It wasn’t that long ago that AI was a little-known concept in the healthcare sphere. Today, it’s a household term, with scores of news stories appearing regularly on the subject, including how adults use it to answer health questions in the face of increasing costs. SmartBrief readers clicked on these stories often in June, along with articles on the nation’s rising healthcare expenditures, insurance companies’ vaccine coverage, and a jump in early cancer diagnoses among adults.
AI in the health infosphere
What happened: Survey research from KFF, outlined in a TechTarget article, showed that 29% of US adults have turned to artificial intelligence platforms to look up health information and get questions answered – especially as high care costs put services out of reach for many. Two years ago, the percentage of AI users for this purpose stood at just 17%.
This year, 19% of users said low healthcare affordability was the driving force behind their use of AI platforms, and 18% said they use the technology because they don’t have a regular source of care or the ability to make an appointment.
What’s next: A MedPageToday analysis by Dr. Henry Bair suggested that patients and medical professionals should take AI chatbot information with a grain of salt. Bots often create feedback that sounds plausible but still is misleading, Bair said, underscoring the need for clinicians to help patients distinguish between actual symptoms and AI-influenced conclusions. He cited the example of a patient who consulted a chatbot and was certain she had a migraine with visual aura, but she actually had a retinal tear requiring laser treatment.
Healthcare cost hikes
What happened: A Fierce Healthcare report showed that overall, the cost of treating US patients in 2027 is projected to grow by 9%, the highest percentage in nearly 20 years, based on PwC research. Insurers said the main factors in the increase include healthcare systems and providers using AI platforms, rising medication prices, and greater use of behavioral health services.
Other factors include higher pharmacy spending, costlier specialty drugs, expensive GLP-1 therapies, regulatory issues and reimbursement pressures.
Some 70% of health insurance plans surveyed said AI tools were among their top three cost drivers. PwC’s report said the tools allow care providers to capture greater billable complexity without increasing care intensity, leading to higher paid amounts per claim.
What’s next: An analysis by CFO magazine, which also looked at the PwC data, offered some greater detail on areas of spending. More than 85% of survey respondents said they felt 2027 pharmacy cost trends would outpace overall medical cost trends, and other research showed the behavioral health visit rate’s upward trend, from 828 visits per 1,000 people in 2018 to 1,346 per 1,000 in 2024.
Validating vaccine value
What happened: The Guardian reported that a group of insurance companies will continue to cover routine vaccines through next year, despite the Trump administration’s scrutiny of vaccination practices and potential changes to the childhood immunization schedule. AHIP, the US insurance industry’s trade organization, backed the idea of continuing to cover the vaccines.
University of Arizona epidemiologist Elizabeth Jacobs said it’s clear that insurance companies want to continue coverage because they know treatment for related illness will cost much more than vaccines.
What’s next: A Reuters report examined HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s proposed changes to long-held US vaccine policy, including an effort to eliminate the federal child immunization schedule, and another to see if vaccines and autism are linked. Critics of Kennedy’s views said vaccine hesitancy is likely to rise as a result of such changes, and disease prevention efforts could be seriously compromised.
Early onset cancer concerns
What happened: Adults under age 50 are seeing a rise in early onset cancers, especially breast and colorectal, underlining a need for earlier screening. A report from KFF Health News found that obesity, alcohol use and environmental factors are likely behind many new cases. Researchers emphasized the importance of knowing family history and seeing a physician about unusual symptoms like blood in the stool.
What’s next: The US Preventive Services Task Force is addressing the issue with lower recommended ages for screenings. It now suggests mammograms starting at age 40 and colonoscopies at 45.