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Millennials shape healthcare
- Christophe Jauquet
- May 13
- 10 min read
As more Millennials turn 45+ years old, they are shaping the imminent future of the healthcare system.
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Introduction
A generational shift is reshaping healthcare systems across Europe and the UK as a new generation is entering the system more frequently: Millennials. Today, this generation is engaging with health services not just out of necessity, but with growing enthusiasm and intention.
This generation amplifies the rise of Healthusiasm: a global movement that sees individuals treating health as a proactive, holistic pursuit. Simultaneously, and as explained in my second book, healthcare is entering the Transformation Economy, where value is no longer measured by transactions, but by transformations (=the lasting impact care experiences have on people’s lives).
Generational shifts
This article first explores the differences between three primary generational cohorts—Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials— and then explains how the youngest generation of those three is reshaping the healthcare system with new demands.
Baby Boomers:
Cautious Pioneers of Impact-Oriented Health
Baby Boomers, born before 1965, helped redefine the concept of health decades ago. This generation started the fitness trend in the 1980s, driven by concerns about heart disease and declining health. They pioneered a cultural movement around exercise, making aerobics, jogging, and later, gym memberships, mainstream activities. This fitness movement laid the groundwork for the Healthusiasm trend, where health is viewed as an ongoing, purposeful pursuit that individuals can influence. Many have quit smoking and modified their diets as they prioritise longevity and quality of life—further evidence of Healthusiasm. Boomers grew up before fast food became dominant; they are now highly interested in nutritional transparency, albeit focusing primarily on additives like sugar, salt, and fat.
Today, after decades of medical and social advancements, Baby Boomers manage more complex health needs. Nearly 90% take at least one medication, and many juggle multiple treatments, often tracking them manually. Even though their relationship with technology is growing, they remain cautious. About half have used telehealth at least once, over a third own a smartwatch, but their usage of AI is still minimal. Boomers prefer face-to-face interactions, continuity with their providers, and personalised communication. They believe technology should support relational care rather than replace it because trust and human interaction are essential for them. While they are less likely to switch doctors impulsively, they value convenience if it comes with credibility. Their expectations remind us that great care is not primarily about efficiency; it’s about emotionally intelligent and deeply human connections.
Generation X:
Independent, Informed, and Efficiency-Driven
Generation X, born between 1965 and 1980, has significantly impacted the healthcare landscape due to its independence and practicality. Now in their midlife, they balance various responsibilities, including raising children, caring for ageing parents, and managing careers while prioritising time and reliability. This reality defines how they interact with the healthcare system. As a result, they approach healthcare as a service, engaging in online research and comparing providers to enhance convenience and efficiency.
Generation X became conscious of their health at a young age because they grew up with warnings about obesity and lung cancer. That's why health behaviours among Generation X are intentional. Considering their focus on convenience and efficiency, they would rather engage in solo workouts than in group sports. Their dietary choices also tend to be practical, favouring nutrient-dense, easy-to-prepare meals while remaining sceptical of marketing claims. This defines their "Healthusiasm" mindset, which views health as a daily lifestyle rather than a temporary project.
Regarding technology and digital health, Generation X is increasingly interested in tracking health metrics. However, many are still cautious about investing time and money in technology. Only about half own a wearable or connected health device, and most still take a pragmatic stance on artificial intelligence. Generation X is willing to use technology for tasks like symptom checks and scheduling, as long as the technology is accurate, transparent and helps them navigate their busy lives. This deliberate look at digital tools is about shorter wait times. If technology does provide shorter wait times, Generation X may utilise virtual care and even share health data with trusted providers. However, many Gen Xers still prefer in-person visits and maintaining strong relationships with healthcare providers. Continuity and professional guidance remain valuable to them, but less so than Baby Boomers. You will see that their scepticism and questioning attitude often lead them to seek second opinions, especially if their needs for efficiency, respect, and responsiveness are unmet.
Millennials:
Wellness-Driven, Digitally Demanding, and Midlife in Transition
Millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, have low smoking rates and embrace wellness practices that easily integrate fitness, nutrition, and mindfulness into their lifestyles. Mental health is a fundamental aspect of their health and well-being. Unlike older generations, Millennials are more open about discussing their mental health; they readily seek therapy, use meditation apps, and candidly talk about burnout and emotional struggles. They expect mental health to be treated with the same seriousness as physical health issues and want these services to be integrated into their overall care experiences rather than separated. This expectation aligns with the Healthusiasm movement, which sees health as a combination of physical, emotional, and purposeful living.
