OpenAI has announced that its health-focused feature within ChatGPT is now being made available to all users in the United States who are 18 years of age or older, regardless of which subscription plan they are on. The rollout comes just one day after a Florida-based pastor filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging that ChatGPT provided a suggestion that nearly cost him his life by advising him not to seek medical attention.
The feature, which operates through a dedicated health hub, was first introduced in a limited testing phase back in January. During that initial period, users were able to connect data from a range of third-party services and personal health platforms, including Apple Health, Function Health, and MyFitnessPal. The goal was to allow ChatGPT to draw on personal health data when responding to relevant user queries.
Growing Demand for Health-Related Queries
When OpenAI first launched the testing phase, the company reported that users were collectively submitting around 230 million health-related questions to ChatGPT every week. That figure has since climbed to 300 million weekly queries, reflecting a significant and growing interest in using AI tools for health information.
In addition to consumer health apps, users can also link their medical records from major hospital and healthcare systems, including Epic and Oracle Health, as well as health platforms such as One Medical and Function Health. This integration is designed to give ChatGPT more context when users ask questions related to their personal health circumstances.
Health Data Now Available Across All Queries
One notable change with this broader rollout is how health data is applied during conversations. Previously, OpenAI required users to be within the dedicated health hub in order for their connected health information to be factored into responses. Under the updated system, users can now allow ChatGPT to draw on that information across any type of query, not just those made within the health section.
OpenAI cited internal observations from the testing period as a key reason for this change. The company found that approximately 70% of health-related questions were being asked outside of the dedicated health hub, suggesting that users were seeking health-relevant answers in the context of general conversations. With this expanded capability, someone could, for example, ask about food options or potential allergens during a regular chat session and receive responses that take their personal health data into account.
Model Performance on Health Benchmarks
OpenAI also pointed to improvements in how its underlying models handle health-related questions. The company highlighted that GPT-5.6-Luna, the smallest model in its most recent release family, outperforms the earlier GPT-5.5 on HealthBench, an open-source evaluation framework that OpenAI developed specifically to assess how well large language models respond to health queries. The company added that it does not use any personal user data to train its models, and that it collaborates with licensed physicians to improve accuracy and safety in health-related responses.
Legal and Safety Concerns Persist
Despite these technical improvements, OpenAI continues to include clear disclaimers in its terms of service, stating that its products are "not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of any health condition." The company referenced these terms directly in its response to the lawsuit filed by the Florida pastor. OpenAI also told the New York Times that it is actively working on making responses related to health and medicine safer for users.
As part of the current rollout, OpenAI has emphasized that users should verify any health information they receive through ChatGPT and make medical decisions based on guidance from qualified healthcare professionals rather than relying solely on AI-generated responses.
Broader Industry Trend Despite Reliability Questions
The expansion of ChatGPT's health capabilities comes at a time when the reliability of AI tools for medical guidance remains a subject of scrutiny. Multiple independent studies have raised concerns about the accuracy and consistency of AI-generated medical advice, with researchers noting that AI chatbots can produce misleading or incomplete information in health contexts. Nevertheless, this has not stopped major technology companies from pushing further into the health AI space. Both Anthropic and Google have launched their own health-oriented AI features in recent months.
OpenAI's ChatGPT Health feature is currently being rolled out this week to logged-in users based in the United States across the free, Go, Plus, and Pro subscription tiers. The feature is available on both the web platform and through the iOS app.
