From Patients to Consumers: Reshaping Health Care

Detailed summary

New Global Survey by BCG Reveals That Nearly Half of Consumers Regard Health Care Products as Just Another Consumer Good, and More Than 60% Expect Retail-Like Convenience from…

BOSTON, Nov. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly half of consumers around the world consider health care products just another consumer good, like something purchased in a supermarket or from an online retailer. In addition, roughly two-thirds want greater control over their treatment choices and costs, and more than 60% expect the same level of convenience from health care that they receive from retail businesses.

These are among the findings of a new report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) titled The Consumerization of Health Care: How Patients Are Reshaping the Industry. Based on a global survey of nearly 10,000 consumers across ten markets (Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Switzerland, the UAE, the UK, and the US), the report spotlights a shift in how patients approach health care, with growing expectations for choice, transparency, personalization, and access to information.

The report also examines how consumer attitudes are influencing health care decisions and what these changes mean for biopharma companies, medical technology companies, and health care providers.

"Growing consumerization across the world means consumer-patients are reshaping the rules and increasingly expect more intuitive, responsive, convenient, and personalized health care experiences," said Chris Meier, managing director and senior partner at BCG and a coauthor of the report. "Companies that adapt successfully will treat patients not simply as recipients of health care, but as informed, empowered participants who have an active and growing role in decisions about their care."

BCG developed a health care consumerization index to measure the extent to which consumers across markets expect greater convenience, control, and access to information. The index combines six survey measures and scores countries on a scale of 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating stronger consumerization attitudes.

The findings reveal substantial differences across the ten markets surveyed:

Younger…

The shift…

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