Policy

What you need to know about the biggest trends that will impact health care in 2026

Progressive Policy Institute finds hospital and corporate ownership of practices climbed to 59% by 2023, whereas independent practices declined fastest in rural communities, and prices rose following acquisitions.

An explainer of the new initiative to lower costs for patients while reining in pharmaceutical makers, PBMs and insurance companies.

Michigan Medicine analysis of 539 million appointments shows overall volume flat or falling, even in specialties that leaned hardest on virtual care.

Patients come first instead of insurance, Big Pharma and special interests, president says in statement.

Professionalizing the billing workforce could close critical gaps in fraud prevention and protect billions in health care spending.

CMS tallies annual expenditures that include $1.1 trillion for physician and clinical services.

The CEO of advocacy group Accountable for Health discusses what ACOs found in Medicare’s massive spending on skin substitutes.

Disagreement over vaccine policy prompts a new court case to stop an Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meeting and decision.

The latest America’s Health Rankings report reveals deep regional and socioeconomic divides in population health. These were the least healthy states in 2025.

New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Vermont lead the 2025 America’s Health Rankings, but even the highest-scoring states are juggling chronic disease, affordability and access gaps that show up in exam rooms.

What are the top priorities facing physicians across the country this year?

The state makes history, partnering with the health-tech startup Doctronic to refill chronic medications under Utah’s AI sandbox .

Health insurance CEOs to be called in later this month; advocates call for changes to Medicare policies.

Food should be whole, nutrient dense and free of added sugar, according to new federal recommendations.

New Annenberg data show that many in the U.S. misunderstand CDC’s shared clinical decision-making guidance, leaving it up to physicians to explain the new federal vaccine policy.

Did you catch all the Medicare payment model changes coming for 2026 and 2027? Here’s a slideshow recap.

Wearables, artificial intelligence and workplace care models push medicine further from the clinic and deeper into daily life, group says.

The revision preserves insurance coverage for all vaccines but shifts several shots to high-risk or shared decision-making categories as HHS promises new clinical trials.

How will the new federal effort affect primary care?

American Osteopathic Association president discusses a split in internal medicine education and a potential legal remedy to fix it.

In April 2025, Medical Economics convened an expert panel to discuss the crisis in vaccination driven by federal policy and social media misinformation.

In November 2025, a panel of physicians, practice leaders and health care experts unpacked the challenges facing independent medical practice, and what the future may look like in 2026.

Executive order recognizes potential medical use for cannabis, but there still are numerous details to work out.

A hidden cost shift is creating a new affordability crisis for patients.