📣 Digital Health Download: August 2026

This month is about the gap between what a system offers and what people actually get from it: drugs that work better with support nobody's paying for, AI that's already answering more medical questions than most doctors ever will, and a labor market where staying healthy can mean staying stuck. Halle and Michael break down the stories reshaping digital health in August.
We cover:
• Why GLP-1 funding is shifting from prescribing platforms into "companion" ecosystems
• The FDA panel vote that opens a legal pathway for six unapproved peptides, and what this could mean
• Our thoughts on OpenAI's new ChatGPT Health product, now available to every US adult
• The Florida pastor's lawsuit against OpenAI
• Why nearly one in four US workers are staying in jobs they'd rather leave, just to keep their health insurance
• The healthcare argument buried inside the bill to make daylight saving time permanent

Links:
• Rock Health, H1 2026 digital health funding recap (rockhealth.com/insights/h1-2026-funding-and-ma…)
• Halle's research piece, Virtual GLP-1 startups: Pill mills or the future of obesity care? (halletecco.substack.com/p/virtual-glp-1-startu…)
• RAPS, FDA advisory committee backs six peptides for compounding list (raps.org/resource/fda-advisory-committee-backs…)
• TechCrunch, OpenAI makes ChatGPT Health available to all US users (techcrunch.com/2026/07/23/openai-makes-chatgpt…)
• CBS News, ChatGPT's medical advice nearly killed a Florida man, lawsuit claims (cbsnews.com/news/chatgpt-dangerous-medical-adv…)
• Gallup, One in four US employees locked in jobs for health insurance (news.gallup.com/poll/712166/one-four-employees…)
• The Hill, House passes Sunshine Protection Act (thehill.com/homenews/house/5968255-house-sunsh…)
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LinkedIn (linkedin.com/company/the-heart-of-healthcare-p…)
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