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Self-Funded

Spencer Smith
Employee Benefits
Self-Funding
Healthcare Costs
Health Insurance
Healthcare
Mental Health
AI In Healthcare
Healthcare System
Private Equity
Entrepreneurship
Self-Funded Health Plans
Direct Primary Care
Stop-Loss Insurance
Primary Care
Mergers and Acquisitions
Self-Insurance
Healthcare Innovation
Cost Management
Telemedicine
Affordable Care Act

Self-Funded, hosted by Spencer Smith, is the definitive resource for benefits consultants and employers who are ready to challenge the broken healthcare status quo. Each week, you'll get an insider's playbook of actionable strategies from industry leaders that help make healthcare better, together.

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes293Founded5 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
Business

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Latest Episodes

"Generic drugs are not the costly drugs. A 100% increase on a relatively inexpensive generic may not even be noticeable."

In this episode of Last Month in Healthcare, Producer Nathaniel and I sat down with Sean McGowan of Centivo to break down the b... more

"If you're expecting to pay $50k, but it hits an outlier clause, you could be paying upwards of three, four, five, six hundred thousand dollars."

What if the single biggest driver of your high-cost claims isn't your discount, your network, or your u... more

YouTube

"What used to be a once-a-year catastrophic claim is now happening every single week across the stop-loss market."

We're back for the fourth year in a row with our annual whiteboard review of Tokio-Marine HCC’s Stop Loss Report. Drawing from a massi... more

YouTube

"I relate it to one of the Wizard of Oz characters... I've seen behind the curtain. I know how it's all put together."

What happens when a man who spent nearly five decades inside every corner of the self-funded industry decides his final act is to ... more

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Recent Guests

Sean McGowan
Sales at Centivo, health plan focused on affordability
Centivo
Episode: Trump's Generic Drug Tariffs & The 14% ACA Hike | Last Month in Healthcare
Ryan Bojrab
Healthcare executive with a clinician background (doctorate in physical therapy); specializes in price transparency and network analytics
Independent/Consulting in Healthcare Benefits
Episode: Outlier Clauses: Healthcare's Best Kept Secret | with Ryan Bojrab
Jay Ritchie
CEO of Tokio Marine HCC
Tokio Marine HCC
Episode: The HCC 2026 Stop-Loss Report: My Key Takeaways
Charlie Gragg
Health benefits expert and guest on the episode
Nashville-based self-funded veteran
Episode: Why Every Broker Needs A Fiduciary Co-Pilot | with Charlie Gragg
Dena Bravata
Internal medicine physician and clinical advisor
Pareto Health
Episode: The 2026 State Of Healthcare Spend | with Dena Bravata M.D.
Tom Stein
Professional in level-funded/self-funded health plans
American Trust Administrators
Episode: The Philosophy of U.S. Healthcare (And Why It Resists Change) | with Tom Stein
Sid Sinha
Founder and CEO, Nara Health
Nara Health
Episode: $6.5B DOJ Crackdown, Medicare GLP-1 Shifts, Hospital Price Tags | with Sid Sinha
Matt Taylor
VP of Sales at Castlight
Castlight
Episode: How One App Could Save U.S. Healthcare | with Matt Taylor
Mark Cuban
Co-founder of Cost Plus Drugs and Cost Plus Wellness
Cost Plus Drugs / Cost Plus Wellness
Episode: The 2026 Employer Health Plan Playbook | with Mark Cuban

Host

Spencer Smith
Host of Self-Funded with Spencer; leads conversations on self-funded health care, industry trends, and practical strategies.

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 97 ratings
  • My favorite podcast!

    Provides timely, informative updates and concepts to help employers and consultants navigate and manage their employee benefits programs.

