5 Things We Must Do To Improve the US Healthcare System: Wth HealthMarkets CMO Michael Stahl & Limor Weinstein

There are so many studies available that indicate the correlation between mental health and “general health” that I don’t know how much longer they can be considered two different health elements.

As part of my interview series with leaders in healthcare, I had the pleasure to interview Michael Z. Stahl, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of HealthMarkets, one of the largest independent health insurance agencies in the US that distributes health, Medicare, life and supplemental insurance products from more than 200 insurance companies. Stahl holds the chartered property casualty underwriter (CPCU), associate in insurance accounting and finance (AIAF) and associate in reinsurance (ARe) designations, and earned a bachelor of science in economics from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Stahl resides in Dallas with his wife and four children.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I came into the insurance industry after being recruited to The St. Paul Companies by a fellow Wharton alumni and childhood friend who worked there and loved it. I later got connected with Kemper after a former COO (Jim Schulte) at The St. Paul Companies went there and met with me and convinced me to make the move. That move involved a relocation to Jacksonville where I ran a region, and Jim was a terrific mentor to me. He tapped me to build and lead the full development of their homeowners business from scratch, and it was an incredible learning and growth opportunity. Several years later, the opportunity to join HealthMarkets came about and I was extremely interested. I joined the company just before the ACA was being implemented, which provided unbelievable growth opportunity.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

I think one of the most interesting opportunities I’ve had at HealthMarkets is rebuilding the marketing department. My team and I have built out amazing and interesting technological and marketing processes, and the journey has been rewarding. Sometimes ideas don’t work — so we learn from them. That keeps the entire journey and story more interesting.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Several months after I joined HealthMarkets, right around the Thanksgiving holiday, we essentially had our key phone numbers displayed incorrectly on our television advertising. Because it was a holiday, we all thought the call volume had dropped simply because of that — a holiday. But after a few days of significantly lower call volume, we realized something was wrong — and that’s when we discovered the error with the phone numbers and had to implement an immediate fix.

Frankly, it was not funny then. Not at all! But I can look back now and laugh a little because if you can’t laugh at some of your mistakes, you’ll make yourself crazy.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

I take great pride in what HealthMarkets does and that we have enrolled consumers in more than four million insurance policies. We are one of the largest enrollers of ACA and Medicare and we are at the forefront of bringing choice across all different types of insurance policies via more than two hundred carriers to ensure Americans get the best coverage at the best price.

There is not a day that goes by that someone doesn’t thank us, and I think that makes us stand out. We are in the business of protecting what matters most to people — their health and wellbeing. Everyday, something happens to someone — a cancer diagnosis, a bad auto accident, and unexpected death. To know that we have agents who can talk to that client or family member and give them the assurance that they have the coverage they need to have the care they need and/or the financial stability they need — that’s indicative of the incredibly important and meaningful work we do.

What advice would you give to other healthcare leaders to help their team to thrive?

Be an advocate for your team and be engaged. I think engaged leadership is extremely important. I have found that too often, executives may be good on “their floor” with other executives but are less present and engaged with the individuals and teams involved in the nitty gritty work. I think it is important for people to feel like you are beside them and not “over them.”

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s jump to the main focus of our interview. According to this study cited by Newsweek, the US healthcare system is ranked as the worst among high income nations. This seems shocking. Can you share with us 3–5 reasons why you think the US is ranked so poorly?

Healthcare in our country is more oriented around activity rather than results. Medical professionals are paid per visit/procedure rather than being “rewarded,” if you will, for the result of said procedure — if the patient is healed and back to good health and/or the ailment is rectified. I think we need to continue to invest in payment methods that reward quality of work rather than quantity.

Additionally, there are a lot of uninsured Americans and that creates various inefficiencies in the healthcare system. If individuals don’t get access to the care they need, that creates problems. Or, if they go to the ER every time they need medical help, that gets very expensive and they aren’t receiving the specialized care they may need.

You are a “healthcare insider”. If you had the power to make a change, can you share 5 changes that need to be made to improve the overall US healthcare system? Please share a story or example for each.

Again, I think we need to continue to invest in payment methods that reward quality of work rather than quantity. I also think we need to continue to ensure that everyone has health insurance because being uninsured creates a host of issues logistically and health wise.

