[New Report] The New Health Populism: How Americans are Seizing Control of their Health and Leaving the System Behind

New Purple Strategies Research Reveals a Nation of DIY Health Consumers

The patient has left the building.

That’s the central finding of Purple Strategies’ latest research report, The New Health Populism: How Americans are Seizing Control of their Health and Leaving the System Behind — and it has major implications for every company operating in the healthcare space.

Based on a national survey of 1,000 health-informed Americans conducted in late 2025, our research reveals a healthcare landscape in the middle of a dramatic unbundling. Six in ten Americans say they are actively working around the traditional healthcare system using new technologies and over-the-counter medicines. Nearly four in ten are doing both simultaneously.

This isn’t a fringe movement. It’s mainstream America.

What’s driving health populism? Frustration. Disillusionment. A conviction that the only person truly invested in one’s long-term health is oneself.

Seventy-three percent of Americans believe the country’s health and wellness landscape either faces serious challenges or is at a crisis point. Rather than waiting for the system to fix itself, a growing number are opting out entirely — turning to at-home diagnostics, wearables, AI chat tools, GLP-1s, and digital health platforms to fill the gap.

Think of it like cord-cutting, but for healthcare.

The era of the passive patient is over. The question for every healthcare company is whether they’ll adapt to this new consumer — or get left behind along with the system they represent.

Download the full report or reach out to learn how Purple Strategies can help your organization navigate the new health populism landscape.