The PHIT Act passed through the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Ways and Means on July 12, 2018 with a vote of 28-7. As a result, the long-proposed legislation is eligible for consideration by the full House as soon as July 23, 2018 as part of wider HSA reform legislation.

The Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT) Act has been introduced in both the House and U.S. Senate numerous times in the last decade, with the House bill being most recently introduced by Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) in March 2017. It currently has 135 bipartisan sponsors.

The proposed PHIT Act would amend the existing IRS code to allow for a medical care tax deduction on qualified purchases for up to $1,000 per taxpayer or $2,000 for married couples filing jointly or heads of household, according to the proposed bill.

Under these revisions, physical activity expenses—including gym memberships and youth and adult sports registration fees—would become reimbursable through pre-tax dollars via health savings accounts (HSAs) and flexible spending accounts (FSAs), allowing consumers to deduct related costs after meeting the 10 percent of income threshold on medical expenses.

For more information about the PHIT Act, visit PhitAmerica.org/Leglislation/PHIT_Act. Anyone wanting to support the legislation can do so by visiting PassThePHITAct.org and input their zip code.

- Above was reported by Anthony Dominic in the July 17, 2018 Club Industry newsletter