Shows
Self-FundedThe Physician Burnout Crisis: Why DPC Is The Only Way Forward"My wife would come back to check on me late at night, asleep at the keyboard, and she would be like, 'Is he dead?' The burnout, what we call moral injury, is more real than anybody knows." - Will SteelmanThe American healthcare system is crushing its doctors. Faced with "assembly line" quotas of 25+ patients a day, hours of unpaid administrative work ("pajama time"), and a suicide rate higher than that of veterans, physicians are fleeing the profession in droves.My guest this week is Dr. Will Steelman...
2026-02-171h 06
Self-FundedLet Doctors Be Doctors: Why Providers Shouldn't Be Debt Collectors"If you ask the surgeon how much time they have to spend thinking about the business side of their practice, it's too high... Let's let doctors be doctors." - Ryan WellsMy guest this week is Ryan Wells, Founder and CEO of Health Here. Ryan joins me to explain why the key to fixing the broken doctor-patient relationship is getting providers out of the debt collection business.We explore how Episodic Care (bundled payments) can finally align the financial incentives of self-funded employers and high-value specialists. Ryan breaks down...
2026-02-1057 min
Self-FundedThe "Next Generation" Insurance Agency: What AI-Native Means"If financial services and healthcare are 10 years behind everybody else from a technology adoption standpoint, insurance distribution is usually 10 years behind that." - Will JohnsonMy guest this week is Will Johnson, Founder and CEO of Gyde, who is building what he calls the first "AI-native" insurance brokerage. After spending a decade at Oscar Health, Will realized that while brokers are the critical "entry point to care," they are operating without the infrastructure needed to scale in the modern era.In this episode, we define exactly what "AI-native" means for an...
2026-02-031h 03
Self-FundedAlcoholism in the Insurance Industry | with Chris Leverett"I stopped doing what I didn't want to do anymore. It’s not hard to stop doing something you don't want to do... I didn't want to drink anymore." - Chris LeverettIn this incredibly vulnerable and powerful episode, we step away from the usual technical discussions of self-funding and insurance captives to tackle a pervasive, often silent issue in our industry: addiction and sobriety.My guest is Chris Leverett, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Employee Benefits at TexCap Insurance. While Chris is a veteran in the benefits space, today he shares his pe...
2026-01-2751 min
Self-FundedIs This iPhone App The Future Of Primary Care? | with VivaScore"Imagine getting a real-time snapshot of your health just by looking into your phone’s camera for 30 seconds." - SimonMy guests this week are Simon Spurr, Founder of VivaScore, and Chris Burns, a veteran benefits advisor with over 40 years of experience at firms like Mercer and Sequoia. They join the show to demonstrate a piece of technology that feels like science fiction but is actually here today: rPPG (Remote Photoplethysmography).We discuss how this technology turns a standard smartphone camera into a diagnostic tool capable of measuring blood pr...
2026-01-201h 05
Self-FundedUniversities Failed HR. Kyle Minick Is Fixing It"I asked him, 'What is it that you're teaching undergraduate students about benefits?’’…Just two slides. That blew me away." - Kyle MinickMy guest this week is Kyle Minick, Vice President of Employee Benefits at Summit Financial Group. Kyle returns to the show to expose a massive systemic failure: Universities are not teaching HR professionals how to manage their second-largest expense.Kyle shares the shocking story of how he discovered that major university HR programs dedicate almost zero curriculum to healthcare strategy. Instead of complaining about it, he decide...
2026-01-131h 15
Self-FundedWhy Employees Actually Use Onsite Clinics (Convenience Is King!)"Whoever makes patient care more convenient is likely to win." - Chris YarnMy guest this week is Chris Yarn, Founder of Walk On Clinic, who joins me to explain why convenience is the ultimate currency in healthcare. Chris shares his journey from insurance broker to building a direct primary care (DPC) model that brings care directly to the employee's doorstep - literally.Chris breaks down the "Walk On" model, which combines mobile on-site clinics, near-site access, and virtual care to achieve utilization rates that are double the industry...
