As 2026 approaches, healthcare tariffs are pushing costs higher, with providers and premiums feeling the squeeze, and little sign of relief in sight.
Here are four notes on where hospital supply costs stand:
1. A Vizient report from July found medical supply chain costs are expected to increase 2.41% in 2026, up from the predicted 2.3% in January. IT services, capital equipment and surgical supply costs were pointed to as change drivers.
2. The Vizient report also predicted a 3.35% rise in pharmaceutical prices, driven by a surge in the use of high-cost therapies like GLP-1s and CAR-T treatments.
3. A survey from Sermo, a private network for healthcare professionals, found that 82% of providers expect tariff-related import expenses to increase hospitals and health systems by 15% in the next six months. It also found products like enteral syringes face tariffs up to 245%.
4. A Nov. 18 McKinsey & Co. report found combined healthcare pressures are reshaping cost structures, straining operational capacity and forcing organizations to rethink strategic priorities. “We observe four forces confronting the healthcare sector,” the report said. “We estimated the impact of three of them on the industry: healthcare regulatory and legislative pressures, tariffs and heightened clinical supply-and-demand shifts. We do not directly estimate the impact of the fourth force, medical and technology innovation, given how uncertain developments in this area are.”
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