In this episode of The Noble Agent’s Guide, we sit down with Jason Powers of Legacy Brokers to unpack one of the most misunderstood topics in employee benefits: level funding.

Jason has spent decades in the self-funded and level-funded space helping brokers and employers navigate the real mechanics behind these plans — beyond the marketing language.

This conversation goes deep into:

• Why “level funded” is mostly a marketing term
• The dangerous differences between carrier-model and true self-funded plans
• Why many brokers are selling self-funded plans without even realizing it
• The importance of guardrails, accommodation, advance funding, and surplus ownership
• How incentives change when carriers control surplus dollars
• Why underwriting still matters in a post-ACA world
• The difference between transactional brokers and consultative advisors
• How great brokers think about risk, curiosity, and long-term client relationships
• Why self-funding isn’t the answer — but the conduit to finding the answer

One of the biggest takeaways:

Self-funding doesn’t lower costs by itself. It creates visibility. And visibility is what allows employers to finally manage healthcare spend intelligently.

Jason also shares:

• How the industry has changed from “self-funding is dangerous” to mainstream adoption
• Why the best brokers ask better questions
• How AI and instant quoting can create shallow advisory work
• The “company credit card” analogy for self-funded health plans
• Why curious brokers consistently outperform transactional ones

If you’re a broker trying to understand the future of level funding, stop-loss, and self-funded strategy — this is a foundational conversation.

Guest:

Jason Powers

Legacy Brokers

Topics Covered:

• Level funded vs self-funded
• Stop loss and accommodation
• Surplus ownership
• Fixed costs vs claims liability
• Broker incentives
• Underwriting
• Cost containment
• Consultative selling
• Small group self-funding
• Carrier-model plans

Episode 7 | Season 1

#LevelFunding #SelfFunding #HealthInsurance #EmployeeBenefits #StopLoss #BrokerStrategy #HealthcareCosts #InsuranceBroker #NobleAgentsGuide