2026-01-0658 min
Pareto Health Podcast#118 Gehirn entgiften im Schlaf | So bleibt dein Gehirn lang gesundDu schläfst genug, aber fühlst dich morgens trotzdem matschig im Kopf? Dann läuft nachts womöglich deine mentale Müllabfuhr nicht richtig – dein glymphatisches System. In dieser Folge erfährst du: 👉 was es mit dieser erst 2012 entdeckten Hirnreinigung auf sich hat. 👉 wie du mit kleinen Biohacks wie Seitenlage, Nasenatmung und Mouth Tape deine Tiefschlafqualität massiv verbesserst. 👉 warum Alkohol, Bauchschlaf und Blaulicht echte Detox-Killer für dein Gehirn sind. 👉 und wie du selbst ohne High-Tech-Tracker herausfindest, ob dein Gehirn nachts wirklich regeneriert Du bekommst wie immer: unterhaltsame Einblicke, persönliche...
2025-07-0754 min
Benefits InfluencerMission Alignment: Employers & Consultants w/ Kristen RiversIn this episode, Dennis Carlson sits down with Kristen Rivers, SVP of Sales at ParetoHealth. They discuss how mission-aligned benefits consultants and employers can access premium healthcare solutions typically reserved for large companies through captive healthcare models, highlighting the limitations of traditional fully-insured and level-funded plans while emphasizing the value of actionable data transparency and stronger contractual protections available through alternative funding approaches. Key Takeaways The healthcare market is at a watershed moment where employers are seeking alternatives to unsustainable cost increases in traditional fully-insured plans, with many consultants becoming catalysts for this change. Contrary to...
2025-04-2334 min
Self-FundedSelling In A Collaborative Environment | with Sean Wood"Be kind, be focused on others, be a steward of your craft and take the opportunity to take action.” - Sean WoodSean Wood, SVP of National Partnerships at ParetoHealth, joined me for a podcast that is far less about captives than it is about being a sales ninja. We talk about getting started in sales, the buyer as a skeptic, collaborative selling, and sales mentorship.Sean was actually a pro basketball player, and he shares how his point guard experience has translated to his career. He shares what le...
2025-02-181h 12
Self-FundedHow To Build Your LinkedIn Presence In 2025"Everybody makes an excuse at the end as to why they didn't post or why they didn't start the thing they really wanted to start." - Me
Happy New Year! As a bonus episode this week, I’m sharing a talk I gave at a recent ParetoHealth event about getting started with social media content, and how it can be used effectively for sales.
Whether you’re new to the industry or you’ve been in it for decades, it’s never too late to start a social media presence...
2025-01-0218 min
Self-FundedThe Opportunity We Have To Fix Healthcare, with Shawn Sanford"There can be a better path forward. We don't have to remain adherent to the system that is built against us. It's just going to take some rolling up of the sleeves and a commitment to it." - Shawn Sanford
This week, another ParetoHealth colleague joins the show: Shawn Sanford, RVP of Sales and Pod Leader.
Shawn and I discussed his transition from pro baseball to ancillary benefit sales to Pareto, and what he learned from each step along the way.
We also discuss s...
2024-10-151h 03
Self-FundedBe A (Healthcare) Advocate, with Kristen Rivers“There's a reason why every insurance carrier likely owns or is owned by a pharmacy benefit management company, that’s one of the ways that they can drive revenue." - Kristen Rivers
My guest this week, Kristen Rivers from ParetoHealth, is one of the strongest healthcare advocates I know.
This week on Self-Funded, Kristen and I discuss her upbringing, how that affects the work she does today, what caused her to leave a position at the biggest insurance company in the world, and why she believes in the work she’s...
2024-10-0857 min
Self-FundedFixing Healthcare Now (with Brandon Weber in San Francisco)“If you talk to almost anyone in this industry over a beer or something like that, I think they will all agree that we are operating in a pretty antiquated industry that needs some serious modernization, innovation, reimagination." - Brandon Weber
This week’s episode of Self-Funded is coming to you from the (unfinished) San Francisco ParetoHealth office.
