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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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Apple Watch SE is seen in a store in Krakow, Poland on April 20, 2024. (akub Porzycki/NurPhoto)
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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In this photo illustration, a Diabetes monitoring device is shown in London in February 2025. (Peter Dazeley)
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. »
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., testifies during the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health hearing titled « The FY2026 Department of Health and Human Services Budget, » in Rayburn building on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)
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.
