As 2026 gets underway, health policy is entering a period of consequential change that will affect who can access medical care, what it costs and how the nation approaches public health. Here are 10 issues I will be watching closely in the year ahead:
1. GLP-1 medications
These medications have already transformed obesity care, and new evidence continues to expand the list of conditions they may help address. Last month, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first oral GLP-1 for weight management, and the Trump administration has signaled plans to increase its availability.
Major questions for the year ahead include whether an oral option meaningfully increases uptake, whether pricing and insurance coverage shift enough to expand access, and what new data emerge, including how patients might taper treatment over time without losing benefits.
2. Health care affordability
The Trump administration has emphasized efforts to rein in prescription drug prices, and 2026 will be an early test for whether those policies translate into real savings for patients. Meanwhile, independent analyses project that millions of Americans could lose health insurance coverage as premiums rise and federal protections narrow. How these forces play out will be a defining policy tension.
This question is closely tied to the explosion of GLP-1 therapies. While these medications can be life-changing for many, paying for them on a larger scale could overwhelm the current system.
3. Vaccine policy
It is abundantly clear now that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is dismantling long-standing vaccine policy at an unprecedented pace. Consequential changes to the childhood immunization schedule are already underway, with Kennedy announcing sweeping revisions on Monday that cut the number of diseases covered by routine childhood vaccination from 17 to 11.
With handpicked advisers in place and no permanent director at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, traditional safeguards have largely fallen away. The best hopes are state health officials and independent medical organizations offering their own evidence-based guidance. How hospital systems, insurers and clinicians respond will have profound implications for vaccine access and public trust.
4. Infectious diseases
In 2025, a measles outbreak in Texas infected more than 800 people, and another spike is now taking place in South Carolina. The immediate questions are how soon the United States will lose its hard-earned measles elimination status and which diseases will reemerge next as vaccination rates fall.
Cases of whooping cough and tetanus are already increasing. And as the covid-19 pandemic made painfully clear, the danger lies not only in familiar diseases, but also novel pathogens. How much latitude federal health agencies will have to respond to both remains an open question.
5. Improved diagnostics
Against a backdrop of growing public health concerns, there are also bright spots. Advances in diagnostics stand out among them. New tools such as blood-based tests for colon cancer and self-collection for cervical cancer screening point toward a future of earlier detection and fewer barriers to care.
Still, some new diagnostics carry new risks. Whole-body MRI scans and blood tests purporting to detect any kind of cancer carry high false positive rates, leading to unnecessary anxiety and expensive follow-up care. The challenge is not just developing better tests but figuring out how to deploy them responsibly.
6. New lifesaving treatments
Previously untreatable conditions are becoming increasingly manageable thanks to gene therapies, such as those for sickle cell disease and neuromuscular conditions. These complex treatments remain extraordinarily expensive, but they have already saved the lives of patients who previously had few or no alternatives. In 2026, the crucial question is whether these therapies can move beyond isolated successes and be delivered at scale.
Transplanting animal organs into humans is another frontier. A few patients have survived pig-to-human kidney and heart transplants, but none have yet achieved durable, long-term success. Still, progress has been steady, and the first such transplant with sustained function could occur soon. That could fundamentally alter prognoses for people with end-stage organ failure.
7. Artificial intelligence
Health care has emerged as one of the most concrete and productive arenas for artificial intelligence. AI tools are already widely used to aid diagnosis, guide treatment decisions, streamline administrative work and empower patients.
Expect that footprint to grow this year, especially as the federal government embraces AI. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will soon use AI for insurance authorizations, and the FDA is incorporating AI into drug evaluation and approval. Whether efficiency gains translate into better health outcomes remains to be seen.
8. Limits on social media
Amid greater recognition that excessive social media use is harming children, Australia has moved to prohibit social media access for those under 16, and other countries are considering similar measures. In the U.S., many states and school districts have taken more targeted steps, such as banning cellphone use in classrooms.
Even where outright bans are politically or legally difficult, regulatory attention can shift norms and highlight the consequences of constant digital exposure.
9. Cannabis policy
The Trump administration’s decision to ease cannabis restrictions could significantly expand the drug’s market in 2026, even as mounting evidence underscores the harms of regular use and undercuts claims of benefits.
Key issues ahead include developing reliable ways to detect and deter cannabis-impaired driving, regulating marketing to clearly communicate risks and providing treatment for the millions of users who have developed addictions to cannabis.
10. Tried-and-true lifestyle management
In an age of new technologies and influencer-driven wellness trends, it’s worth remembering the approaches backed by decades of evidence. In 2025, a large study on dementia prevention reaffirmed that the most effective ways to protect brain health are familiar: regular physical activity, good nutrition, social connection and staying mentally engaged.
These are all proactive steps that individuals can take themselves. As federal health priorities shift and public health protections weaken, personal and community-level investments in health will matter more than ever.
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