US House of Representatives Passes th PHIT Act
5 years, 9 months ago
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Posted on Jul 27, 2018, 1 a.m.
In an historic vote and huge victory for America’s health the US House of Representative approved the Personal Health Investment Today Act which allows the use of pretax savings accounts for physical activity related expenses.
Personal Health Investment Today Act has long been a priority of the Sports & Fitness Industry Association and was included in a bipartisan package of Health Savings Account reforms which was passed July 25, 2018 by a vote of 227-142, the measure now moves to the Senate for further consideration. There still is much work to do before the bill becomes law, but this is still a huge step forward in progress.
Personal Health Investment Today Act has been at the center of the Sports & Fitness Industry Association effort to increase activity in the USA following its success in securing over $1 billion in dedicated Physical Education funding for schools via the PEP Program. A correlation has been identified between rising cost of activities and declining youth participation leading to development of the act; allowing use of pretax dollars to pay for expenses such as youth sports fees and health club dues the act gives consumers 22-37% discounts on activity costs. Increased activity improves health and prevents chronic diseases which has long been supported by a wealth of literature, passage of the act by the House can be seen as a massive step forward for more activity in America and confirms congressional recognition that cost is indeed a barrier to active and healthy lifestyles.
Personal Health Investment Today Act will help families with a range of activity costs such as pay to play in schools, camps, clinics, classes, organized team sports, individual activities, qualified equipment, and tournaments. Adult activities such as fitness classes, gym memberships, personal trainers, recreational sports/activities, personal trainers, and other activities will also be helped. It is well known that activity is good for health, yet there still continues to be a high rate of inactivity within the USA, this incentive is hoped to encourage investments into activities to improve health.
Currently the most likely time frame for the Senate to consider the Personal Health Investment Today Act is sometime in November to December 2018.
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