3 Healthcare Trends in 2026
What employers can expect from the healthcare landscape
As we leap into the new year, employers looking at the 2026 healthcare forecast are bracing for the highest benefit cost increase in 15 years. To meet the rising challenges, they’re rethinking care models and finding opportunities to engage with rapidly advancing technology.
“Employers and insurers are projecting a median 9% increase in healthcare costs for 2026. Despite technological advances, there continue to be gaps in coordination between primary care, specialists, and hospitals,” said Josh Dunsby, who oversees client advocacy and partnerships at Amazon One Medical for Business. “We are seeing support for payment models that align with what improves patient health: continuous, relationship-based care rather than episodic sick visits.”
Here’s a closer look at three major trends that are shaping the healthcare landscape in 2026 and meeting the need for relationship-based care that manages rising costs.
Supporting the patient experience with hybrid care
Telehealth has transformed from a pandemic necessity to a strategic part of care delivery. Rather than being seen as simply a convenience, patients are developing preferences for when virtual care is effective and when they need in-person attention.
Hybrid care may be the way of the future, offering patients flexibility and personalization. As Dunsby shared, “From 2023 through 2025, there were significant increases in the use of virtual care across all areas of care delivery. The art is in clinical judgment — knowing when virtual care serves the patient well and when hands-on examination is needed.”
There are indicators that telehealth will grow at a more measured rate over the next year, with recent policy changes. “The new federal tax law permanently extended first-dollar coverage for telehealth services for individuals with HSA-qualified high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) starting in 2025, providing regulatory certainty that was lacking,” Dunsby highlighted. “With almost a third of the workforce on HDHPs, this is a tailwind to future growth.”
Giving time back to doctors for patient care with AI
AI is primed to deliver tangible improvements across the entire care continuum in 2026. The focus is on tools that cut down on administrative tasks and paperwork to give providers more time with their patients.
“We are hopeful that we are on a path where technology is enabling a human-centered, personalized care experience that is more effective and satisfying for patients and providers alike,” Dunsby said.
Amazon One Medical implemented a custom electronic health record and AI-powered tools — including reviewing documentation and automatic notetaking — that have reduced administrative burden by 40% compared to industry standards. By freeing them from everyday distractions, clinicians can focus on developing caring and personal relationships with their patients.
“From a clinician's perspective, the promise of AI is simple: give us back time with patients,” Dunsby summarized.
For patients, a new addition in the One Medical app makes getting health care even simpler too. Called the Health AI assistant, this 24/7 personalized guide takes action to help answer questions, book appointments, and manage medications.
Balancing rising healthcare costs with primary care
With rising costs in 2026, employers may need to rethink their cost management playbook. Primary care models that emphasize continuity might offer a way forward. Investing in primary care can be an investment in better health outcomes: fewer hospital admissions, healthier lives, and greater well-being.
“For primary care providers, they can practice medicine the way they were trained — building long-term relationships with patients, focusing on prevention, and having time for conversations that change health outcomes — without the financial barriers that have historically limited access to this model of primary care,” Dunsby said.
There’s an added financial incentive for primary care this year. The 2025 tax law also included a provision to make Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) compatible with Direct Primary Care (DPC) service arrangements starting in 2026. DPC service arrangements help empower physicians to spend more time with individual patients, giving the patients the confidence that their health is being prioritized.
“Investing in accessible primary care isn’t just a nice addition to employee benefits, it’s an economically rational response to rising healthcare costs. Evidence consistently shows that robust primary care reduces spending on emergency visits, hospitalizations, and specialist care,” Dunsby said. “Money spent on primary care is a wise long-term investment.”
Your partner in keeping healthcare affordable in 2026, and beyond
Clinicians know from daily experience that when patients have a trusted primary care provider coordinating their care, health outcomes improve and total costs decrease. In the year ahead, employers can focus on comprehensive primary care models that emphasize continuity of care. Recognizing the cost-saving and well-being benefits for employers and employees, One Medical continues to prioritize primary care in 2026.
References
Learn more about how One Medical can help your employees to stay healthy here.