Brandon Weber, founder of Nava Benefits, joined the healthcare industry as an outsider: he’s spent most of his career as a tech entrepreneur, and after exiting his previous company, he found...
2024-08-131h 00
Accelerate Your Insurance Sales Podcast288. Who Is Spencer Smith?Spencer Smith, SVP at ParetoHealth and host of the Self-Funded with Spencer podcast, joined me for a conversation on everything about him not related to those two roles. We talked about how important exercise and discipline are to him, how he’s keeping in shape and hitting his macros on the road, and what it took to get to where he is today. He also gives some advice to new advisors on how to look for and form those relationships that will take your career to the next level.
📒 Show Notes and Resources 📒
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2024-05-2436 min
Firm & FinalBuilding Your Brand | Spencer SmithIf you listen to stop loss podcasts, you KNOW this next guest! “Self Funded with Spencer” podcast host and SVP, ParetoHealth joins Mehb for episode 7 of Firm & Final. You won’t want to miss this discussion about the power of content, growing your online audience and building your brand, and changes occurring in the insurance industry.Don’t miss your chance to hear from leaders in the Stop Loss and Reinsurance industries. Subscribe today at https://bcsf.com/firmandfinalpodcast/. 🖥️ Play on BCS website – https://bcsf.com/firmandfinalpodcast/ 🎧 Listen on Spotify – https://spoti.fi/3U7rYuq 🍎 Listen...
2024-05-0945 min
Self-FundedWhy "HR" Became "People" (with Monica Panetta)"I always knew there was more. I always knew there was a different dimension to what this personnel or HR thing was." - Monica Panetta
Monica Panetta, Chief People Officer at ParetoHealth (a show sponsor and the company I work for), joined me for an evening podcast in studio as we talked all things HR/People, starting with why the industry has moved away from saying HR.
Monica’s so well-versed in the field that she actually started the HR program at her college as she was attending it, and the curriculum is still taught today. We talk how sh...
2024-04-0951 min
MISSION DRIVENHealthcare Hack: Captives Explained!Send us a textDive into the world of Healthcare Hack as we unravel the secrets behind captives in our latest episode, "Healthcare Hack: Captives Explained!" Join me, your host Troy Vermillion, as I chat with Spencer Smith, a renowned podcaster and sage in the realm of self-funding and captive solutions. This episode is a treasure trove of valuable insights on how businesses can leverage captives for significant cost savings, improved service quality, and fostering a culture of health and wellness. Whether you're a business owner, a seasoned professional in the healthcare industry...
2024-04-0237 min
Healthcare AIn't EasyEpisode 12: You Can Do Hard Things: Embracing Change in HealthcareAs we kick off 2024, we are thrilled to have Spencer Smith as our special guest. Known as a ‘big deal’ in the insurance industry, Spencer brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from his 15-year career in self-insurance and current role as SVP at ParetoHealth. Tune in as Spencer shares insights from his popular podcast ‘Self-Funded with Spencer”, discussing what self-funded benefits means, and the top five benefits topics you need to know about in 2024! Listen in to Healthcare AIn’t Easy for a fresh approach to health benefits and equip yourself with the knowledge you need to confidently navigate y...
2024-01-0929 min
Self-FundedAsk Us Anything - LinkedIn Live with Seth Denson (12/20/23)In this special episode of Self-Funded with Spencer, I am joined by my friend Seth Denson for my first ever live version of the podcast through LinkedIn Live.
This episode was previously recorded on 12/20/23, but I wanted to make sure that those who missed it on LinkedIn, still had an opportunity to watch and listen.
Seth is the Head of Employee Benefits at Acrisure and he also features daily as a sought after business and market analyst for Fox News, CNN, NewsMax, OANN and more.
