2026: The Year of the Consumer in Healthcare

January 8, 2026

2026 is the year of the individual in healthcare, and we’ve built Hims & Hers to be the leader in empowering every kind of customer on their health and wellness journey.

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2026 is the year of the individual in healthcare, and we’ve built Hims & Hers to be the leader in empowering every kind of customer on their health and wellness journey.

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Healthcare has never been more ripe for change. New technology, life-changing treatments, a deeper focus on wellness, and new players in the DTC space are all indicators that the industry is ready for a consumer-centric approach that equalizes access to innovative, high-quality care.

Nearly two and half million customers1 trust Hims & Hers with their health and wellness. Their successes on our platform are daily proof that customers are no longer waiting for the system to catch up. They are taking ownership of their health and demanding access to care on their terms. 

When I founded Hims & Hers eight years ago, it was because I knew this moment was coming: the moment where the individual patient was driving change in a long-entrenched industry, and there was technology advanced enough to power meaningful changes in life and health spans. There has never been a better time to be building a healthcare company.

To kick off 2026, here’s what I expect to see as the industry moves toward the individual:

The individual will become the most important stakeholder in the industry.

Direct-to-consumer channels have become a key driver for everyone from drugmakers to diagnostic companies, and we’re at the beginning of that sea change. In 2025, we saw traditional players in the industry take steps to make sure more people could access their treatments and services, in large part because they saw customers flock to channels where access isn’t arbitrarily limited.

In the coming year, I believe we’ll see an increased focus on giving individuals simpler, more convenient, and more affordable avenues to access high-quality care that is tailored to them. That will mean an increased attention on affordability, first and foremost. In a time where ordinary people are concerned about the cost of everything from eggs to electricity, a company’s ability to pass savings onto customers – without sacrificing quality – will be critical to attracting (and holding onto) customers.

I believe we’ll also see companies building more avenues for customers to find care, whether by expanding their geographic footprint, expanding their suite of offerings, or forging partnerships that connect more people with innovations in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. In short, the customer has finally become king in healthcare. Customers are demanding clarity, immediacy, and control, and the companies that thrive will be those that make accessing care easier, more affordable, and more valuable.

We’re ready for that shift. We’re continuing to invest in our international presence, our partnerships with innovators, and our long-established ability to keep costs low for customers.

Longevity will go mainstream.

“Longevity” has long been a buzzword associated with biohackers or wellness influencers. As we enter 2026, however, it is moving away from niche communities and into the mainstream as staying proactive about your health is getting easier. This year, we believe the meaning of longevity will change, and more people will embrace it as a critical part of their health and wellness journey. 

As it becomes simpler to understand your current picture of health and take action, longevity will no longer be reserved for the wealthy or those in specific circles. Longevity will mean a proactive, consistent, accessible approach to preventive care. It will mean treating your health like hygiene, rather than a crisis you have to respond to with incomplete information. Whole body testing, remote testing, and increased access to earlier screening for life-threatening conditions are capturing the industry’s attention and driving a new concept of what it means to get and stay healthy. 

With the launch of Labs at the end of last year, we’ve already seen significant interest from our customers in taking a proactive role in improving their health and understanding what they can do to improve their quality of life. We are actively exploring more ways to expand Labs, like remote testing, additional biomarker tests in areas like bone and brain health, and advanced diagnostics that detect chronic and life-threatening conditions.

AI will make concierge care accessible for everyone. 

We’ve seen AI sweep through our society and economy, but healthcare has been slow to adopt the technology more holistically. Today, patients are only starting to feel the incredible potential of AI-enabled care, whether in small ways like decreased wait times, or more substantial ones like AI-supported radiology results.

I expect we’ll see AI applied more comprehensively to the customer experience this year, unlocking access to concierge-style care for the masses. AI will not only make healthcare simpler and more efficient, it will power a more personalized experience where customers can get expert advice regardless of where they are in their journey. Innovations like care companions and adherence agents will allow healthcare platforms to deliver access to high-touch care that has previously been a luxury.

I expect AI will be the underlying technology that opens up access to proactive, personalized, high-quality care, whether customers are exploring treatments for the first time, reaching a diagnosis, or maintaining meaningful follow-up with their provider.

2026 is the year of the individual in healthcare, and we’ve built Hims & Hers to be the leader in empowering every kind of customer on their health and wellness journey. Every person should be able to conveniently access high-quality care designed for them at a reasonable price, and I’ve never been more optimistic that the industry is ready to make that a reality for more people. The innovation coming will change what we all can expect out of our healthcare experience, and I’m excited for you all to see how Hims & Hers brings that to life for another year.

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Abby Reisinger-Moley

press@forhims.com