the importance of direct purchasing and a streamlined payment process. Jargo emphasizes the need for a new ecosystem where clear pricing helps empower patients. He also explores innovative solutions like Direct Primary Care and the role of transparency in transforming the healthcare landscape.

“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 ZunichThis 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 SolutionsKey Links for Social:@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFundedListen/watch on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286Follow 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 TillirsonThis 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 Tillirson00:00:32 Destigmatizing Mental Health00:03:15 How Do We Increase Access To Mental Healthcare?00:06:14 The Power of Genuine Listening00:09:54 Holistic Approach to Medication and Mental HealthcareKey Links for Social:@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFundedListen/watch on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286Follow 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 TillirsonI 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 Tillirson00:06:57 How Sims found his way into benefits00:11:13 Navigating the challenges of working at startups00:21:21 How Sims built his personal brand00:24:35 Why personalized video messages are so effective00:27:03 Relationship-focused outbound sales techniques00:28:54 Building trust through social mediaKey Links for Social:@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFundedListen/watch on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286Follow 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

Rob Gelb, a guest host from Philadelphia whose insightful commentary often gives clarity to complex healthcare issues, dives into fascinating topics. He discusses the alarming presence of microplastics in our brains and the implications of UnitedHealth's stock crash, which raises questions about the future of Medicare Advantage. Gelb also touches on the ethics of phasing out artificial food dyes and the surprising presence of heavy metals in Girl Scout cookies. The episode wraps up with a fun quiz debunking medical myths, making healthcare both entertaining and informative!