[Expert Opinion] Why the U.S. Health & Wellness Market is Booming Now

The health & wellness coaching market boom in the U.S., long anticipated by many in the industry, has finally arrived and shows no signs of slowing down. This industry got fueled by all of the investments in AI, and personalized care and now we have more data and sources for a truly connected care experience.

For individuals, we are in a prime-time to get a holistic, preventive, collaborative care experience for maintaining their health. For businesses, it's a prime chance to establish a strong presence in a rapidly growing and future-proof market.

But why is this boom happening now, and what does it mean for you — whether you’re a doctor, nurse, or a coaching firm looking to expand into this space? In just five minutes, you’ll get the answers you need and understand the key drivers behind this shift and its outlook.

What Makes the Health & Wellness Market Stronger Than Ever Before?

Reason 1: Medical costs grow exponentially

Let’s start with the money spent on healthcare.

In 2025, you’re likely to spend even more. Medical costs keep climbing, and according to PwC, they’re expected to jump by 8% in 2025 due to inflation and rising prescription drug prices.

“PwC is projecting an 8% year-on-year medical cost trend in 2025 for the Group market and 7.5% for the Individual market, driven by inflationary pressure, prescription drug spending, and behavioral health utilization.”

PwC, Medical cost trend: Behind the numbers 2025

Currently, Americans spend a significant amount on healthcare, with individual out-of-pocket expenses averaging $1,122 annually. A study by Rand revealed that families with lower incomes allocate a larger portion of their earnings to healthcare costs — 33.9% for the lowest income quintile, versus 16% for the highest income quintile.

Stephanie Tilenius, CEO at Vida Health, Inc. claims, “Healthcare is the largest of all spending in our country at $4.9T and will be 20% of GDP in 2032. Something has to change, we need Medicine 3.0 which is much more predictive, preventative, personalized and prescriptive to get ahead of disease.”

Compare that to health & wellness coaching, which offers a much more affordable option at $200 to $600. That’s a big difference.

Plus, health & wellness coaching focuses on preventing problems before they start, unlike traditional medicine, which often kicks in after issues arise. The trend of preventative care is going mainstream now, and there are no signs of it reversing or being blocked by a bottleneck.

Reason 2: Traditional coaching markets are experiencing a slowdown

As the health & wellness industry surges ahead, traditional coaching sectors like executive and leadership coaching are hitting a plateau. What’s interesting is that this slowdown is actually helping drive the growth in health & wellness coaching.

For years, tech companies were the biggest consumers of executive coaching, focused on growing their culture and the team. However with the global economic downturn, these companies have started slashing budgets, laying off employees, and executive coaching is one of the first areas to see cuts. Most of the small and big coaching vendors I talk to are now diversifying their offerings and are selling to traditional sectors.

Now, coaching organizations are looking to transform their business models by branching into health & wellness coaching. Why? Because it’s about stability — longer client lifecycles, a wider audience, better revenue per customer, higher ROI and demand.

The best time to build a strong business is when there’s a shift in the market, whether it’s through new technology or changing consumer behaviors. Right now, that shift is happening in health & wellness, and many companies and professionals are eager to jump on board and not miss out.

Reason 3: Innovations fuel a data-driven approach to coaching

I believe health & wellness coaching is one of the most exciting fields out there because the practitioners in this space rely on concrete metrics and data — they know how to analyze and connect the dots.

There’s no smoke and mirrors here, no processes that leave clients scratching their heads, and no results that can’t be measured. Everything is transparent with the proper knowledge, experience, and accurate data.

The experts in this field are certified professionals, former doctors or nurses, who pair their expertise with the latest AI and health technologies to gather and process a wealth of health & wellness data.

About 21.7% of adults now own a smartwatch. So, in a group of five of your friends, one of them likely has one. Meanwhile, the US Healthcare IoT market is projected to soar to $48.11 billion by 2029, up from $29.64 billion in 2024. This means that even more devices are collecting valuable health data.

The job of a health & wellness coach is to make sense of this data, compare it, and guide clients on a journey to achieve the best measurable results. And when it comes to health, seeing tangible progress builds trust and fuels the growth of this industry.

Reason 4: Changing consumer and practitioner behavior

Consumers

More and more people, especially Gen Z and millennials, are starting to question traditional medicine. They’re tired of the high costs without visible results and are looking for something more holistic and preventative, like the health & wellness industry offers. They prefer to go outside of insurance.

