Health Care Reform, Prevention, Cost-Savings

President Barack Obama will address the nation tonight in a prime time news conference on health care reform. This is the latest event in what has been a full court press by the White House in recent days to try to build awareness and momentum around the debate. At a White House Rose Garden event on Tuesday, Obama said, “We've agreed that our health reform bill will emphasize prevention and wellness by investing in programs that help Americans live healthier lives. We will save money, prevent illness, and increase the competitiveness of our country. “

IHRSA and its partners continue to encourage legislators to use prevention to contain skyrocketing costs. In a statement released Monday, the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) urged Congress to focus on the number one driver of health care costs- chronic disease. "We must focus on disease prevention and wellness in order to reduce unnecessary - and often preventable - costs and create a sustainable health care system," said Ken Thorpe, Ph.D., PFCD Executive Director. "We hope that as other Senate and House committees continue through mark ups, they will make certain that their bills contain adequate measures to address the economic burden of chronic disease and control costs in order to insure the passage of comprehensive, sustainable health care reform legislation in 2009."

While members of Congress and the Obama administration discuss health care reform, the President continues to call on Congress to move bills out of committee and to vote before the scheduled August recess. Though some in Washington are beginning to call the deadline impossible, committees are working very quickly to mark up the bills as soon as possible making this a crucial time for IHRSA’s Personal Health Investment Today Act and Workplace Health Improvement Program Act.

“Our DC team has been actively engaging with key legislators in both the House and the Senate on including the WHIP and PHIT Acts in health care reform,” said Helen Durkin, executive vice president IHRSA public policy. “But we do not have a million dollars a day to spend like the insurance and pharmaceutical lobbies. Our strength is the number of fitness professionals across America that are passionate about creating a culture of wellness in our nation.”

Fitness professionals can do their part by writing an email to Congress asking for their support of exercise as part of prevention in health care reform. All of the details are provided online at http://ihrsa.org/campaign. Clubs will be speaking out for legislation that not only encourages Americans to lead healthy lives but also provides them tax incentives to do so while promoting health clubs and growing the number of Americans with gym memberships.

- Breanne McGahey