Health is a company-wide effort at Google. The global reach of our products, services and platforms — coupled with our advanced AI technologies — provide a way to help billions of people live healthier lives.
People come to Google with health-related questions hundreds of millions of times a day. They also turn to YouTube, where videos about health conditions were viewed more than 110 billion times globally in 2021. In addition, people want more personalized insights about their own health through wearables and other mobile devices.
Today at Google Health’s annual event, The Check Up, we shared updates to how we are bringing high-quality health information to more people, supporting consumers on their health journey, increasing access to personal health insights, and creating new ways for clinicians to continue their education.
Information as a determinant of health
Wherever you are in the world, access to information is a critical determinant of your health and wellbeing.
Currently, Google Search makes it easier to find helpful information about commonly asked questions on U.S. benefits programs, like Medicaid and Medicare. We are also helping people find available healthcare appointments and show which different types of insurance providers accept.
Today, we are expanding that work to make sure people can find the right care at the right time. In the U.S., millions of people signed up for Medicaid during the pandemic. At that time, the requirement to re-enroll each year was paused, but that pause is about to expire on March 31. If people fail to re-enroll, they will lose their healthcare coverage. To help support people during this transition, we will make Medicaid re-enrollment information easier to find on Search.
Everyone needs care, whether they have coverage, are uninsured or underinsured. To help in these moments, you will soon be able to see providers that identify as community health centers offering free or low cost care.
We are also employing new techniques to ensure we are connecting people with high quality, up-to-date information. Our conversational AI technology Duplex has called hundreds of thousands of healthcare providers in the U.S. to verify their information on Google Search. And we’ve used Duplex to verify if providers accept certain Medicaid plans in their state.