Robert F Kennedy Jr wants to fit all Americans with a tracking device within the next four years.
The Health and Human Services secretary revealed his plans during a House hearing yesterday, saying the devices — like Apple Watch, Fitbit, Whoop and Oura ring — were ‘key to the MAHA agenda’.
He said the technology could help people lose weight and exercise more regularly, as well as ‘take control of their health’ and encourage ‘good judgements about their diets, about their physical activity, about the way that they live their lives.’
In an effort to get a smartwatch, ring or monitor on every American, RFK Jr said he is planning to launch ‘one of the biggest’ advertising campaigns in history to encourage more people to wear the devices — which range from $99 to nearly $800.
The health secretary said officials were ‘exploring’ how the government could pay for the devices for some Americans.
It is the latest proposal in his Make America Healthy Again mission, and comes amid his vow to find the cause of – and solve – the rising rates of cancer, chronic disease and autism in young people.
But some commentators called the move unusual for the health secretary, who has previously railed against a ‘surveillance state’.
RFK Jr revealed his plans to the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee yesterday, saying: ‘We think that wearables are a key to the MAHA agenda, Making America Healthy Again.
Robert F Kennedy Jr is pictured above in February sporting what appears to be a health wearable on his left wrist
‘It’s a way people can take control over their own health… they can see what food is doing to their glucose levels, their heart rates and a number of other metrics as they eat.
‘And they can begin to make good judgements about their diet, about their physical activity, about the way that they live their lives.’
Asked about whether the federal government might fund the devices, he added: ‘You know the Ozempic is costing $1,300 a month.
‘If you can achieve the same thing with an $80 wearable, it’s a lot better for the American people.
‘We’re exploring ways of making sure that those costs can be paid for.’
Latest surveys suggest that more than 40 percent of American adults, equivalent to 103million people, already use a wearable device – about the same percentage of Americans struggling with obesity.
There are more than 38 brands and hundreds of devices to choose from on the market, ranging from $99 to $800 as a one-time purchase to more than $200 per year on a subscription model.
They include watches, rings, and glucose monitor devices that are injected into a user’s skin and remain in place for up to 15 days.
Casey Means, the surgeon general, is regularly pictured with a large gold ring on her index finger, which has a similar appearance to the Oura ring
Many doctors heap praise on wearables, which can track exercise, heart rate, sleep and steps, saying they may help inspire people to take control of their health.
Posting his idea on X, RFK Jr received mixed responses on the proposal.
Some were supportive, calling it a ‘great idea’ and saying that it would ‘not only save lives, it will continue to save countless dollars and preserve quality of life’.
But others reacted angrily to the suggestion, with one writing: ‘You used to rage about these very subjects — you even made money speaking against EMFs, biometric surveillance, 5G, health privacy and so on.
‘Now you’re wh***** for it as though having a wearable 5G biometric surveillance device strapped to our bodies at all times feeding data to God knows who is an amazing, healthy thing.’
RFK Jr has previously claimed electromagnetic radiation — which is released by the devices in very lower levels — can cause ‘neurological damage’ and trigger ‘cellular damage and even cancer,’ though the FDA refutes these claims.
Another public health official, Surgeon General Casey Means, has also praised wearables, calling them the ‘most powerful technology for generating the data and awareness to rectify our bad energy crisis in the Western world’.
Means is regularly pictured with a large gold ring on her index finger, which has a similar appearance to the Oura ring – a wearable that costs up to $549.
She is also the co-founder of a company, Levels, that sells continuous glucose monitors and other wearable health trackers. Customers are asked to subscribe to the service for $199 per year to receive the trackers.
