HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. envisions Americans becoming healthier by using wearable health devices that track heart rates, blood sugar and other vitals — offering real-time feedback on how food affects their bodies.

Why it matters: It's a buzzy component of a health care agenda that emphasizes self-empowerment — and self-responsibility — over relying on clinicians.

• But some doctors and ethicists say the push could backfire if the devices spit out faulty data or jeopardize the safety of sensitive, personal health data.

Driving the news: Kennedy said he'd like to see every American using wearables within the next four years, while testifying before the House in late June.

• He later clarified in a statement to Axios that "they are not for everyone because of concerns like cost and personal privacy."

Zoom out: "Wearables" refer to a wide range of electronics that people wear on their bodies to monitor health metrics — or even aid in diagnosis.

Between the lines: "Providing individuals with reliable, accurate, useful medical information is critically important to support health and well-being," says Andrew Brightman, a professor of engineering practice at Purdue University who researches biomedical ethics.

• "But the contrary is providing people with unreliable, inaccurate and confusing information, no matter how digitized or quantified or how sexy the tech looks to people and is fun to use," he says. "It can lead them to make poor choices about their health."

Expanding the use of wearables also increases health data risks. Companies have to honor the privacy policies they've created, but terms and conditions aren't standardized and can change — and few people stop to read those policies before allowing their data to be collected anyway.

• "I am fully aware of the dangers mass data collection poses to personal freedoms, and I do not advise anyone to purchase a wearable that does not provide ironclad privacy protections," Kennedy said in his statement to Axios.

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All National Institutes of Health-funded research appearing in scientific journals will be made publicly available as soon as it is published starting this month, the agency posted on X.

Why it matters: It's the latest move by the Trump administration to challenge scientific publishing and the way peer-reviewed studies are disseminated. Many journals are password-protected and not widely available to nonsubscribers.

• The administration terminated millions of funding for Springer Nature, a scientific publishing behemoth that's long received subscription payments from NIH and other federal agencies, Axios scooped.

Driving the news: NIH director Jay Bhattacharya posted on X that NIH moved up the launch of its open-access policy from December to July 1.

• "The American people should have immediate free access to the science that we so generously fund through the NIH. Starting today, we do," he wrote.

What they're saying: "Science journals are ripping the American people off with exorbitant access fees and extra charges to publish research openly," an HHS spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

• "HHS is working to develop policies that conserve taxpayer dollars and get Americans a better deal. In the meantime, NIH scientists have continued access to all scientific journals."

A state judge overturned part of Virginia's 2020 ban on conversion therapy for kids last month.

Why it matters: The decision allows the use of talk-based counseling to attempt to change a child's gender identity or sexual orientation.

• The practice has been condemned by LGBTQ+ advocates and major medical organizations as harmful and discriminatory.

The big picture: The conservative group that sued over the ban announced the decision on Tuesday — the five-year anniversary of Virginia becoming the first state in the South to bar medical providers from practicing conversion therapy on minors.

Between the lines: Other forms of conversion therapy — like electric shock or inducing nausea — remain illegal in in the state.

• But the Virginia Department of Health Professions will no longer enforce the part of the ban that prohibits talk therapy.

Zoom out: The decision comes just months after the Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge to Colorado's law banning conversion therapy, which could determine the legality of state bans nationwide.

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America's digestive health worsened significantly during the pandemic, with cases of irritable bowel syndrome nearly doubling during the height of the emergency, according to an analysis of data from more than 160,000 adults.

Why it matters: The findings in Neurogastroenterology & Motility highlight how stress could affect the complex interactions between the gut and nervous system and increase the prevalence of common gastrointestinal disorders, researchers at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles said.

• Nearly 40% of people in the U.S. are estimated to have at least one disorder of gut-brain interaction.

What they found: Rates of irritable bowel syndrome increased from around 6% among U.S. adults in May 2020 to about 11% in May 2022.

• Chronic constipation rose slightly from 6% to 6.4%.
• Researchers said even those who did not get the virus but underwent significant psychological distress may have had alterations in their gut-brain axis.

Participants completed detailed questionnaires covering their digestive symptoms, mental health and lifestyle changes. By tracking responses over time, researchers noted a steady increase in gut issues that began early during the pandemic and continued through the worst of lockdowns and closings.

• The study should draw attention to how the virus' impact on mental health may affect the digestive system, they said.

⚖️ Wisconsin's Supreme Court on Wednesday formally struck down an 1849 abortion ban that had technically retaken effect after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned federal abortion rights. (NBC News)

💉 The CDC expanded its current guidance on RSV vaccines, endorsing the recommendations of an expert advisory panel whose members Kennedy ousted. (Endpoints)

🎢 Shares of health insurers are falling as patient care costs rise, with Centene pointing to higher Medicaid costs for behavioral health, in-home care and high-cost drugs. (FT)