Can Consumer Led Health Fix a Broken System?

December 8, 2025

By The Artemis Fund
The Artemis Fund believes technology can create prosperity for all. With offices in New York, Texas, Massachusetts, and Nevada, Artemis leads seed rounds for companies creating resilient families, individuals, and businesses across the U.S.
For decades, healthcare in the United States has been built around institutions. Hospitals, insurers, and the government have been the defining forces in how people access care and address prevention, treatment, and long-term health. Over time, traditional healthcare has become more expensive and less accessible, but things are beginning to change.
A new health economy is forming, one in which individuals are empowered to collect data, synthesize insights, and advocate for themselves. With innovative technology at our fingertips, people expect answers (fast) and ideally in a beautiful UX wrapper. There are many drivers, but individuals are increasingly taking healthcare decisions into their own hands.

Get The Artemis Fund’s stories in your inbox.

The Growing Burden of Chronic Disease
The United States spends more than any other country on healthcare, yet outcomes lag across chronic disease, life expectancy, and preventable conditions. Chronic illnesses account for over 90% of prescription drug use and three out of every four healthcare dollars. Asthma rates are double those in Europe or Asia. A disproportionate share of the nation’s health burden comes from conditions that develop slowly and are highly preventable, because the system is not structured to intervene early.
At the same time, access to traditional care is shrinking. By 2033, the country faces a projected shortage of up to 55,200 primary care physicians. Many rural communities have already lost their only hospital. Even in cities, long wait times have become routine. Preventative screenings fall through the cracks. Only a small minority of Medicare-covered women receive the recommended preventative care.
The financial pressure mirrors the clinical strain. Healthcare costs continue to rise faster than wages, with spending heavily concentrated among a small group of patients. The top one percent account for more than 20% of total costs, driven in part by rising medication and inpatient care needs as the population ages. Forty percent of these highest spenders are adults over 65. The system is absorbing more cost while delivering less access and fewer opportunities for early intervention.
A Financial Burden Carried by Families
Families earning under $50,000 spend far less on fitness, recreation, or preventative care than high earners, which means fewer opportunities to mitigate risk. The ability to invest in health outside the clinical system has become a function of income.
Government policy has not bridged the gap. Cuts to Medicaid and SNAP have removed millions from public safety nets and created new fragility in rural and low income regions. States reduce optional benefits when budgets tighten, including home and community based services that allow people to age in place. MAHA’s emphasis on lifestyle and personal responsibility has reinforced the idea that individuals must manage their own wellbeing. That philosophy resonates with consumers who want more control, but it shifts the burden of health onto people who often lack the resources, time, or access to act on it.
A Consumer Base Losing Trust
The outcome is visible in consumer sentiment. Most Americans describe their interactions with the healthcare system as stressful. Many say their needs are not met. Nearly 80 percent are dissatisfied with costs, shaping a willingness to look elsewhere. Underneath that frustration sits something deeper. In a period marked by economic uncertainty, climate anxiety, and a general sense that large systems are failing, people are searching for places where they can regain control. For many, their own health feels like the one domain where personal action still matters.
At the same time, the global wellness market has grown to $1.8T, significantly outpacing GDP. More than half of adults now own a wearable. Interest in personalized nutrition, metabolic health, and healthy aging has surged. Millions follow alternative health influencers online. Companies offering biomarker testing or concierge style health guidance now attract long waitlists of consumers willing to pay out of pocket for clarity the clinical system does not provide.
Wearables as the New Interface for Health
Wearables in particular have become a bridge between traditional care and the consumer. Nearly half of adults now use some form of health focused wearable, from smartwatches and fitness bands to rings and adhesive sensors. What started with step counts has evolved into sleep analytics, heart rhythm monitoring, and continuous glucose tracking. As devices become smaller, more specialized, and easier to wear 24/7, more people will adopt them.  Eventually these devices will become a part of our health infrastructure.
They also reveal the widening gap between what consumers want and what the traditional system can deliver. People want early signals, personalized guidance, and data they can act on. Providers want tools that make care more efficient and allow them to manage larger patient loads without sacrificing quality. We think there is a massive opportunity to combine medical data and daily data collected by wearables to leverage these tools for truly data-driven, personalized care.
The consumerization of health emerged from necessity. As the system became harder to navigate, individuals found themselves in a void. They built their own health toolkits, stitched together their own routines, and turned to technology to fill gaps that institutions cannot. In part two of this series, we’ll dive into what the new consumer health stack looks like.
We believe once in a generation companies will be built by unexpected founders. If that sounds like you, pitch us here!

Newsletter Signup