Ok, its very nice to suggest changes, but what concrete steps would have to be done to actually manifest these changes? What can a) individuals, b) corporations, c) communities and d) leaders do to help?

I think everyone should be better informed about healthcare in general. As the old saying goes, knowledge is power. Know what you need to know for yourself and your family, and advocate that others do the same.

As a mental health professional myself, im particularly interested in the interplay between the general healthcare system and the mental health system. Right now we have two parallel tracks mental/behavioral health and general health. What are your thoughts about this status quo? What would you suggest to improve this?

I believe this may change in the future because the importance of addressing, acknowledging and working to improve mental/behavioral health in the United States is understood by more and more people, be it doctors, researchers, hospitals or even elected officials. There are so many studies available that indicate the correlation between mental health and “general health” that I don’t know how much longer they can be considered two different health elements.

How would you define an “excellent healthcare provider”?

I believe an excellent healthcare provider is an individual or group that aims to treat the “whole person” and not just the obvious symptom(s) or ailment(s) at hand. Rather than just check boxes to get paid, the provider looks at the ailment or condition as a puzzle to be solved and works with the patient to ensure a fix is put in place.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

I’ve always lived and worked by the mantra “Do unto others as you would have done unto you” — the “Golden Rule.” It is a concept that was instilled in my psyche at a young age and one that I believe in and abide by today and every day.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

One of the greatest things about my job is that my team and I are always working on exciting projects. Just the other day, I was speaking with a member of my data science team about building a more dynamic model using machine learning to acquire business leads, and the notion that we can be a part of those initial conversations all the way through implementation is always exciting.

What I love about my team is that we aren’t “order takers,” but rather innovators. We aren’t waiting for others to tell us what they want — we are the innovative and driving force behind moving the business forward.

What are your favorite books, podcasts, or resources that inspire you to be a better healthcare leader? Can you explain why you like them?

I believe that real and transformative leadership in any field takes deep knowledge in that field — absolutely — but it’s equally important to get knowledge elsewhere and find how that can translate into your industry. I find that I tend to do more reading about fields, topics and leaders perhaps outside my “field,” if you will.

I regularly read The Atlantic, as well as both INC Magazine and Entrepreneur Magazine. I am always inspired to read about what start-ups and entrepreneurs are doing and thinking throughout the country.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

From an environmental standpoint, I would love to help figure out how to better sustain ourselves as a society. And if I could support a movement to make workplace culture better everywhere, I absolutely would.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelzstahl/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HealthMarkets

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HealthMarkets

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/healthmarkets/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/healthmarkets

Thank you so much for these insights! This was so inspiring!

About the Author:

Originally from Israel, Limor Weinstein has been anorexic and bulimic, a “nanny spy” to the rich and famous and a Commander in the Israeli Army. Her personal recovery from an eating disorder led her to commit herself to a life of helping others, and along the way she picked up two Master’s Degrees in Psychology from Columbia University and City College as well as a Post-Graduate Certificate in Eating Disorder Treatment from the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy.

Upon settling in New York, Limor quickly became known as the “go to” person for families struggling with mental health issues, in part because her openness about her own mental health challenges paved the way for open exchanges. She understood the difficulties many have in finding the right treatment, as well as the stigma that remains so prevalent towards those who are struggling with mental health issues. She realized that most families are quietly struggling with a problem they’re not comfortable talking about, and that discomfort makes it much less likely that they will get the help they need for their loved ones. She discovered that being open and honest about her own mental health challenges took the fear out of the conversations. Her mission became to research and guide those families to the highest-quality treatment available. Helping others became part of her DNA, as has a commitment to supporting and assisting organizations that perform research and treatment in the mental health arena.

After years of helping families by helping connect them to the right treatment and wellness services, Limor realized that the only way to ensure that they are receiving appropriate, coordinated and evidence-based care would be to stay in control of the entire treatment process. That realization led her to create Bespoke Wellness Partners, which employs over 100 of the best clinicians and wellness providers in New York and provides confidential treatment and wellness services throughout the city. Bespoke has built its reputation on strong relationships, personalized, confidential service and a commitment to ensuring that all clients find the right treatment for their particular issues.

In addition to her role at Bespoke Wellness Partners, Limor is the Co-Chair of the Academy of Eating Disorders. She lives with her husband, three daughters and their dog Rex in Manhattan.

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