May 2007

IHRSA Summit Promotes Health and Fitness Legislation

Now that your taxes have been filed and you're (hopefully) sitting with a refund check in hand, it's time to learn a bit about some pending legislation that could change your tax situation to help you—and millions of other Americans—get active to improve your health. Last week, on May 16 and 17, health and fitness industry leaders descended upon Capitol Hill as part of the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association's (IHRSA) Legislative Summit. The goal of the summit was to persuade members of Congress to step up their efforts to remove barriers to exercise and promote a health care system that supports prevention and wellness.

IHRSA members shared the key findings of "The Importance of Exercise" survey with members of Congress, as well as the association's strong support for pending legislation that promotes fitness among Americans, including the Workforce Health Improvement Program (WHIP) Act (H.R. 1748 and S. 1038) and the Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT) Bill (H.R. 245).

Key findings of "The Importance of Exercise" survey included:

• The vast majority—99 percent—of Americans have gotten the message and believe that regular exercise helps preserve good health. However, most Americans feel they have to battle the current culture to exercise regularly. More than half of respondents cited work demands as a barrier to people's ability to exercise.
• 77 percent of Americans would encourage their member of Congress to vote to pass WHIP, and 70 percent said they would encourage their member of Congress to vote to pass PHIT.
• More than eight in 10 Americans said it would be easier for people to make regular exercise a part of their daily life if their employers had programs to encourage exercise.
• More than two in five Americans would exercise more often if the expense was tax-free.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claim that when people take park in moderate of vigorous physical activity on a regular basis, they lower their risk of many chronic diseases, including coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and colon cancer. But despite this fact, more than 50 percent of American adults do not get the daily exercise needed to gain these benefits. What's worse, 30 percent of people 20 years old or older—a jaw-dropping 60 million Americans—are obese.

"The link between sedentary lifestyles and the precipitous rise in obesity and chronic disease is undeniable," said Joe Moore, president and chief executive officer of IHRSA. He added that the findings of "The Importance of Exercise" survey "…tell us that exercise is a critical component of preventive health care to most Americans. However, they are losing the struggle to balance the demands of work and family with personal health and need greater support. Americans need access to the tools necessary to live healthier lifestyles."

Legislation before Congress that can help address these issues includes the WHIP Act and the PHIT Bill.

The WHIP Act was introduced in April by Representatives Zach Wamp (R-TN), Mark Udall (D-CO), Ron Kind (D-WI) and Jim Ramstad (R-MN) in the House, and by Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) in the Senate. The act enjoys widespread bipartisan support, and seeks to remove barriers to worker wellness by making fitness center memberships tax-free for employees when provided as an employee benefit. Currently, workers pay income tax on such wellness benefits.

Also currently, workers enjoy the tax benefit when their employer provides a fitness center on-site. This bill would allow for more balanced tax treatment, especially to the benefit of many smaller businesses and their employees. Smaller businesses are much less likely to provide an on-site fitness center, but may still offer fitness club memberships as an employee benefit.

The PHIT Bill (H.R. 245) was reintroduced in January 2007 by Congressman Jerry Weller (R-IL) and currently has five co-sponsors. This bill would allow Americans to pay for exercise and physical fitness programs—as well as certain exercise equipment—out of pre-tax dollars by including them in tax-deferred medical savings vehicles, like flexible spending accounts (FSAs) or health savings accounts (HSAs). This would allow people to pay for their health club memberships, the cost of yoga or Pilates classes and certain exercise equipment, for example, the same way they can currently use these accounts to pay for medications and doctor visits.

One complaint about the medical savings vehicles has been that they do not benefit people in lower income brackets. While the importance of the WHIP Act and PHIT Bill cannot be denied, it is also critical to encourage members of Congress—and others in the community—to come up with creative ways to reach these underserved populations with greater opportunities to get active.

Want to get involved? Write your Congressman or Senator to let them know you support the WHIP Act and the PHIT Bill. And encourage them to find new ways to support preventive health for Americans nationwide.

For more information about IHRSA and its other public policy interests, visit www.ihrsa.org.