The share of adults using AI for health information is growing, with new KFF data showing that 29% currently use the technology. That's up from just 17% who said the same two years ago, the organization said.
But perhaps more notable is the why behind most users' AI use, the survey continued. For nearly a fifth of folks who use AI for medical advice, it's because they can't afford to see a doctor or other healthcare professional.
This finding tracks with separate research detailing growing healthcare affordability problems. Earlier this month, the Urban Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation reported that nearly half of working-age adults struggled to afford healthcare in 2025. Health insurance coverage helped defray some costs, but it overall did not mitigate healthcare affordability challenges.
Industry leaders have acknowledged that, for better or worse, patient-facing AI could help fill the gaps left by the traditional healthcare system. With healthcare becoming less affordable and providers scarcer, AI emerges as a seemingly viable option for individuals still seeking healthcare advice.
Patients use AI to bypass expensive doctor's visits
According to the KFF poll, 19% of AI users said unaffordable healthcare costs were a major reason for turning to the technology; for 27%, it was a minor reason.
But AI is filling in for more than just cost-related care access barriers, the data showed. It's also becoming a feasible option for those who can't connect with a healthcare provider.
For example, 18% of AI users said a major reason they used the technology for medical information was that they didn't have a usual source of care or could not book an appointment. For 26% of people, this was a minor reason for consulting AI.
These findings could add credibility to many clinicians' fears that AI could come to replace them.
There are no signs that healthcare organizations plan to replace their clinical staff with AI chatbots. Likewise, patients are less interested in hearing from AI than they are their providers. In 2026, Gallup found that 73% of patients would foremost like to consult their doctors for health information, while only 16% turn to AI.
But with healthcare costs increasing and coordinating an appointment with a clinician being cumbersome, sometimes AI is all a patient has.
Of course, there are risks associated with patients over relying on AI for medical advice. AI chatbots don't always provide accurate information, nor is it always contextualized within a patient's health history, running the risk of inaccurate information or advice.
For their part, users aren't too confident they can tell fact from fiction when consulting AI, the KFF data indicated. Indeed, 44% of adults said they aren't too confident, or not at all confident, that they can parse true and false information delivered by AI. Younger patients were more confident in their abilities to tell AI fact from fiction, as were those who reported using AI for health information.
Experts have indicated that AI should be cross-checked with reputable sources, including and especially a healthcare provider. But previous KFF data has shown that's not happening. In March, the organization reported that only 42% of those using AI for health information follow-up again with a healthcare professional.
Patients still turn to social media for health info
KFF also reported on how patients use social media to access health information, finding that 31% continue to do so.
This trend is concentrated among younger and lower-income adults and is mostly driven by users' desire for immediate information. Adults who use social media to find health information also want to hear first-hand accounts from individuals experiencing similar health conditions, the survey showed.
This is a divergence from AI use, where the primary factor was the lack of a regular healthcare provider. For the social media crowd, not having a usual source of care was cited as a key driver for 18% of folks. For those who used social media to circumvent healthcare affordability issues, that figure was 19%.
Nearly two-thirds (61%) of social media users said they were at least somewhat confident in their ability to parse fact from fiction when using the platforms to find health information.
But like with AI use, those who leverage social media to find health information rarely cross-check with other sources. Only 36% follow up with a healthcare professional most of the time, and only 34% consult other online sources, like WebMD. Even fewer (21%) check government resources, such as the CDC website.
As resources like AI and social media remain popular with patients, it may be useful for providers to consider how they discuss these sources with patients. Understanding when and how patients use these tools will be helpful, as will reinforcing other verified resources patients can consult.
Sara Heath is an executive editor at Xtelligent Healthcare Media, where she covers patient engagement, healthcare policy and health IT.
