AI in Healthcare 2026 — Payer & Provider Leaders Move from Vision to Buying

A few years ago, we asked payer and provider executives how they were thinking about AI. We found a strategic blend of ambition and pragmatism, most were still deciding. 

Now,  in 2026, payers and providers are decidedly ready to move forward.

Earlier this year, our team returned to our deep and trusted partners at leading payers and providers, conducting research with C-suite and senior executives from more than 60 executives from top payer and provider organizations. 

Now that we can compare this wave with the last, we can see in the numbers and commentary how quickly AI adoption is moving among payers and providers.

Two shifts stand out. First, the build-or-buy question has tipped toward buy. Over half of payer and provider respondents expect to buy 75% of the time, up from 25% among payers and 52% among providers last time.  And the barriers have flipped. Change management is now the most often cited integration challenge, with about half of payer and provider respondents citing this as the top challenge, compared to 6% and 24% respectively last year. The constraint is no longer whether to adopt AI, but how fast it can be absorbed into the work.

Our goal with this report is the same as the last, we want to give healthcare AI entrepreneurs insights to inform market readiness and commercial strategy, and to give payer and provider leaders useful takeaways as they build and invest in their own AI strategies.

‍

Download the full report here.