Inga Bergen: How Generation Z Is Changing Healthcare
Inga Bergen is THE expert when it comes to digital health in Germany. As an entrepreneur, investor, podcaster, and sought-after speaker, she is shaping the discussion on the future of healthcare. In this interview, she discusses why our healthcare system still lags behind technological possibilities, how Generation Z is changing the way we approach health, and which innovations are actually making a difference. Inga Bergen will be speaking at Health Day 2026.Interview: Simone Bohny/Christin Müller
"I look forward to a medical field that recognizes that women aren't just little men." (Inga Bergen)
What motivates you to be so passionate about the future of healthcare?
Inga Bergen: I’ve founded and led two companies in the digital health sector—and in doing so, I’ve learned just how slowly a system moves that should actually be the most innovative one we have. What drives me is the gap between what has long been medically and technologically possible and what people actually experience when they’re sick. This gap isn’t a technological problem. It’s a problem of structure, incentives, and courage. And that’s exactly why I’m staying the course: because it can be solved.
In your opinion, what makes Generation Z different from other generations when it comes to health?
I’m cautious about generational narratives—they often explain less than they claim to. But what I really observe is this: This generation no longer makes a clear distinction between health and everyday life. Mental health, sleep, nutrition, exercise, work—these form a continuum, not a set of separate areas of responsibility. This clashes with a system that is organized precisely along lines of responsibility: boundaries between medical specialties, between sectors, and between payers. The conflict isn’t “young versus old.” It’s “integrated experience versus fragmented care.”
Gen Z is the first generation to have grown up entirely with digital technologies. What expectations will they therefore have of doctors, hospitals, and health insurance companies in the future?
Three that I consider to be structural:
First: Expectation sovereignty. People who are used to every service being transparent, bookable, and easy to track won’t accept that an appointment takes six weeks and no one can explain why.
Second: Access to data as a given. Not as a right that must be fought for, but as a fundamental condition.
Third—and this is often underestimated—is the quality of the relationship. Digital literacy does not mean a desire for distance. On the contrary: the more interchangeable the transaction, the greater the value of genuine medical care. Anyone who thinks an app can replace that connection has misunderstood the issue.
What digital developments will truly change the way we approach health in the coming years?
Not so much the spectacular ones, but rather the mundane ones. Interoperable data. AI in documentation and decision support—not because it replaces doctors, but because it frees up their time. And above all: moving diagnostics forward—from the hospital to everyday life, from acute care to early detection.
What interests me more than the technology is the question of who benefits from it. We’re currently in danger of building a system that works exceptionally well for digitally empowered, well-insured people who are health-conscious—and makes things worse than before for everyone else. This isn’t a technical issue, but a matter of distribution.
Many young people today are much more critical of medical advice than previous generations. Is this a sign of greater health literacy or a dangerous overconfidence?
To be honest: neither. I think the question doesn't quite capture the issue.
What we are seeing is not an increase in competence or arrogance, but a loss of trust in institutions coupled with a radical shift in information sources. That is something different.
Health literacy—as measured by standard tools—tends to be rather low across all age groups in Germany, including among young people. What has changed is not people’s ability, but their access: Today, every recommendation is immediately accompanied by a thousand other voices, and none of them bears a seal that can be recognized at a glance.
The answer to this isn’t to reclaim authority. You either have it or you don’t. The answer is to provide a rationale. Saying “That’s just how we do it” doesn’t work anymore. Saying “That’s how we do it because—and here’s the evidence, and here are its limitations” does work very well. It’s more work. But it’s also better.
You speak with many thought leaders in the healthcare sector and have been following innovations for years. Looking ahead to the next ten years, which developments are you most excited about?
The moment when “prevention” is no longer just a buzzword everyone tosses around in political speeches but that no one actually funds. We’re currently witnessing a rare convergence of factors: the technology is here, cost pressures are inevitable, and a new generation is emerging for whom prevention isn’t a sacrifice but a form of self-empowerment. When these three elements come together, something fundamental shifts.
And, to be more specific: I’m looking forward to a medical field that recognizes that women aren’t just little men. Things are finally moving in that direction—too slowly, but they’re moving.
To wrap things up, here’s a quick generational quiz: If you could “steal” one trait from Generation Z, which one would it be? And conversely, is there anything Generation Z could perhaps learn from older generations?
If I could, I’d steal the ease with which this generation talks about mental health. My generation dealt with it on our own and called it strength. It wasn’t.
Conversely: Be patient with systems. Not compliance—patience. Some important things don’t change in eighteen months, but in eighteen years, and anyone who’s only looking for quick results will walk out before things get interesting.
No one approaches the truly major shifts in the healthcare sector as a sprint.
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