OpenAI expands ChatGPT Health to all US users after lawsuit

OpenAI announced the full rollout of ChatGPT Health to all U.S. users aged 18 and over across all subscription plans — free, Go, Plus, and Pro — on web and iOS this week. The feature had been in limited testing since January through a dedicated health hub.

The new version significantly expands how users can access their health information. Rather than requiring users to navigate to a dedicated hub for health queries, users can now draw on connected health data across all conversations. Users can integrate personal health data from Apple Health, Function, and MyFitnessPal, as well as medical records from hospital systems including Epic and Oracle Health, and health platforms such as One Medical and Function Health. During testing, the company observed that 70% of health-related queries occurred outside the dedicated hub, prompting the shift to allow health context in general chat.

Demand for health-related AI assistance has grown sharply. OpenAI reported that weekly health-related queries rose from 230 million during early testing to 300 million at the time of the full rollout announcement. The company claims its latest models have improved performance on health topics. Specifically, GPT 5.6-Luna, OpenAI's smallest model, outperforms GPT 5.5 on HealthBench, an open-source benchmark OpenAI developed to evaluate large language models on health queries. OpenAI stated it does not use any user data to train its models and works with physicians to refine health-related responses.

The rollout occurs against a backdrop of legal and safety scrutiny. One day prior to the announcement, a Florida-based pastor sued OpenAI, alleging the company provided a near-fatal suggestion not to consult a doctor. OpenAI cited its terms of service — which state that services are "not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of any health condition" — in response. The company also told The New York Times it is working to make health and medicine-related answers safer. OpenAI emphasized to users that they should verify information and base medical decisions on professional advice. Despite these concerns, the company is not alone in pursuing health AI; Anthropic and Google have also launched health-related AI features.

OpenAI's expansion of ChatGPT Health reflects the company's response to accelerating user demand for AI-powered health guidance. The jump from 230 million to 300 million weekly health queries in just weeks signals that despite legal and safety concerns, users are actively seeking this capability. The decision to allow health data to flow into general conversations — rather than confining it to a dedicated hub — aligns with observed user behavior: during testing, 70% of health queries occurred outside the dedicated health section, suggesting that users want seamless access to their information across all interactions.

However, the timing is sensitive. The lawsuit from a Florida pastor, filed one day before this rollout, highlights real risks. OpenAI's defensive legal posture — emphasizing that its terms explicitly exclude diagnosis and treatment use — shows the company is aware of the liability exposure. The company's claim that GPT 5.6-Luna outperforms GPT 5.5 on HealthBench, its own evaluation benchmark, is a performance claim, but the body notes that several independent studies have found AI bots unreliable for medical advice. OpenAI's statement that it works with physicians and does not train on user health data suggests an effort to build credibility, yet the company simultaneously tells users to verify information and consult professionals — a hedge that acknowledges the limits of its models in this domain.

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