Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he wants every American using a wearable health device within four years, Politico reported June 24.
Speaking during a June 24 hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, Mr. Kennedy said the department is preparing “one of the biggest advertising campaigns in HHS history” to promote wearable technology.
The devices are central to Mr. Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative. He told lawmakers that wearables give people a way to “take control of their own health.”
“They can take responsibility,” Mr. Kennedy said. “They can see, as you know, what food is doing to their glucose levels, their heart rates and a number of other metrics as they eat it, and they can begin to make good judgments about their diet, about their physical activity, about the way that they live their lives.”
Mr. Kennedy also said some of his friends have “changed their lives” by using continuous glucose monitors, citing weight loss and diabetes management. While these devices can cost between $100 and $300 a month, Mr. Kennedy said the agency is looking for ways to help cover those costs.
He contrasted the expense with Ozempic — a diabetes and weight-loss medication that costs over $1,000 per month — and argued that wearables could be a more cost-effective solution.
“If you can achieve the same thing with an $80 wearable, it’s a lot better for the American people,” he said.
Still, experts have flagged concerns about the privacy risks and uneven health benefits of wearable devices. The Brown University Center for Digital Health warns that personal health data collected by these tools can be stored in the cloud and potentially sold to advertisers, companies or researchers without the user’s knowledge. This data can also be vulnerable to breaches and identity theft.
