U.S. Health Coaching Market Growing Among Consumers, Insurers & Employers

U.S. Health Coaching Market Growing Among Consumers, Insurers & Employers

Aug. 13, 2018

Health coaching has emerged as a $6 billion service market, with a strong growth outlook. There are an estimated 109,000 health coaches and health educators that advise and motivate clients to change bad lifestyle habits and to manage chronic conditions such as diabetes.

And, Americans do need help. Eighty-six percent of the nation’s $2.7 trillion annual health care expenditures are for people with chronic and mental health conditions. These costs can be reduced via health coaching of employees and plan members, on their lifestyles, eliminating bad habits, better nutrition, exercise, and managing their chronic conditions.

You are most likely to find a health coach in private practice, at a doctor’s office, or via a corporate wellness program. Large self-insured companies are also using coaches to improve employee health and cut claims costs, as are healthcare insurers.

However, like personal coaching in general, the industry is loosely defined and certification in many cases is performed by organizations more interested in profits than coach competence. National standards are years away.

Health coaching can be an important factor in the overall healthcare equation, but this is still an emerging discipline in need of more regulation and accountability.

Here are some things to know about this healthcare service:

Market Value…  Marketdata estimates that the total U.S. health coaching market was worth $6.14 billion in 2017, up 15% from 2014. The total market is forecast to grow at a 5.4% average annual pace, to $7.85 billion by 2022, with 121,000 coaches practicing.

There are an estimated 109,000 U.S. health coaches and health educators combined, with average yearly salaries/earnings of $56,370. Their numbers have grown 8% per year from 2006 to 2017. There is also interest in certification by healthcare pros such as nurses, psychologists, social workers, chiropractors, nutritionists, massage therapists, and MDs.

Marketdata estimates that the market sub-segment for weight loss coaching conservatively is worth at least $738 million. The commercial weight loss center market is projected to grow at an 8.5% average annual pace. Therefore, this market should be worth $1.05 billion by 2022.

Insurance companies are hiring health coaches to deliver disease prevention programs to patients and at-risk communities, with special emphasis on diabetes and weight management, smoking cessation, and stress management.

One key problem facing this industry is that there are a variety of definitions put forth, vs. one clear and widely accepted national standard, which is most likely five years away. There are literally dozens of organizations providing health coaching certification, but only 8 of them are really credible.

According to some surveys, 60% of Americans want health coaching but 80% of them have never had it offered to them. Most health coaching is provided by phone, but apps and online service are emerging too.

To Obtain a Table of Contents for this report, The U.S. Health Coaching Market, May 2018, go here:

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