Growing up during the startup revolution, it's no surprise that Millennials have a strong comfort level with technology, which is evident in their ownership of connected health devices. They lead all generations in wearable technology adoption, with two-thirds owning at least one device. Millennials are the most likely to use smartwatches and smart rings. They are also more inclined than older generations to purchase tools such as smart scales, connected blood pressure monitors, and continuous glucose monitors—even though they are still younger and, statistically, less likely to have chronic conditions.
They prefer digital interactions and often consult multiple providers across various digital platforms without feeling strongly connected to one healthcare provider. They will engage with healthcare providers through apps, websites, and telehealth for primary care, mental health, and wellness support, or to seek accessible and preventive care options. This approach includes embracing niche services, with many utilising at-home fertility testing during their family-building years.
Millennials are also enthusiastic users of AI and large language models (LLMS) in healthcare. They integrate tools like Chatgpt into their wellness routines for personalised coaching on fitness, stress management, sleep, and nutrition. They utilise AI to check symptoms, plan workouts and meals, and learn about chronic illnesses. Preferring conversational interfaces, they often validate AI insights with peer reviews and influencer content. While open to sharing personal data for tailored advice, they prioritise transparency and control over their information.
Millennials enter the system.
Millennials already face higher obesity and chronic condition rates compared to previous generations, and today, this generation is entering into their midlife. It is starting to face chronic conditions like Type 2 diabetes and mental health issues more frequently. This evolution has impactful consequences because Millennials now enter the healthcare system as a new generation with specific expectations. This evolution will be key in reshaping healthcare because the gap between the current healthcare system and this generation's expectations is enormous.
For Millennials, healthcare must be mobile-friendly, personalised, and seamlessly digital. They expect real-time communication, transparent pricing, AI-powered self-management tools, therapy bots, and holistic treatment plans encompassing physical, mental, and emotional aspects. Additionally, they want data from their wearables and health apps to be integrated into their care decisions. However, Millennials remain cautious about data sharing with the current healthcare system, as only about half report trusting healthcare providers with their information. The current system does not provide them control, lacks transparency, and does not offer enough benefits for sharing their data.
This tech-savvy approach will drastically challenge traditional healthcare systems and reshape care delivery, not least because Millennials are less attached to long-term relationships with healthcare providers than previous generations. As a result, many avoid routine checkups—over half see their primary care physicians less than once a year.
For healthcare providers, the message is clear: adapt or risk being left behind. Millennials are not waiting. Just as they have transformed how we shop, bank, date, and work, they are also redefining what it means to receive care. In doing so, they are driving the healthcare industry into the heart of the Transformation Economy, where value is measured not just by the services delivered but by the personal growth, happiness, and health empowerment achieved.
Millennials pressure the system
As Millennials enter midlife, they are confronted with increasing rates of obesity, stress, and chronic diseases. They are a new generation entering the healthcare system with expectations that are colliding with outdated healthcare systems. This collide intensifies the need for better solutions.
Digital Fluency: Millennials expect seamless digital integration from self-care to scheduling, from diagnostics to care.
Personalised Care: They want treatments based on their personal situation, not averages.
Mental Health Integration: Emotional well-being must be part of standard care.
Proactive Participation: They wish to co-manage their health, with visibility and feedback.
Low Tolerance for Inefficiency: Any friction—long waits, unclear processes—triggers abandonment.
These expectations stem from their upbringing in a culture that values wellness and technology. Their behaviors resonate with the principles of Healthusiasm, which emphasizes active self-management, as well as the Transformation Economy's emphasis on providing transformational experiences.
Case Study 1:
Metabolic Syndrome and the Millennial Mindset
Metabolic syndrome—a cluster of conditions like high blood pressure, high blood sugar, abdominal fat, and abnormal cholesterol—emerges during midlife and increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Despite being wellness-oriented, Millennials are experiencing higher rates of obesity and metabolic risk than Generation X did at the same age. This is mainly due to sedentary jobs, chronic stress, and unhealthy diets, which overshadow their health-conscious behaviours.
