Healthcare is barreling toward an identity crisis in 2027, driven largely by patients who are taking care decisions into their own hands and skipping the usual routes into the healthcare system, according to an Oct. 14 report from Forrester.
Consumers are increasingly turning to AI for medical advice, ordering weight-loss drugs and other treatments online, and using at-home diagnostics to validate health insights before engaging with a clinician. Forrester said it expects these habits to make AI the first stop for care, shift a portion of routine check-ins to AI agents and push drugmakers to sell directly to consumers.
This disruption is forcing hospitals, health systems and other organizations to look for new sources of value beyond traditional care delivery and rethink what it means to be a trusted partner for patients.
Here are Forrester’s five predictions for 2027:
1. More than half of U.S. consumers will turn to public AI tools first when seeking healthcare guidance. AI is already becoming a mainstream source of health guidance, Forrester noted. Thirty-four percent of U.S. adults use AI chatbots for health-related reasons, and 25% use them to figure out what’s causing their symptoms, according to an Aug. 25 report from Pew Research Center. Forrester warned that healthcare organizations that don’t invest in answer engine and generative engine optimization risk becoming invisible as AI becomes patients’ first stop for care.
2. Five of the 10 largest health insurers will unveil alternative health plans. Premiums will rise again next year, and marketplace and small-group customers are expected to see double-digit increases, according to KFF. Forrester pointed to UnitedHealthcare’s Surest and Health Care Service Corp.’s Easify Edge as examples of alternative health plans that aim to simplify coverage and make costs more predictable. Both plans drop traditional deductibles in favor of upfront, fixed costs. Forrester said insurers will need products like these to compete with new coverage models that are gaining popularity with employers and consumers.
3. AI agents will handle 20% of routine care check-ins. To meet rising care demands amid ongoing workforce challenges, Forrester predicts that both established healthcare organizations and digital-first competitors will deploy medically trained AI agents for routine work next year, including medication renewals, chronic condition monitoring, care navigation and wellness support. Forrester cited Utah’s Doctronic pilot, in which AI is being tested to renew and write new prescriptions, as an early example of the shift. Consumers appear open to it: 41% of U.S. online adults are at least somewhat interested in getting care from medically trained AI models, according to Forrester. The firm said health systems will need to decide which interactions AI agents can safely handle, redesign clinical workflows so complex cases go to clinicians, and build reimbursement and governance models for AI-led care.
4. One in five Americans will take a GLP-1, and the drugs’ direct-to-consumer model will spread to other treatments. Forrester said the direct-to-consumer push for GLP-1s is showing consumers they can research, obtain and receive treatment largely on their own terms, without going through traditional care pathways. More than half of adults surveyed by Forrester said they research medications on their own before they talk to a physician, and one-fifth get medications delivered to their homes. By 2027, Forrester said that model could extend to other chronic, lifestyle and preference-sensitive conditions, especially where stigma, long waits or limited specialist access make traditional care hard to reach. Women’s health, dermatology and longevity care are likely to see a surge in digital-first treatment options, Forrester said. Meanwhile, the firm said it expects drugmakers to respond by putting more money into direct-to-consumer engagement and virtual care partnerships, which would displace providers as the main gateway to treatment.
Some health systems are already moving in this direction. Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health launched a virtual men’s health clinic Oct. 20, offering evaluation and treatment for erectile dysfunction and other sexual health concerns, citing patients’ need for privacy and flexibility.
5. At-home testing will create a new digital divide and widen health inequities. Wearables, digital wellness programs and AI coaches are giving consumers a flood of health recommendations. Forrester predicts that in 2027, 25% of consumers will regularly use at-home diagnostics to check their health and confirm information from these digital tools before they see a provider. Wealthier consumers are likely to adopt these tools first, which could widen gaps in prevention and early detection. Health systems that expand access to testing and help patients act on their results can help close those gaps, Forrester said.
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