IV 

107TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 474

Expressing the sense of the Congress that private health insurance companies 

should take a proactive role in promoting healthy lifestyles, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 19, 2002

Ms. MCCARTHY of Missouri (for herself and Mr. RYUN of Kansas) submitted 

the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee 

on Energy and Commerce 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Congress that private health 

insurance companies should take a proactive role in promoting healthy lifestyles, and for other purposes.

Whereas Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy 

Thompson acknowledges that $270,000,000,000 in health 

costs are caused by preventable diseases, including 

$183,000,000,000 for heart disease alone, and has called 

current policies of insurance companies ‘‘wrongheaded’’ 

for not doing more to encourage people to stay healthy 

to prevent expensive illnesses; 

Whereas obesity increases the risk of illness from more than 

30 medical conditions, including heart disease, cancer, 

stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and diabe-
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•HCON 474 IH 

tes, which account for 2⁄3 of all deaths in the United 

States; 

Whereas 61 percent of adults in the United States 

(120,000,000 people) are above their target weight, and 

13 percent of children and adolescents in the United 

States are obese or overweight, a figure that has tripled 

since 1980; 

Whereas from age 50 to 70, those who do not perform 

strength training lose a quarter to a third of a pound of 

muscle every year and gain the same amount in body fat; 

Whereas weight training is proven to increase bone density 

and reduce osteoporosis among men and women over 50 

years old; 

Whereas if the more than 88,000,000 inactive adults in the 

United States began regular exercise, national medical 

costs would decrease by more than $76,000,000,000 each 

year; 

Whereas on June 20, 2002, President George W. Bush 

launched the Healthier US fitness initiative to promote a 

healthy lifestyle and encourage people in the United 

States to increase their physical fitness; 

Whereas the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 provides tax incentives for taxpayers who are obese, but not for those 

who are active and healthy; and 

Whereas providing incentives for exercise and strength training would help more people become active and healthy 

and would decrease national medical costs: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That—
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•HCON 474 IH 

1 (1) the Congress commends Secretary of Health 

2 and Human Services Tommy Thompson for his ef3 forts to encourage private health insurance compa4 nies to take action to encourage people in the United 

5 States to lead active lifestyles; 

6 (2) it is the sense of the Congress that private 

7 health insurance companies should—

8 (A) do more to encourage people in the 

9 United States to lead a healthier and more ac10 tive lifestyle to prevent expensive and painful 

11 illnesses; 

12 (B) provide discounted premiums to those 

13 who exercise regularly; and 

14 (C) encourage frequent screening for dis15 eases that are easily treatable in their early 

16 stages; and 

17 (3) the Congress applauds private health insur18 ance companies that are already taking these ac19 tions.

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