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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 Humana

And 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 - Intro

1:01 - Healthcare Headlines

18:21 - The Self-Funded Review

31:29 - Macro Match-up (this month's game)

38:06 - Ask Spencer Anything

Sources:

• 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-surgeries
• https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/us-files-false-claims-complaint-against-three-health-insurers-2025-05-01/

"I want to be in our own category." - Rob Gelb

I recently joined Rob Gelb, CEO of Vālenz, which is a sponsor of this show, at the Vālenz office in Philadelphia to discuss the story of the company, how it operates in the market currently, and it’s future, which includes the recently announced Vālenz One.

Rob describes VālenzONE as a “health plan optimizer”, and we discussed what that means and what it looks like to build a new way for employers to manage their healthcare. We also discussed the healthcare market as a whole, what it’s currently lacking, and Rob’s general philosophy of how he’s approached building this new platform.

Tune in this week to learn all about VālenzONE!

Chapters:

(00:00:00) What Is VālenzONE? | with Rob Gelb
(00:08:03) How Data Can Reduce Health Plan Spend
(00:19:48) How Vālenz Has Transformed Over The Years
(00:22:43) What Does Optimized Healthcare Look Like?
(00:36:58) Why Integrated Health Solutions Are The Future
(00:41:34) Innovative Healthcare Collaborations
(00:50:17) What Does It Mean To Be Innovative?

Key Links for Social:

@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFunded

Listen/watch on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02

Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286

Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/

Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/

“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 Rogers

Colin 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 Powerful

Key Links for Social:

@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFunded

Listen/watch on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02

Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286

Follow 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 Allen

Sonja 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 Rights

Key Links for Social:

@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFunded

Listen/watch on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02

Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286

Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/

Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/

“That's the great thing about upfront, all inclusive, transparent specialty care is you eliminate all of that, right? You purchase the service, you never see another bill from it again. You're done." - Dean Jargo

Dean Jargo, CEO of Fair Market Health, joined me this week to share why US healthcare desperately needs to be a fair market.

We talked about what that means and why it requires us to construct a new healthcare ecosystem, how it enables patients to actually receive better care at a lower price point, and how it can work in conjunction with employer benefits to create a more effective system for employers, employees, and providers.

Join us this week on Self-Funded with Spencer as we talk the big-picture future of healthcare!

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Returning Healthcare To The Free Market | with Dean Jargo
(00:03:50) Streamlining Healthcare Payments
(00:10:02) Directly Purchasing Specialty Care
(00:16:00) Why Healthcare Desperately Needs A Fair Market
(00:21:44) Transparent Pricing Model
(00:26:23) Creating A New Healthcare Ecosystem

(00:53:12) Clear Pricing Leads To Informed Healthcare Purchases

Key Links for Social:

@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFunded

Listen/watch on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02

Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286

Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/

Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/

“Some of the most expensive real estate 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 Zunich

This 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 Zunich
00:20:05 The Power Of Virtual Healthcare
00:30:58 How In-Home Care Can Actually Be Cheaper
00:40:11 Convenient In-Home Labs
00:40:57 Streamlined Patient Navigation in Primary Care
00:42:29 Cost-Effective Healthcare Solutions

Key Links for Social:

@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFunded

Listen/watch on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02

Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286

Follow 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 Tillirson

This 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 Tillirson
00:00:32 Destigmatizing Mental Health
00:03:15 How Do We Increase Access To Mental Healthcare?
00:06:14 The Power of Genuine Listening
00:09:54 Holistic Approach to Medication and Mental Healthcare

Key Links for Social:

@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFunded

Listen/watch on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02

Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286

Follow 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 Tillirson

I 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 Tillirson
00:06:57 How Sims found his way into benefits
00:11:13 Navigating the challenges of working at startups
00:21:21 How Sims built his personal brand
00:24:35 Why personalized video messages are so effective
00:27:03 Relationship-focused outbound sales techniques
00:28:54 Building trust through social media

Key Links for Social:

@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFunded

Listen/watch on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02

Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286

Follow 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