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U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently shared his vision that all Americans wear a digital health device within the next four years. During a hearing of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee, he promised “one of the biggest advertising campaigns in HHS history” to reach that goal, as reported by Politico and other news organizations. Wearable devices include smartwatches, fitness trackers, and smart rings that can monitor health metrics such as heart rate, step counts, or blood pressure, as well as tools like continuous glucose monitors.

“It’s a way people can take control of their own health. They can take responsibility,” Kennedy said at the June 24 meeting. “They can see, as you know, what food is doing to their glucose levels, their heart rates, and several 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.”

“Wearables put the power of health back in the hands of the American people,” he posted on X the same day. “We’re launching one of the largest HHS campaigns in history to encourage their use — so every American can take control of their health, one data point at a time. It’s a key part of our mission to Make America Healthy Again.”

The announcement was light on details — not specifying what devices he is interested in, who will pay for them, how Americans will get them, and what will be done with the data collected. These are among the issues that journalists interested in this story should follow.

A plethora of concerns

Wearable devices have exploded in popularity over the past several years, with some 41% of Americans now reporting owning a wearable device, according to Market.us Scoop, an organization that monitors statistics. 2023 data from GWI, a market research firm, indicates that working-age internet users are more likely to own a smartwatch than a gaming console. Some studies have indicated that the devices can help monitor patients’ sleep metrics, heart conditions, neurological conditions and more between appointments with health providers.

But requiring everyone to use one could be problematic for several reasons — and potentially unnecessary. Here are some of the concerns that have been raised:

Costs: Some devices don’t come cheap, with continuous glucose monitors alone costing between $100 and $300 a month, according to Becker’s Health IT. Kennedy said HHS is looking for ways to help cover the costs, the article said, noting that the devices could be less expensive than prescriptions of weight loss medications. But it’s unclear whether the government will be subsidizing these or expecting people to pay out of pocket.

Some devices don’t come cheap, with continuous glucose monitors alone costing between $100 and $300 a month, according to Becker’s Health IT. Kennedy said HHS is looking for ways to help cover the costs, the article said, noting that the devices could be less expensive than prescriptions of weight loss medications. But it’s unclear whether the government will be subsidizing these or expecting people to pay out of pocket. Mandates: Will HHS encourage people to use wearables for their health tracking, or to share with their doctors, or make it mandatory?

Will HHS encourage people to use wearables for their health tracking, or to share with their doctors, or make it mandatory? Nepotism: Casey Means, President Trump’s nominee to become U.S. surgeon general, co-founded Levels, a company with a mobile app that, for a membership fee, provides continuous glucose monitors. It also promotes the use of the devices. Means was an adviser to Kennedy during his 2024 presidential run, KFF Health News reported.

Casey Means, President Trump’s nominee to become U.S. surgeon general, co-founded Levels, a company with a mobile app that, for a membership fee, provides continuous glucose monitors. It also promotes the use of the devices. Means was an adviser to Kennedy during his 2024 presidential run, KFF Health News reported. User motivation/skill: People who are generally healthy will benefit from monitoring and guidance only if they are interested in taking action, Jason Joseph, chief digital and information officer of Corewell Health in Michigan, told Becker’s Health IT. Some people are not comfortable with devices and other technology, and it’s unclear so far what kind of tech support will be available to them if this comes to fruition.

People who are generally healthy will benefit from monitoring and guidance only if they are interested in taking action, Jason Joseph, chief digital and information officer of Corewell Health in Michigan, told Becker’s Health IT. Some people are not comfortable with devices and other technology, and it’s unclear so far what kind of tech support will be available to them if this comes to fruition. Privacy: Health data from wearables isn’t protected under HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), the law that established standards to protect health information from disclosure without a patient’s consent, MSN reported. “Instead, it is governed by a company’s terms of service, which often include loopholes that allow for data sharing or sale, especially in the event of a merger or acquisition,” Dave Chronister, CEO of Parameter Security, told MSN. This can be true even if the company says they will never sell your data, he said.

Health data from wearables isn’t protected under HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), the law that established standards to protect health information from disclosure without a patient’s consent, MSN reported. “Instead, it is governed by a company’s terms of service, which often include loopholes that allow for data sharing or sale, especially in the event of a merger or acquisition,” Dave Chronister, CEO of Parameter Security, told MSN. This can be true even if the company says they will never sell your data, he said. Security: With more data out there, how will it be kept secure and safe from hackers? Health care data is becoming more valuable. Once hackers have access to people’s health data, they can use it to scam or hack those consumers, their banks or credit cards, or sell that data to other criminals, Dean Sittig, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Texas School of Biomedical Informatics, has told AHCJ. A hacker who gets someone’s information off a phone, for example, might also have access to their phone contacts and location, MSN reported.

With more data out there, how will it be kept secure and safe from hackers? Health care data is becoming more valuable. Once hackers have access to people’s health data, they can use it to scam or hack those consumers, their banks or credit cards, or sell that data to other criminals, Dean Sittig, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Texas School of Biomedical Informatics, has told AHCJ. A hacker who gets someone’s information off a phone, for example, might also have access to their phone contacts and location, MSN reported. Ethics: Wearable devices have raised ethical concerns about how the technology tracks and monitors personal health data, the Politico article said. Such data is frequently stored in the cloud and could be sold to companies, advertisers, or researchers without an individual’s knowledge or consent, it said.

Wearable devices have raised ethical concerns about how the technology tracks and monitors personal health data, the Politico article said. Such data is frequently stored in the cloud and could be sold to companies, advertisers, or researchers without an individual’s knowledge or consent, it said. Interoperability: Some devices are locked within proprietary data ecosystems that companies may not share, Becker’s Health IT reported.

Some devices are locked within proprietary data ecosystems that companies may not share, Becker’s Health IT reported. Mental health: Some practitioners worry that the devices can lead to medical anxiety, self-diagnosis, or self-medication by users looking at the data and making health decisions without consulting a health professional, the Politico article said.

The information from Kennedy “was incredibly vague about what a wearable is and how they are supposed to improve anyone’s health,” wrote Beth Skwarecki, senior health editor at Lifehacker, in a July 1 article. “Health and fitness wearables can do many things, but they really can’t do much to make people healthier,” said Skwarecki, who researches, wears, and tests health and fitness wearables for Lifehacker. She also expressed concerns that Kennedy mentioned an advertising campaign to encourage Americans to use wearables, which could mean trying to get people to buy the products, instead of providing them for free. Skwarecki also noted that Kennedy recently met with health executives from several wearable companies who could benefit from increased sales.

While wearables do provide some potentially helpful information, “everything you can do with an expensive wearable, you can do for free all by yourself,” Skwarecki said, from going for a walk after dinner without knowing the number of steps you took to going to bed early when you’re tired, without needing prompting from a device to get more sleep.

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