“Does your consultant understand these kind of strategies and mechanisms are available in the market and do they know how to implement them and make them work?" - Riley DearingRiley Dearing of Hotchkiss Insurance returns to the show this week, and he’s brought with him Blake Allison, CEO of Employers Health Network (EHN) to talk all about high-performance health networks and the massive opportunity they represent.Ever wonder how high-performance health networks actually work? We broke down the real mechanics: how direct provider partnerships are built, how benefit design drives engagement to the right facilities, and how this collaborative approach leads to better data, lower costs, and predictable risk for employers.This isn't just theory; we also announce EHN's new partnership with Covenant Health, detailing how this model is being scaled to bring these powerful solutions to employers across West Texas.Tune in this week for the definitive guide on how high-performance health networks actually work!Chapters:(00:00:00) How the World's #1 Chevy Dealer Saved $3 Million on Healthcare

(00:10:30) Enhancing Healthcare Networks

(00:16:23) Making Sure Members Can Get Care In Their Area

(00:22:30) Empowering Patients

(00:25:43) Navigating Healthcare Pricing Strategy

(00:35:23) Enhancing Healthcare Affordability

(00:47:14) Data-Driven Healthcare

(00:57:17) Zero Out-of-Pocket Cost For MembersKey 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 episode covers healthcare news from June to mid-July 2025.And we play a new game called the "Which Has Less Ingredients?", which is exactly like what the title suggests.Chapters: 0:00 - Intro0:22 - A proposal to ban drug ads2:48 - Pre-diabetes rates in children have tripled in 25 years5:25 - Healthcare workers leaking patient data through AI7:06 - Mark Cuban's healthcare plan10:05 - Healthcare is the top employer in most states12:49 - The Self-Funded Review19:37 - Which Has Less Ingredients? (this month's game)27:27- Ask Spencer AnythingSources: https://phys.org/news/2025-06-glass-bottles-microplastics-plastic.htmlhttps://x.com/mcuban/status/1934834421225672999https://www.scrippsnews.com/health/alarming-number-of-adolescents-have-prediabetes-new-data-from-cdc-says?utm_source=chatgpt.comhttps://x.com/utobian/status/1943127594960064713?t=BfpiRV8m7thZDIqTRMVo3Ahttps://www.medicaleconomics.com/view/health-care-workers-are-leaking-patient-data-through-ai-tools-cloud-appshttps://www.medicaleconomics.com/view/sanders-senators-float-ban-on-direct-to-consumer-ads-for-prescription-drugshttps://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinics-ai-tool-identifies-9-dementia-types-including-alzheimers-with-one-scan/

“That race car you got, that you studied all the components and now you're just tweaking horsepower and how much can you get out of it? That's what this feels like. You are really optimizing the horsepower of this engine, your employee benefit plan, and everybody likes it.” - Bently Durant

This week, I was joined by an all-star duo: Bently Durant, the COO of Classic Chevrolet, which is the #1 Chevy dealer in the world, and his benefits advisor, Riley Dearing of Hotchkiss Insurance.

Together, we discussed the story of how they saved $3 million while simultaneously improving care by eliminating deductibles and optimizing pharmacy spend, which is a playbook that every business owner, CFO, and consultant can learn from. Bently, Riley, and I talked about what makes this industry so unique and why self-funding is so beneficial for car dealerships.

We also dove into the truly innovative things they're doing now that their plan is so successful, like creating a "Good Decision Fund" to give bonus money back to their employees.

Tune in this week to learn how to optimize the horsepower of an employee benefits plan!

Chapters:

(00:00:00) How the World's #1 Chevy Dealer Saved $3 Million on Healthcare
(00:04:10) When Bently Decided To Go Self-Funded
(00:14:08) Tailoring Health Plans To Your Employees
(00:31:19) The Complicated World Of Pharmacy Spend
(00:58:27) Improving The Benefits Plan WHILE Saving Money

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/