Individual incentives

• Article
• Comments ()
• Click-2-Listen
• Videos

By Alex Alimanestianu

America's health care costs are spiraling out of control largely because we are facing an epidemic of inactivity and obesity. Government didn't cause this problem, and it can't single-handedly solve it.

People need to put down the donut, get active and take more personal responsibility for their health. Preventive measures can stop physical problems before they start. That can save lives and money.

The facts are staggering: Sedentary jobs have increased 83 percent since 1950, while daily caloric intake has skyrocketed. Sixty-seven percent of American adults are overweight, and the costs associated with treating obesity have risen from $74 billion to $147 billion over the past decade alone.

Obesity is related to eight of the nine most debilitating preventable diseases - including heart disease, cancer and diabetes - and costs our country more than smoking or drinking.

The cure for this problem is to provide individual incentives for healthy behavior. This will reduce costs while cutting taxes. I believe it can be done on a bipartisan basis with public-private partnerships because both business and government have an interest in promoting a culture of personal responsibility and physical fitness.

Companies including Johnson & Johnson, Safeway, EMC and Whole Foods have pioneered programs that reward employees with lower health insurance premiums for meeting goals that include losing weight, stopping smoking or getting more exercise. This not only improves the quality of life for the people who choose to participate, it also has a positive impact on their bank accounts and their company's bottom line.

President Obama has acknowledged the effectiveness of these initiatives, noting that such companies "have been able to hold their costs flat for their employees at a time when other companies are seeing double-digit inflation in their health care." But in his speech to the American Medical Association, the president emphasized that "our federal government also has to step up its efforts to advance the cause of healthy living."

This effort should attract bipartisan support in our too often divided health care debate because it builds on common sense to find common ground.

We know that exercise leads to happier, healthier lives. We also know it can reduce medical costs. That's why three bipartisan bills that provide incentives for improved physical fitness should be included in any health care reform legislation.

The Workforce Health Improvement Program Act - sponsored in the Senate by conservative John Cornyn, Texas Republican, and liberal Tom Harkin, Iowa Democrat, and in the House by House Ways and Means member Rep. Ron Kind, Wisconsin Democrat - would preserve employers' right to deduct the cost of providing off-site health-club benefits without the cost of this wellness benefit being considered additional income for employees.