Promoting Healthy Lifestyles (Rep. Ron Kind)

Let’s face it; Americans have been too sedentary, too long.  Sixty-four percent of American adults and 34% of children suffer from chronic disease, often brought about by obesity and lack of physical activity.  A recent study even found that 20% of our four-year olds are obese.   If lifestyle changes aren’t made, these kids are going to become obese adults and struggle with chronic disease all their lives.  This is something we must reverse.

There’s a lot we could be doing at home to take care of our health.  In our everyday lives, we have control over exercising more, eating better and giving up smoking.  And the better we take care of ourselves, the more dramatic decline we’ll see in health care costs.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that health care costs directly associated with inactivity were $76.6 billion in 2000.  By using the tax code to incentivize physical activity, through the WHIP and PHIT Acts, we can cut these outrageous health care costs.

That’s why I and Rep. Zach Wamp, along with several other likeminded members of Congress, recently introduced the WHIP (Workforce Health Improvement Program) and PHIT (Personal Health Investment Today) Acts – to give people the incentive they need to get active; further preventing illness and disease, improving worker productivity and reducing the amount spent by consumers and government on managing major health issues every year.

The bills give employees pre-tax advantages for wellness activities, encouraging people to increase their physical activity. Not only does the WHIP Act affirm an employer’s right to deduct the cost of subsidizing or providing fitness center benefits to employees, encouraging them to offer the perk, but it also eliminates the income tax paid by employees on these benefits, giving them an incentive to get active.  The PHIT bill increases the types of expenditures payable out of pre-tax health investment accounts, allowing taxpayers to use up to $1,000 annually for preventative exercise costs including fitness center dues, some exercise equipment, and sports activity fees, among others.

The WHIP and PHIT bills put us on the right track to reforming health care by keeping preventative measures in mind.   These bills help remove the cost barrier associated with getting fit and promote a healthy lifestyle, furthering preventative health efforts and reducing our nation’s health care costs.