    Audible
    5
    Corry Hull
    United States21 days ago
  • Self-Funded with Spencer” is one of the most insightful and real conversations in healthcare

    Spencer gets to the heart of what matters, transparency, accountability, and practical solutions for employers navigating the complexities of self-funding. His guests bring deep experience and honest perspectives, and Spencer has a gift for asking the questions and egaging the audience. Whether you’re a broker, TPA, employer, or advocate, this podcast is a must-listen. It’s not just talk. it’s pushing the industry forward!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    kcarle
    United Statesa year ago
  • The best in the biz

    I literally run an insurance podcast and am happy to call this one the best in the biz. If they let me do a one time 6 star review I would use it here

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    petriekennedy
    United Statesa year ago
  • Changed my career

    I can honestly say that the interviews and conversations that Spencer has had on this show have changed my career 👍

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Na_than_iel
    United Statesa year ago
  • Best Pod in the Industry

    Spencer Smith’s Self-Funded podcast is smart, sharp, and actually fun to listen to. He knows his stuff and brings on guests who do too. If you’re in benefits, this one should already be in your rotation… it’s really good.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    tessmccoy
    United Statesa year ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Consistently thoughtful episodes that are valuable for sponsorship and guest opportunities.
Strong leadership with a focus on transparency and tangible outcomes.
Clear, data-driven discussions that cut through industry noise.
Credible deep-dives across the self-funded benefits space.
High-caliber guests and practical takeaways for brokers and employers.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#221
South Korea/Business

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Trump's Generic Drug Tariffs & The 14% ACA Hike | Last Month in Healthcare
Q: If we start covering GOP1s for weight loss next year, can we stop covering them after a year or two if the cost is too high, or are we essentially locking ourselves into covering them for years to come?
The guests suggest it's a choice with potential coaching and oversight, and that you should manage expectations and cost projections; a good coaching program with step therapy can limit who gets GLP-1s, and you should evaluate the impact over a couple of years rather than committing forever.
$6.5B DOJ Crackdown, Medicare GLP-1 Shifts, Hospital Price Tags | with Sid Sinha
Q: Medical inflation is probably going to push up costs in 2027. How do I convince Self-Funded clients to stay Self-Funded or just to stay with me and deal with those increases?
A multi-faceted approach is needed: emphasize that self-funding allows control and customization, illustrate long-term risk management and stop-loss optimization, demonstrate ongoing value through care navigation and innovative benefit design, and show continued partnership and future-proofing rather than reverting to fully insured options.
How One App Could Save U.S. Healthcare | with Matt Taylor
Q: What challenges do employers face with the proliferation of point solutions, and how can they be addressed?
The challenge is engagement fragmentation; employers need a front door that consolidates benefits, ties in wellness and incentives, and provides personalized recommendations to drive meaningful use and ROI.
How One App Could Save U.S. Healthcare | with Matt Taylor
Q: How can AI transform the administrative burden and provider workflows in primary care?
AI can automate and streamline administrative tasks, assist with risk stratification and population health management, and present providers with decision-support at the point of care to keep patients in appropriate, cost-effective pathways.
Managing the Exploding Costs of Specialty Drugs | with Jake Velie
Q: What savings can a plan expect when NIH gets involved, net of rebates?
Net-to-net savings are typically in the 30% to 40% range, once rebates, member spend, and plan design are all accounted for; the savings are a subset of a portion of the total spend and are not fantasy numbers.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Self-Funded

What is Self-Funded about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show centers on self-funded health benefits, cost containment, and transforming traditional employer-healthcare models through data, direct-to-employer networks, and innovative funding/delivery approaches. Episodes frequently feature industry leaders discussing fiduciary shifts, transparency, and practical tools for brokers, consultants, and employers aiming to reshape benefits programs with outcomes in mind. A standout trait is the mix of hands-on practitioner expertise, market-ready strategies, and bold, sometimes controversial, reforms that challenge conventional networks and pricing. Listeners are likely looking for actionable insights to reduce costs, improve care delivery, and navigate a rapidly evolving benefits landscape.

Where can I find podcast stats for Self-Funded?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Self-Funded. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Self-Funded and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Self-Funded get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Self-Funded, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for Self-Funded?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Self-Funded, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does Self-Funded have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Self-Funded has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Self-Funded?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Self-Funded:

1. The Business of Benefits Podcast
2. Broken Benefits
3. Self-Funded
4. The Tim Ferriss Show
5. David Senra

How many episodes of Self-Funded are there?

Self-Funded launched 5 years ago and published 293 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Self-Funded?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Self-Funded?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Self-Funded from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

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How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Self-Funded?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Self-Funded. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on Self-Funded?

Recent guests on Self-Funded include:

1. Sean McGowan
2. Ryan Bojrab
3. Jay Ritchie
4. Charlie Gragg
5. Dena Bravata
6. Tom Stein
7. Sid Sinha
8. Matt Taylor

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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