2023-12-271h 11
80/20 with ParetoHealthEP 1 - Steering the Wheel on Care Navigation w/ Justin Holland and Doug Morse-Schindler of HealthJoySeason 2 of “80/20 with ParetoHealth” launches with a discussion on the state of medical literacy and care navigation (aka care coordination) today. Justin Holland and Doug Morse-Schindler of HealthJoy explain how technology can build bridges in the massive healthcare ecosystem and where it falls short. We also rant about the pitfalls of self-diagnosing on Google and the immense potential of a revenue stream tied to sleepless nights caused by WebMD. Finally, we learn that building appropriate and valuable tech solutions requires layers of thought, partnerships, and room for customization. Simply put, we confirm that healthcare is never one-size-fits-all, not even in t...
2023-09-2838 min
Self-FundedEpisode 100! - The Benefits Roundtable with Seth Denson, Dennis Fowler & Chris HamiltonEpisode 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 industry like vertical integration into the provider space...
2023-06-271h 32
Self-FundedHealthcare Orchestration with Curus - Jared MortRevolutionizing 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, which assists people with chronic illness and clinical conditions in navigating...
2023-05-2342 min
80/20 with ParetoHealthEP 11 - Season 1 Finale – Bringing it Home w/ John Naughton and JJ PurdyWe made it! The end of the first season of 80/20 with ParetoHealth has us bringing it all back home, so join us for a trip down memory lane as we look at the history of ParetoHealth and some of the things that formed the company along the way.
From our beginnings 10 years ago as three people in a tiny office to where we are now, the story has been a great one. Listen to the episode to hear about the formulation of ParetoHealth’s core values, the impact of COVID-19, and some of our favorite moments from the past few ye...
2022-11-221h 08
80/20 with ParetoHealthEP 10 - Drugs and Music w/Jake Frenz of SmithRxIn our knowledge segment, we talk a little bit about a big expense – pharmaceuticals. Many employers don’t know that drugs make up 25-30% of their total healthcare spend. In fact, these numbers are projected to get more dramatic, reaching 50% in the next few years.
Then we talk with Jake Frenz of SmithRx about the ways that we can continue creating value in the pharmaceutical space, his history of serving in the Marines, and a short digression into… classical music? In between Andrew Clayton’s prospects as a classical pianist, ski trips, and some shots taken at golf, we discussed the spec...
2022-09-2023 min
80/20 with ParetoHealthEP 9 - Leeches, Medical Inflation, and Insurance Tinder w/Brian OlsenIn this episode, we go over the phenomenon of medical inflation and what parts of the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to rising medical costs – as well as what self-insured employers can do about it.
Then we chat with Brian Olsen of Sterling Seacrest Pritchard (SSP) to talk about his deep, committed relationship with self-funding and why that means we need a dating site for SIIA members. He shares one great insight about the often-misunderstood relationship between high claims and self-funded plans that you won’t want to miss.
Finally, we discuss one knucklehead move that too many brokers use in a fe...
2022-08-2330 min
80/20 with ParetoHealthEP 8 - Buying Drugs w/ Rashaun Reid of ParetoHealthHow is anyone able to buy specialty pharmaceuticals without going broke? What are some of the economic pressures on doctors to prescribe expensive meds? Where is Andrew Clayton hiding, and will he be back next time?
Join us with special guest host Ashley Hull and guest Rashaun Reid of ParetoHealth as they team up with Andrew Cavenagh to tackle these questions in an updated format.
Along the way, they go into why taking the convenient route when you should be helping people is a classic knucklehead move, the strange phenomenon of giving up transparency for a few dollars off your...
2022-08-0916 min
80/20 with ParetoHealthEP 7 - Live Audience: Contrarian Members’ MeetingHow do you provide first-class healthcare benefits while also containing costs?
That’s the main question of this live episode, recorded with Suzanne Lutz, Laura Williams, and Santina Daily, three captive Members from very different industries and backgrounds. What they all have in common is a complete dedication to the well-being of their employees and a desire to change that relationship.
This is only a small part of the value that you can get from a ParetoHealth Members’ Meeting. If the advice here resonates with you, visit paretohealth.com to learn more.
