Health care cost are spiraling out of control and researchers estimate, “75% of all healthcare cost directly stem from preventable chronic health conditions, yet only 1% of the 1.9 trillion dollars spent on health care in the United States is devoted to protecting health and preventing illness and injury” (Campbell & Lanza, 2006).  Rising health care costs not only have an impact on individuals, but on employers too. 


The Healthy Workforce Act

Senators Harkin and Smith introduced the Healthy Workforce Act (S. 1753) to assist businesses in their health promotion efforts while providing incentives to offer onsite health promotion programs.  The legislation is targeted primarily at smaller and mid-sized companies, who would otherwise have difficulty making the initial investment needed to support such programs.  The Healthy Workforce Act provides a tax credit for 50% of the cost of a qualified employer health promotion program, up to $200/employee for the first 200 employees and $100/employee for remaining employees. The credit is conveyed through income tax credit with for profit employers and through payroll tax with tax exempt employers.

Why become a grassroots advocate/endorser?

There are many benefits to becoming a grassroots advocate/endorser. Becoming an advocate/endorser of this bill will allow you to grow your professional skills by learning about and engaging in political advocacy.  In addition, helping health promotion advocates’ pass Senator Harkin’s Healthy Workforce Act (S.1754), you will be a part of the movement to put health promotion on the national agenda. If this bill passes, the health promotion industry will grow and strengthen significantly. For more information please contact Leah Tiller at ltiller@higginbotham.net or visit www.healthpromotionadvocates.org