A week after the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced health care subsidies expired, Americans are starting to feel the pinch. By the end of 2025, approximately 24 million Americans were taking advantage of subsidies to purchase health care at a discount. That lifeline has now disappeared as the Senate remains deadlocked in renewal talks. But where there is crisis, one of the most prolific disruptors of the internet age has spotted opportunity.
Americans are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to help navigate the thorny and ever-changing maze of the U.S. health care system. Three in five Americans say they have recently used an artificial intelligence tool for a health or healthcare query, according to a survey released Monday by ChatGPT creator OpenAI. This survey is part of a larger investigation Report Track similar trends around the world. The report acknowledges that difficulties handling U.S. healthcare claims may be a significant driver of this user trend.
“The health care system is a long-standing and worsening pain point for many people in the United States,” the report said. OpenAI, which tracks 1.5 to 2 million health insurance-related messages each week, found that Americans use ChatGPT for a variety of activities, from seeking diagnoses to comparing insurance plans and processing post-visit bills and claims.
Even before Affordable Care Act subsidies expire, the complexity and high costs of interacting with the health care system are frustrating many Americans. Approximately 27 million Americans They are uninsured, and many more are underinsured, meaning they have coverage but rarely pay enough to cover claims, according to the CDC. Gallup in December polling A record low 16% of Americans are satisfied with the health care system.
The U.S. health care system is bogged down with so many stakeholders, researchers say, leading to Higher administrative costs. These include private plans offered through employers, federal providers such as Medicare and Medicaid, and plans offered through the ACA, which provides income-based subsidies for individual coverage on federally operated marketplaces.
Nearly 60% of Americans will say they have problems using health insurance by 2023, according to a survey opinion poll Written by KFF, a health policy research institute. The survey also found that about 9 in 10 insured adults would support policies that simplify health care, including requiring insurers to maintain up-to-date provider directories and clearer disclosures of out-of-pocket costs.
The OpenAI report found that due to the complexity of the system, many patients have turned to AI tools such as ChatGPT for help. The company also claims that people living in communities with low coverage could benefit most from real-time access to healthcare information. On average, nearly 600,000 healthcare-related queries are submitted to ChatGPT each week from so-called “desert hospitals,” which are underserved rural areas that are at least a 30-minute drive from the nearest comprehensive medical center.
The hassle of using ChatGPT as your medical advisor
Artificial intelligence can help cut through bureaucratic bloat, although researchers warn of risks when users rely too heavily on AI for medical diagnosis. According to one survey, more than 60% of Americans say health information generated by artificial intelligence is at least somewhat reliable. opinion poll awarded last year by the University of Pennsylvania. But AI medical diagnosis can also be subject to inaccuracies and biases because Research Large language models were found to make significantly different recommendations based on a patient’s race, income level and sexual orientation.
Problems also arise when users turn to AI for mental health advice. Last year, OpenAI was seven lawsuits In California, the use of ChatGPT has been accused of causing multiple suicides and psychological harm. November, OpenAI adjusted Its usage policy removes ChatGPT’s ability to provide medical advice.
OpenAI did not return immediately wealthRequest for comment. in a statement arrive business insider Regarding the usage policy change, an OpenAI spokesperson said: “ChatGPT has never been a substitute for professional legal or medical advice, but it will continue to be an important resource to help people understand legal and health information.”
After ACA subsidies expired, millions of people were suddenly without any insurance at all, and many more Americans would soon be able to take advantage of this resource.