Following the latest McKinsey report, Gen Z and millennials are now purchasing more wellness products and services than older generations across health, sleep, nutrition, fitness, appearance, and mindfulness.

Curious but one more consumer behavior pattern signs that we deal with. Demographic groups in America are getting older, especially moms. The average age of a first-time mother has steadily crept up over the past few decades, from 25 years old in 2001 to 27.5 years old in 2023. A derivative effect: the rise of egg freezing, powered by demographic shifts, better tech and better healthcare access.

We’re seeing 30% annual growth in cycles, but the question is: how big can this get? How much demand is there, when better tech, education, and policy unlock access? What coaching, programs, care should be created to satisfy it? This trend speaks to the trend of creation of new wellness services market opportunities.

Practitioners

At the same time, health practitioners and nurses are also reevaluating their roles. Many are moving into health & wellness coaching because it allows them to make a real difference without the constraints of traditional healthcare settings. They’re drawn to the idea of using their expertise in a more flexible, personalized way. Our customers Quantum University and Integrative Nurse Coach Academy enable doctors, nurses, and coaches from other divisions to switch into health & wellness coaching effectively.

Future Trends in Health & Wellness

If someone asked me what other factors, beyond the four I’ve mentioned, will shape the future of this industry, I’d point to:

The importance of instant and efficient access to personalized, holistic care;
The promising outlook of value-based care in the traditional healthcare system;
The growing popularity of integrative coaching;
The competition of EHRs and EMRs with small and mid-sized software providers.

Let me break it down.

Value-based care

Value-based care involves paying for better health outcomes, not just more treatments. However, for this model to work, insurance companies need specific codes and a new business model to cover outcome-driven services.

If health & wellness coaching had its own insurance CPT codes, it would change the game. These services would suddenly become much more affordable for a broader range of people because insurance would help cover the costs.

This concept, with its significant potential impact, has been under discussion for two decades. Although there have been advancements toward realizing its potential, considerable opportunities for growth remain.

Insurance companies require assurance that the health and wellness coaching market is mature and dependable, equipped with validated intervention strategies to warrant a distinct code. Data plays a crucial role in this context. We are awaiting the point at which more comprehensive data integration and sufficient time to track outcomes are available. Once achieved, this will undoubtedly catalyze a new surge of growth within the industry.

Integrative coaching

Integrative and other health and wellness modalities are growing at a 23% YoY rate, which is much better than other coaching sectors.

From a health & wellness perspective, integrative coaching bridges the gap between conventional medicine and alternative therapies. Coaches work alongside healthcare providers or other wellness professionals to help clients manage chronic conditions, prevent illness, and enhance overall well-being. They use tools such as nutrition coaching, stress management, fitness planning, environmental coaching, and mindfulness.

Given the trend of doctors and nurses moving into health & wellness coaching, we’re seeing they bring the best of both worlds — combining evidence-based medical practices with wellness strategies that address the root causes of health issues and promote long-term wellbeing.

Competition

Health and wellness businesses are on the lookout for the next big thing in software enablement, and many are not satisfied with outdated and cumbersome Electronic Health Records (EHR), Electronic Medical Records (EMR) systems.

Right now, EHRs and EMRs are control points for the health data side of their businesses. But they don't satisfy the needs of modern care and service providers with blended elements of coaching, training, consulting etc. This is where Profi comes in with its:

Winning architecture, suitable for building hybrid workflows.
Program & courses creation and selling feature that helps practitioners combine different types of content seamlessly.
Ability to act not only as Solo, but add teams, make a co-host, helping several specialists hold one client.

The key takeaway is that over time, practitioners will increasingly demand digital flexibility from EHRs and EMRs. This shift will drive a surge in integrations between EHRs, EMRs, and smaller digital product providers.

The Bottom Line

To succeed in this rapidly evolving market, health and wellness businesses must focus on creating a cohesive client experience and a unified source of truth for their teams. An interoperable tech stack, paired with a modern, instantaneous client and provider interface, is essential. The next generation of EMRs and digital platforms should not just store data but integrate seamlessly into the client's journey, offering a holistic and personalized experience.

As holistic care becomes more prevalent, with specialists like health and wellness practitioners, counselors, and executive coaches collaborating more frequently, a centralized, modern operating system becomes crucial.

As Daisy Wolf from Andreessen Horowitz noted, “Building new companies with magical consumer experiences that inspire behavior change is the most powerful way to extend our lifespans.” The future is about smarter, more integrated wellness solutions that cater to digitally native consumers. Now is the time to invest in the tools and strategies that will bring this vision to life.