2022-07-2635 min
80/20 with ParetoHealthEP 6 - LIVE Audience: Legend Member’s MeetingsIn our second live episode from our San Diego Members' Meetings Andrew Clayton and guest host Jack Longstreth chat with two VP’s of Human Resources: Kim Bauer of Altra Federal Credit Union and Lisa Levanger of Wasatch Property Management Inc. This episode delivers great conversation about how a high-quality self-insured solution can help develop better relationships with employees, drive an employee-centric culture, and improve retention.
Learn more about ParetoHealth:
https://paretohealth.com/
Guest Co-Host:
Jack Longstreth Senior Vice President of Sales at Pareto Captive Services, LLC
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-longstreth-75963b1b/
2022-07-1230 min
80/20 with ParetoHealthEP 5 - LIVE Audience: Paradigm and Structure Member’s MeetingsWe took the bold step of recording this episode before a “live audience” at our recent Paradigm and Structure Members’ Meetings. Andrew Clayton and guest host Jack Longstreth have a lively conversation with two great CFOs: Jill Kindell of Miami Valley Steel and Chris Bissinger of Essential Ingredients.
This episode is chock-full of advice from ParetoHealth Members who have seen phenomenal success in controlling their benefits, delivering tangible value to their employees, and forging a stronger company culture through their health plans.
The advice they share is specific, actionable, and a quick sampling of the value that our Members’ Meetings offer.
...
2022-06-2834 min
80/20 with ParetoHealthEP 4 - Giving a… Darn w/ Seth Denson, of GDP Advisors & AcrisureWhy does stop-loss premium increase at a different rate than medical trend? We broke down why on this episode. It turned out there was some math involved. Hilarity ensued, but we got to the bottom of “leveraged trend” when it was all over. And with only a small number of… all the insurance terms you can possibly imagine.
Then we sat down with Seth Denson, our friend and partner, and Chief Strategist at GDP Advisors & Director of Healthcare Strategies at Acrisure, to talk about staying focused on what’s really important in a world full of shiny distractions, the supply chain cr...
2022-06-1436 min
80/20 with ParetoHealthEP 3 - Lasers, the human C-3PO, and rising lobotomy prices w/Billy Potter of Snellings WaltersWe’re talking lasers, but not the “pew-pew” kind. This is our conversation on stop-loss lasers and how they’re calculated. Lasers are among the most pressing concerns for employers, so we break down the details. Then we’re joined by Billy Potter, CEO of Snellings Walters, to talk about his journey into insurance, how business culture eats strategy for breakfast, and how to get the right people into the right roles. It also includes some psychological truths about your brave and beloved hosts, so listener discretion is advised. In our “You know they’re a knucklehead when…” segment, we talk about a parti...
2022-05-3141 min
80/20 with ParetoHealthEP 2 - Stop-loss Carriers Aren’t Making You Sick w/Cara Kirsch of GallagherHow does a stop-loss carrier calculate their rates? Why is it good to be big? Should people be shamed for not being able to do math in their heads? We sit down to talk about these burning questions and much, much more. Helping us get to the heart of it all is Cara Kirsch, Area Vice President of Gallagher in Omaha, Nebraska. She walks us through her journey, telling us how her smart use of data, entrepreneurial spirit, and growing up in a small town have all combined to make her a leader, an inspiration, and a great person to...
2022-05-1737 min
80/20 with ParetoHealthEP 1 - Fully deferred? What the heck are these people buying? w/Austin Madison of HUB InternationalWelcome to the first episode of 80/20 with ParetoHealth! Today, we explain why the so-called “fully insured” model is neither full nor insured. We talk with Austin Madison of Hub International about baseball, his crazy high GPA, and how he realized that a self-insured model was better for his clients and his business. Then the gloves come off and we take on the knuckleheads, the spreadsheet addicts, the dinosaur insurance brokers who think they’re the smartest ones in the room - bless their hearts.
More about Hub International at https://www.hubinternational.com/
Find out more about our solution at http...
2022-05-0334 min
80/20 with ParetoHealthIntroducing 80/20 with ParetoHealthFind out what to expect on upcoming episodes of 80/20 with ParetoHealth!
2022-03-2902 min