The HR Life Podcast

EP 66 Level-Funded and Self-Funded Benefit Plans, and Tony's Craw With Scott Fielding

September 15, 2026·1h 32m
Episode Description from the Publisher

Scott Fielding has spent 33 years selling health insurance, survived a tree that reportedly reached out and personally assaulted him on a mountain bike trail, and somehow still has the patience to explain what a captive is to people who nod along and Google it later. He joins Tony and Steve to walk through the difference between fully insured, level-funded, self-funded, and captive health plans, which sounds like the kind of thing that could put you to sleep until you realize one wrong choice here is probably costing your company six figures a year. Somewhere in the middle of all this, Tony gets something stuck in his craw (ask him what that even means, we dare you), the guys talk about why HR departments keep getting quietly shrunk and then quietly rehired at a discount. If your renewal has gone up every year and nobody has ever told you why, or if you've ever wondered what happens to the money between your deductible and the six-figure claim you hope never happens, this is the episode. What is your broker actually doing for that commission, and would you even know if the answer was "not much"?You can contact Scott Fielding at: scott.fielding@usi.com or (801) 455-9886 Learn more about Fantastic Tony Benjamin at: https://www.thegrangellc.com/Learn more about Steven "Big Deal" Smith at: https://thehiringtreebook.com/Learn more about the Books mentioned on the podcast at: https://thehiringtreebook.com/hr-life-podcastLearn more about Dyno Outfitters at: https://www.utahviaferrata.com/Learn more about MegastarHR at: https://www.megastarhr.com/Learn more about Pucks for Autism at: https://www.pucksforautism.com/Learn more about Thrive Life Project at: https://www.thrivelifeproject.org/

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