Health brands can advertise on Google and Meta, but with limits. Google doesn't allow remarketing or other personalized ads based on health conditions, and requires certification for categories like prescription drugs, addiction services and U.S. health insurance. Meta restricts health and wellness advertisers from optimizing to lower-funnel conversions and is disabling audiences and conversion events that imply a health condition. Medicare plans and marketers also follow CMS marketing rules.
The rules, platform by platform
Limits on personalized ads
Remarketing, Customer Match and custom audiences can't be based on health conditions or imply someone has one. Some categories, including prescription drugs, addiction services and U.S. health insurance, need Google certification before ads can run.
Health and wellness restrictions
Advertisers Meta classifies as health and wellness lose the ability to optimize to lower-funnel events like purchases or appointments. Audiences, lookalikes and conversion events whose names or rules suggest a health condition can be flagged and disabled.
Tighter tracking and targeting
LinkedIn has limited its tracking tag on healthcare sites, TikTok requires 18+ targeting and certification for some health categories, and X and Pinterest restrict health targeting heavily.
CMS marketing rules
Medicare Advantage and Part D marketing follows CMS rules on what ads can say, required disclaimers for third-party marketers, and timing around enrollment periods. Your compliance team should sign off on Medicare creative.
What's allowed vs. restricted
| Tactic | Meta | |
|---|---|---|
| Search ads on health keywords | Allowed, with certification for some categories | Not applicable |
| Remarketing to site visitors | Restricted when based on health conditions | Restricted for health and wellness advertisers |
| Customer lists | Can't be based on health information | Need permission and can't be built on health information |
| Optimizing to purchases or bookings | Allowed with compliant tracking | Limited for health and wellness advertisers |
| Ad copy implying a condition | Not allowed in personalized ads | Not allowed |
How health brands keep performing within the rules
Lean on intent
Search reaches people actively looking for care or coverage, without needing personal targeting.
Keep sensitive data out
Set up tracking so condition names and health details never reach the ad platforms, including in page URLs and event names.
Speak to the benefit, not the condition
Ads that don't assume someone has a condition get approved and still perform.
Use what's permitted
Broad, contextual and interest-based targeting, plus first-party data where it's allowed and consented.
This guide is a general overview, not legal advice. Platform policies change often, so check current Google, Meta and CMS guidance and your own compliance team before launching. Sources: Google personalized advertising policy, Google healthcare and medicines policy, CMS Medicare marketing guidelines.
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