In terms of healthcare, Texas has the worst uninsured rate for adults and children in the nation, according to the 2024 release of the U.S. Census. Even more so, the number of uninsured Texans currently double the overall national uninsured rate. Dallas surprisingly fares far worse than major cities such as Los Angeles, Miami, and New York City in terms of residents with medical debt and lack of healthcare access.
For Dallas native Byron Sanders, these statistics are more than just data and numbers—it represents lives. Often known for his charismatic leadership, brilliance and innovation, the former CEO of Big Thought can attest to one life-changing incident that truly shook him to his core—ultimately prompting his recent exit from Big Thought and propelling him back into a healthcare career, with an even bigger and bolder mission.
Adam Tench, AKA Rage Almighty, worked under Sanders’ leadership during his tenure at Big Thought. An award-winning poet, writer, rapper and creative, Rage made just as much impact off the stage, as he did on.
“He was one of the most beloved team members at Big Thought,” Sanders reminisced. “When we lost Rage, I was personally and deeply affected by that.”
The Dallas slam poet was only 36 when he passed away in 2019 from what was reported as cardiac arrest. However, like many Dallas residents, Rage received treatment through the ER (when absolutely necessary), while lacking access to preventative healthcare.
“It wasn’t because we didn’t know how to save Rage,” Sanders said, his voice heavy. “It was because Rage was uninsured.” The unexpected passing of the all-star poet sent shockwaves through the community—some of which is still felt today. “By many people’s admission, Rage contributed to saving their life. I was struck with the reality that it was deeply unjust–for a person who had saved so many people’s lives, that we didn’t have the system, structure or society to save his. Who takes care of the people who take care of the people?”
This feeling and this question—bathed in hopelessness, grief and despair, was one that stayed with Sanders, even to this day. It began and festered with Rage Almighty, and if Sanders had anything to do with it, would no longer be the remnants of any others. Without hesitancy, and harkening his prior career in pharmaceutical sales, he swiftly moved into action. Hence, his newly announced venture, Arete Health (Arete).
Touting “revolutionary care, for a revolutionary future”, Arete (which is Greek for “excellence”) is a healthcare and advisory firm that revolutionizes healthcare through insurance innovation, biotech investment, and policy advocacy. With Rage’s story as the catalyst, Sanders, along with his elite team of global advisors, are shifting the paradigm of healthcare by targeting underserved communities and marginalized workforce sectors, and creating access to preventative healthcare, all the while making it affordable.
“Every other country on this planet can figure out healthcare reasonably,” Sanders stated. “We have a ‘sick-care’ system, we actually don’t have a healthcare system right now. You don’t get the things you need unless you’re sick enough. Well, we’re not waiting for people to get sick. I know [that] there’s a better way.”
The “better way” includes access to pre-cancer screenings such as the highly acclaimed Galleri test that screens for 50 cancers with one blood draw, glucose monitoring, DNA assessments, full-body MRI’s, and more—for only $40 per month to the full-time or part-time employee.
“What would it look like if for $40 a month, you get unlimited virtual medicine–including behavioral health? What if there was no co-pay [and] you had access to the top 1000 most commonly prescribed medications? What if we can catch people and stop them from getting to pre-diabetes? What can we do if we cover these people and make it reasonable for their employers to do so? Not only will it save lives, but it will save so much money as well.”
Just fresh out of a 2-year pilot, Arete Health helped beta testers identify preventable health conditions in its early onset, as well as saving $6.9 million dollars due to its innovative insurance solutions. Sanders, as well as his distinguished advisory board (including Dr. Michael Sorrell – President of Paul Quinn College; Dyke Shipp – Global President of KFC; Ken Malcolmson – Former CEO of Humana; Chike Aguh – Immediate Past Chief Innovation Officer for the U.S. Department of Labor; and many others), are understandably excited about what the future holds for this groundbreaking organization—which will include virtual vet care in the future.
“It’s happening. We’re growing,” Sanders said excitedly. “Once states start to embrace that food is medicine, [as well as] preventative scans, treatments and genomic testing…the whole system shifts, because it [now] becomes the norm—it becomes the standard. People are not going to settle that all of these people who are underserved are getting all of this amazing healthcare. They’ll want it too.”
“So in essence, who takes care of the people who take care of the people? From the non-profit organizations to the artists to the creatives to the receptionists, and even the food and beverage workers—we do.”
