RFK Jr to encourage Americans to use ‘wearable’ tech to track their health
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RFK Jr to encourage Americans to use ‘wearable’ tech to track their health
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said it is his vision “that every American is wearing a wearable within four years” He made the comments regarding devices like smartwatches, smart rings and fitness trackers to members of Congress. Kennedy said he has had friends who have “utterly changed their lives just from wearing a glucose meter,” who have lost weight while monitoring their diabetes. He added that the Department of Health and Human Services is “about to launch one of the biggest advertising campaigns in HHS history to encourage Americans to use wearables” The health secretary has long promoted healthy eating over medicine as a way to combat obesity.
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on Tuesday that it is his vision “that every American is wearing a wearable within four years.”
He made the comments regarding devices like smartwatches, smart rings and fitness trackers to members of Congress, adding that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is “about to launch one of the biggest advertising campaigns in HHS history to encourage Americans to use wearables.”
Kennedy said during a hearing before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Health that wearables are a way “people can take control of their own health.”
“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,” he told members of Congress. “And they can begin to make good judgments about their diet, about their physical activity, about the way that they live their lives.”
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The health secretary said he has had friends who have “utterly changed their lives just from wearing a glucose meter,” who have lost weight while monitoring their diabetes.
Shares of continuous glucose-monitoring device makers Abbott and Dexcom were up 3.6% and 10%, respectively, in afternoon trading, Reuters reported.
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While he has been critical of the diabetes drug Ozempic, which is often used for weight-loss, he has expressed support for the prescription of such weight-loss drugs for adults with morbid obesity and diabetes, provided they are accompanied by exercise.
“You know the Ozempic is costing $1300 a month, if you can achieve the same thing with an $80 wearable, it’s a lot better for the American people,” Kennedy said, adding, “We’re exploring ways of making sure that those costs can be paid for.”
J.P. Morgan analyst Robbie Marcus commented, “We think it’s premature to interpret this as a direct comment on whether Medicare and other commercial payors will move towards covering non-intensive Type II diabetes patients or other areas of proactive monitoring.”
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Kennedy has long promoted healthy eating over medicine as a way to combat obesity, and has been a prominent skeptic of vaccine safety.
He added, both in person and on X, that the forthcoming wearables campaign is “a key part of our mission to Make America Healthy Again.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
US Launches Major Campaign to Promote Health Wearables
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced plans for a nationwide advertising campaign encouraging Americans to adopt health wearables. The initiative is part of the department’s broader “Making America Healthy Again” (MAHA) agenda. Kennedy: “My vision is that every American is wearing a wearable within four years.” The announcement boosted shares of glucose-monitoring device makers.
Speaking before the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee, Kennedy emphasized the importance of personal health data. “My vision is that every American is wearing a wearable within four years,” he said. “It’s a way for people to take control of their health—seeing real-time impacts of food on glucose levels and heart rate.”
The announcement boosted shares of glucose-monitoring device makers. Dexcom (NASDAQ:DXCM) surged 10%, while Abbott gained 3.6% in afternoon trading.
Kennedy, a longtime advocate for preventive health and a critic of overreliance on pharmaceuticals, pointed to the cost-effectiveness of wearables compared to popular weight-loss drugs. “Ozempic costs $1,300 a month. If you can achieve similar results with an $80 wearable, that’s a better deal for Americans,” he noted. While he has criticized drugs like Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic, Kennedy supports their use for patients with morbid obesity or diabetes, when combined with exercise.
The campaign, which he described as one of the largest in HHS history, aims to shift the focus from reactive to proactive health management. Kennedy also hinted at exploring ways to subsidize wearables to make them more accessible.
J.P. Morgan analyst Robbie Marcus cautioned against assuming immediate changes in Medicare or insurance coverage for proactive monitoring, saying it’s too early to predict policy shifts.
The wearable tech market stands to benefit from this government push, as health monitoring tools become more mainstream in personal wellness strategies.
Source: https://www.foxnews.com/health/rfk-jr-encourage-americans-use-wearable-tech-track-health