What PwC’s latest consumer survey says about the future of care delivery

Healthcare has seen its fair share of analyst reports describing the future of consumer-driven health (virtual visits and other new access points) and the importance of convenient care (arguably more important than well-established provider relationships). In its latest report, PwC explored the two concepts in tandem, paying particular attention to what matters most to different generations of Americans – and why. 

The 2025 US Healthcare Consumer Insights Survey found a stark divide between how younger and older Americans engage with care, especially when it comes to technology. It came as little surprise that the Gen X and Millennial generations were more likely than all consumers to be interested in AI-assisted diagnostics (71% vs. 56%) and AI-powered care navigation tools (73% vs. 53%). Millennials and Gen Z, meanwhile, were 20% more likely to use insights from AI and digital health tools to guide health and wellness decision-making. 

Three factors appeared to motivate this behavior, PwC said. One is obvious: Younger Americans are more familiar with technology in general and optimistic that advances in medical technology in particular will improve healthcare. The other two reasons are more nuanced. 

For starters, Gen X and Millennials largely make up the sandwich generation. They may care for their children, parents, or partners in addition to themselves, along with managing myriad personal and professional responsibilities. According to the survey, caregivers are 49% more likely to worry about their family’s healthcare costs and 72% more likely to have an unmet mental health need. The combination of technology tools and convenient care can ease the caregiving burden to some degree. 

In addition, Millennials and Gen Z look at healthcare differently because of their exposure to technology. While 85% of Baby Boomers trust their primary care physicians, only 57% of Gen Z said the same. On the other hand, 36% of Millennials and Gen Z trust technology and retail companies as care providers, compared to 21% of Boomers. Younger Americans are twice as likely as Boomers to use virtual visits and nearly 42% more likely to use retail or urgent care clinics.  

Meanwhile, PwC found concerns about access, affordability, and quality across generational lines: 

• More than 70% of respondents worry about insurance premiums, out-of-pocket costs, emergency care costs, and long-term care costs 
• 29% reported they were unable to afford recommended care  
• 58% said access to care depends on income level or social status 
• 55% reported a negative care experience in the last 12 months 
• 9% reported receiving an incorrect diagnosis – with the figure jumping to 15% for Medicaid beneficiaries and 21% for those without insurance 

How can healthcare stakeholders meet the moment? Embracing technology is critical, PwC said, especially as younger Americans age. It’s not just virtual care: Consumers are clamoring for medical records, care plans, and prescriptions that can be securely shared among the care providers they see. That will require moving on from fragmented data sources and adopting standard interoperability frameworks.  

Organizations should also be more democratic about innovation, PwC said. Gatekeeping access to technology tools, specialists, or personalized medicine – intentionally or otherwise – will only make care more inequitable. Finding ways to scale these innovations can make them more accessible and affordable; they’ll also be more readily available to caregivers, patients with chronic conditions, and others who face the strain of managing their care. 

Brian Eastwood is a Boston-based writer with more than 10 years of experience covering healthcare IT and healthcare delivery. He also writes about enterprise IT, consumer technology, and corporate leadership.