PwC predicts: Providers, payers, pharma, medtech—all will have new to-do lists after the midterm elections. And that’s regardless of results.

With Election Day only four months away, healthcare is again emerging as a major source of idealistic campaign promises. Many of these are driven by widespread public angst. What sorts of changes can U.S. healthcare stakeholders realistically expect once the results are in? 

Professional prognosticators at the global accounting and consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, aka PwC, have considered the policy possibilities and are sharing their thinking in writing. 

“As the election cycle intensifies, affordability, transparency, vertical consolidation and deal-oriented policymaking are emerging as central campaign themes,” the forecasters write in a recently released report. “The midterms are poised to provide directional clarity on policy priorities while revealing where durable bipartisan consensus is likely to coalesce.”

Noting changes put in place since the last coast-to-coast election—from funding reductions under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to sweeping deregulatory actions—the PwC analysts forecast an overall shift in responsibility from Washington to states, markets and consumers. 

Before the midterms even get here, the educated observers point out, healthcare is already a “more fragmented, consumer-driven and fiscally constrained” sector than it was prior to 2024. 

Against this backdrop, PwC offers forward-looking insights and advice for organizations across healthcare’s four major subsectors. 

In brief:

PROVIDERS: Policy drivers are reshaping delivery and access. 

Healthcare providers will do well to “examine their care delivery footprints, leverage automation and technology to reimagine the workforce and operations in order to mitigate economic strain,” PwC comments. 

‘This should include identifying opportunities to diversify revenue sources, partnerships or M&A with other stakeholders, and prioritizing investment in new technology to reduce impacts of the increase in uncompensated care and workforce constraints.’

PAYERS: Policy drivers are reshaping cost structures. 

Healthcare payers will likely need to strengthen care management capabilities as they expand their holistic support to members, the analysts forecast. 

‘This will include, in the future, leveraging sophisticated data models and interactive real-time communications to understand and influence member behavior patterns, accelerate paths to appropriate cost-effective care, and drive financial savings for members and plans.’

PHARMA: Policy drivers are reshaping pipeline decisions, regulatory strategy and market access. 

In the future, pharmaceutical manufacturers, propelled by accelerating science and shifting patient expectations, “should expand from drug manufacturers to ‘lifespan partners,’ requiring more agile operating models and greater collaboration across technology, and ecosystem players,” the authors write.  

‘In the interim, pharmaceutical manufacturers can embrace innovative approaches to access, affordability and evidence generation to meet the needs of today’s consumer and keep pace with pipeline and pricing pressures.’

MEDTECH: Policy drivers are reducing federal oversight of AI-powered and wellness devices. 

Going forward, the subsector is expected to become a broader ecosystem player, building interoperable, intelligent systems that connect care across hospitals and the home, PwC remarks. 

‘MedTech should strengthen capabilities for post market surveillance as FDA shifts oversight focus from a premarket review paradigm to an emphasis on performance and safety once on the market, particularly for low risk, consumer devices.’

The full report fleshes out the particulars in considerable detail. Read the whole thing.