While healthcare providers recognise this issue, Millennials approach its management differently from previous generations. Millennials incorporate health tracking into their daily routines, using wearables and apps for monitoring and coaching instead of relying solely on traditional healthcare methods. They prefer personalised plans and real-time feedback, contrasting with Generation X and Baby Boomers who value in-person visits and physician trust. This proactive engagement reflects the trend of Healthusiasm, where individuals actively shape their health experiences through technology.
Healthcare providers must adapt by offering continuous, tech-enabled chronic disease management that meets Millennial expectations. They expect insights instantly and want care teams that can keep up. This shift aligns with the Transformation Economy, which focuses on the transformations enabled in people's lives. For Millennials, addressing metabolic syndrome is about transformation, not just treatment.
Case Study 2:
Menopause in the Millennial Era
As Millennial women approach menopause, they are redefining how this life stage is experienced and managed, breaking taboos and raising expectations in the process. Unlike previous generations, Millennials openly discuss menopause in social media threads, podcasts, and group chats. They view it as a holistic health journey rather than a clinical milestone.
These women are more likely to seek support that integrates mental well-being, hormone tracking, nutrition, and lifestyle coaching. They utilise wearables that monitor sleep and mood, and apps that log hot flashes and cycle changes. Millennial women expect personalised insights and continuous support. They prefer a combination of peer support groups, telehealth consultations, and even AI-powered menopause coaches, demanding the connected and convenient care that they have come to expect in other areas of their lives.
This approach contrasts with Generation X, who often treated menopause more privately and pragmatically, balancing hormonal therapies with daily symptom management. Baby Boomers, on the other hand, primarily relied on traditional clinical routes and seldom discussed menopause outside the doctor's office.
The implications for healthcare providers are clear: menopause care must evolve into an integrated, tech-enabled, holistic offering. Millennial women desire practitioners who listen, platforms that guide them in real time, and services that blend medical, emotional, and digital support. This demand reflects the Healthusiasm worldview, in which individuals do not separate their physical and emotional well-being and expect healthcare systems to align with this perspective.
This shift also aligns with the Transformation Economy’s core proposition: providing experiences that help people live better, fuller lives. Millennials do not want to “get through” menopause; they want to navigate it with agency, empowerment, and insight. Clinics and providers who recognise this change will not only meet demand—they will redefine midlife care for a generation unafraid to expect more.
The Millennial Transformation
Millennials are not only reshaping expectations—they are transforming how care must be delivered. Five major shifts define this transformation:
Hybrid or even Virtual Care Models – Healthcare must match the seamless yet still evolving experience of banking, shopping or streaming
Blended Self-Care and Professional Support – Wearables, apps, and clinicians must operate in the same ecosystem.
Collaborative Relationships – Clinicians become coaches; patients become partners.
Holistic and Preventive Health: Sleep, nutrition, mental health, and purpose must all be addressed simultaneously.
Transformational Design – Healthcare must be inclusive, accessible, and adapted to daily life.
These demands go beyond digital upgrades. They represent a fundamental rethinking of what healthcare is. Millennials are pushing systems to operate at the intersection of Healthusiasm’s optimism and the Transformation Economy’s promise: to create transformational, human-centred experiences that empower people to live healthier, happier lives.
Conclusion
The evolution of healthcare is not just demographic—it is cultural, technological, and deeply emotional. Boomers laid the foundation with the first forms of proactive care. Gen X brought consumer logic to the system. But Millennials are the true disruptors: wellness-first, tech-native, and demanding transformation.
By embracing the values of Healthusiasm and aligning with the Transformation Economy, healthcare systems can evolve from providers of care to enablers of life-enhancing experiences. In doing so, they won’t just meet Millennial expectations—they’ll future-proof their relevance in an era where health is more than medicine. It’s a lifestyle, a #healthusiasm lifestyle.
Is your health & self-care solution already Millennial-proof ??
-Christophe-
Auther, Speaker & Advisor on health, business & technology
𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗧𝗛𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗮𝘀𝗺 (°2018) is the label under which Christophe Jauquet explores and explains how 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗧𝗛 shapes the future of our world and every industry in it.
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