Deloitte Healthcare Outlook 2026: Key findings on confidence, digital health, AI and partnerships
A recent Deloitte report shows that more than two-thirds of health plan and health system leaders expect to outperform their competitors by 2026.
Still, many aren't very confident about the health care industry's prospects. About 43% of leaders feel “uncertain” or “neutral” about the industry's near-term prospects, up from 28% last year. This is primarily due to policy and regulatory uncertainty, such as the expiration of Affordable Care Act subsidies and uncertainty about Medicare telehealth flexibilities.
“Most U.S. health system and health plan leaders expect to outperform competitors next year but follow their traditional strategies,” Alicia Janisch, vice chair and U.S. healthcare leader at Deloitte, said in an interview. “However, these traditional strategies may not be able to cope with increasing financial and regulatory pressures in healthcare. Our outlook findings point to growing anxiety about policy shifts and ongoing affordability issues at a time of digital adoption and transformation of care models.”
Deloitte's 2026 U.S. Healthcare Outlook Survey received responses from 120 U.S. executives from health plans and health systems. Other findings from the report include:
1. Invest in digital delivery: Consumers continue to embrace digital care due to convenience. More than 90% of consumers who received a virtual health visit said they would be willing to have one again. Additionally, 37% of consumers use health monitoring devices and 47% use fitness and health tracking devices.
Because of this consumer interest, about 60% of health plan and health system executives say they plan to invest in virtual care to support preventive care.
2. Expand artificial intelligence: More than 80% of leaders believe that “Gen AI and Agentic AI can provide moderate to significant value across a range of functions, from clinical and business operations to back-office functions, by 2026.” However, 49% of organizations are still experimenting with AI and 18% are not adopting AI at all. Only one-third of healthcare organizations are using AI at scale.
Areas where gen AI and agent AI can add value to payers and health systems include supporting clinical care, reducing administrative burden, and improving consumer and workforce experiences.
“Achieving scale with AI means implementing the technology across the enterprise and achieving measurable financial impact,” the report states. “Healthcare organizations that deploy AI across multiple functions, rather than isolating it within specific departments, can broadly reduce administrative burden, accelerate decision-making, and enhance outcomes and consumer experiences.”
3. Cooperation with other industries: About 80% of executives said working with other industries, such as retail, technology and grocery, is a top priority for senior executives. For example, working with community organizations can help address social and economic needs, while working with retailers can address food-related needs.
“It’s important to think about joining forces and what innovations can be brought [from] Look beyond health care,” Janisch said.
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