Healthcare in 2035: What Will Be Paid For

Healthcare is one of the most rapidly evolving sectors, and by 2035, it will look strikingly different from today. Driven by advances in artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, robotics, and digital platforms, healthcare in the next decade will likely transition from a reactive, disease-focused model to a proactive, personalized, and technology-augmented ecosystem. But with all these transformations, the most pressing questions remain: What will be paid for? Who will deliver healthcare? And what aspects of care will remain distinctly human?

This blog explores these three dimensions and envisions how healthcare in 2035 will balance technology, economics, and the human touch.

What Will Be Paid For in 2035?

By 2035, the global healthcare market is expected to shift significantly toward value-based care—a system where payments are tied not to the number of procedures but to outcomes, prevention, and quality of life improvements. Several trends will define what societies, insurers, and individuals are willing to pay for:

• Preventive and Predictive Care
  With AI-powered diagnostics, genetic testing, and wearable devices continuously tracking health, preventive care will dominate spending. Individuals may subscribe to “longevity packages,” where predictive algorithms flag potential illnesses decades in advance. Insurers and governments will find it cheaper to pay for preventive interventions than to manage chronic diseases later.

• Personalized Treatments
  Genomic medicine, precision therapies, and even tailor-made pharmaceuticals will become mainstream. Healthcare will increasingly fund treatments designed for individual biology rather than “one-size-fits-all” drugs. These treatments may be costly, but cost-effectiveness models will prioritize them if they drastically reduce long-term expenses.

• Digital and Virtual Care
  Virtual hospitals, telehealth platforms, and remote monitoring will be reimbursable as standard care. By 2035, much of routine healthcare—like follow-ups, diagnostics, and chronic disease management—will be delivered digitally. Payment models will reflect this, covering virtual visits as equally legitimate as in-person care.

• Robotics and Automation in Surgery and Elderly Care
  Robotic-assisted surgeries will become more widespread due to their accuracy and lower risk. Similarly, robotic caregivers may assist the elderly with mobility, feeding, or companionship. Payments will cover these services, especially in aging societies with shrinking healthcare workforces.

• Mental and Emotional Well-being
  By 2035, mental health parity will likely be achieved, meaning that societies will value mental and emotional well-being as much as physical health. Digital cognitive therapy platforms, mindfulness coaching, and AI-driven behavioral health support will be reimbursable services.

However, not everything will be funded. Cosmetic enhancements, lifestyle optimization (beyond medical necessity), and non-critical genetic modifications may remain outside the realm of standard reimbursement, shifting into the category of self-funded “bio-luxury.”

Who Will Deliver Healthcare in 2035?

The identity of the healthcare workforce in 2035 will be far more diverse and technologically augmented than today. Healthcare will no longer be delivered solely by doctors and nurses but by a network of humans, machines, and hybrid systems:

• AI as the First Line of Care
  By 2035, AI systems will serve as the first point of contact for most patients. Symptom checkers, diagnostic algorithms, and predictive analytics will handle triage, routine diagnosis, and treatment planning. In many cases, humans will only be involved when interventions require complex decision-making or empathetic engagement.

• Healthcare Professionals with Augmented Intelligence
  Doctors and nurses will still exist, but their roles will shift from manual diagnosis and treatment to oversight, interpretation, and complex problem-solving. Equipped with AI copilots, physicians will act as healthcare conductors—ensuring that machines, data, and therapies work harmoniously.

• Robotic Surgeons and Care Assistants
  Precision robotic systems, guided by AI, will conduct many surgeries with human specialists supervising remotely. Similarly, robotic assistants will help with caregiving tasks in hospitals and homes, especially where human labor shortages persist.

• Decentralized Care Providers
  Pharmacies, tech companies, and even retail chains may become major healthcare delivery points. Instead of visiting traditional hospitals, patients might walk into a local health hub powered by AI diagnostics, staffed with nurse practitioners, and equipped with telemedicine portals.

• Peer-to-Peer and Community Health Models
  With healthcare becoming more personalized and data-driven, patients themselves will be active participants in delivery. Digital communities, AI-curated self-help programs, and family-centered monitoring will supplement professional healthcare delivery.

Despite this shift, a critical balance will need to be struck. Overreliance on machines may risk depersonalization of healthcare, but ignoring technology will be economically and operationally unsustainable.

What Will Stay Human in 2035?

Perhaps the most important question is: amid all this automation, what elements of healthcare will remain uniquely human?

• Empathy and Emotional Connection
  No matter how advanced AI becomes, human compassion will remain irreplaceable. Patients will continue to value a doctor or nurse’s empathy when facing a diagnosis, surgery, or end-of-life care. Emotional support during vulnerable moments cannot be fully automated.

• Ethical Decision-Making
  While algorithms may suggest treatment paths, ethical dilemmas—such as end-of-life decisions, reproductive health choices, or genetic modification boundaries—will require human judgment. Physicians, families, and ethicists will continue to guide these discussions.

• Holistic Care
  Health is not just biology; it’s also cultural, spiritual, and personal. Humans will remain central in understanding these nuanced aspects of care that machines cannot fully grasp.

• Trust and Reassurance
  Patients may accept AI recommendations, but they will still want human validation. The trust built between a healthcare provider and a patient is not easily replicated by technology.

• Creativity and Innovation
  While AI can process patterns, the creative leap of imagining new therapies, envisioning new care models, and challenging existing paradigms will remain a human strength.

In short, by 2035, the “heart” of healthcare will remain human, even if much of the “hands and brains” are assisted by technology.

Challenges and Questions Ahead

While the vision of 2035 healthcare seems optimistic, it comes with challenges:

• Equity and Access: Will advanced therapies and AI-powered systems be universally accessible, or will they deepen global healthcare inequality?

• Data Privacy and Ownership: With health data being central to AI-driven care, who will own, control, and profit from personal health information?

• Overreliance on Technology: Will society risk neglecting human judgment in favor of algorithms that may not fully capture individual complexity?

• Affordability: Even with preventive care savings, will the costs of robotics, gene therapies, and precision medicine be sustainable?

Addressing these issues will be critical to ensuring that healthcare in 2035 is not only technologically advanced but also equitable and humane.

For more information on the report, visit: https://www.kingsresearch.com/blog/healthcare-2035-paid-delivery-vs-human-touch

Conclusion

Healthcare in 2035 will be a world where preventive, predictive, and personalized care dominates. Payments will prioritize outcomes and longevity over procedures. Care delivery will involve a complex collaboration between AI, robotics, and human professionals, with machines taking over much of the routine while humans preserve empathy, ethics, and trust.

Yet, the enduring truth will be this: healthcare is ultimately about human well-being, not just biological maintenance. The future of healthcare will succeed only if it preserves the human spirit at its core, even as it embraces the extraordinary potential of technology.