I 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5657 

To promote preventive health care for Americans. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 21, 2006 

Mr. KNOLLENBERG introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee 

on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 

Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 

the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To promote preventive health care for Americans. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Preventive Medicine 

5 for a Healthier America Act of 2006’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress finds as follows: 

8 (1) Improving the health of the population and 

9 reducing medical costs requires implementation of 

10 preventive methods. 


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1 (2) Organizations throughout the United States 

2 have expressed the need for an increase of public 

3 health professionals. 

4 (3) There are only approximately 6,000 physi5 cians board certified in preventive medicine. 

6 (4) Many health care costs are spent on chronic 

7 conditions that could be avoided by implementing 

8 preventive methods. 

9 (5) The number of preventive medicine resi10 dency programs and individuals pursuing preventive 

11 medicine has significantly decreased in recent years. 

12 (6) Preventive medicine physicians are uniquely 

13 trained to serve patients and communities. 

14 (7) A strong public health system requires a 

15 strong preventive medicine workforce. 

16 SEC. 3. LOAN PAYMENT ASSISTANCE FOR PREVENTIVE 

17 MEDICINE PHYSICIANS. 

18 (a) PAYMENTS.—On behalf of any eligible preventive 

19 medicine physician, the Secretary of Health and Human 

20 Services may pay up to $20,000 of the medical education 

21 loans incurred by the physician. 

22 (b) APPLICATION.—To request a payment under this 

23 section, an eligible preventive medicine physician shall 

24 submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in 


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1 such manner, and containing such information as the Sec2 retary may require. 

3 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

4 (1) The term ‘‘eligible preventive medicine phy5 sician’’ means a practicing physician who receives 

6 board certification in preventive medicine during the 

7 period of fiscal years 2007 through 2011. 

8 (2) The term ‘‘medical education loan’’ means 

9 the outstanding principal of and interest on a loan 

10 incurred for the cost of attendance (including tui11 tion, other reasonable educational expenses, and rea12 sonable living costs) at a school of medicine. 

13 (3) The term ‘‘school of medicine’’ has the 

14 meaning given to that term in section 799B of the 

15 Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 295p). 

16 (4) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 

17 of Health and Human Services. 

18 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 

19 out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated 

20 such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 

21 2007 through 2011. 

22 SEC. 4. WELLNESS PROGRAM CREDIT. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subpart D of part IV of sub24 chapter A of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 


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1 1986 (relating to business related credits) is amended by 

2 inserting after section 45M the following new section: 

3 ‘‘SEC. 45N. WELLNESS PROGRAM CREDIT. 

4 ‘‘(a) GENERAL RULE.—For purposes of section 38, 

5 the wellness program credit determined under this section 

6 for any taxable year is an amount equal to $200 per quali7 fied employee employed by the eligible employer during the 

8 taxable year. 

9 ‘‘(b) DOLLAR LIMITATION.—The amount of the cred10 it determined under this section for any taxable year shall 

11 not exceed 25 percent of the eligible employer’s regular 

12 tax liability (as defined in section 26(b)). 

13 ‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section— 

14 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE EMPLOYER.—With respect to a 

15 taxable year, the term ‘eligible employer’ means an 

16 employer who— 

17 ‘‘(A) develops and implements a qualified 

18 wellness program, and 

19 ‘‘(B) keeps accurate records of the preven20 tive health screenings and other programs in 

21 which the eligible employer’s employees have 

22 participated during the taxable year. 

23 ‘‘(2) QUALIFIED WELLNESS PROGRAM.—With 

24 respect to an eligible employer, the term ‘qualified 

25 wellness program’ means a program— 


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1 ‘‘(A) that is developed and implemented by 

2 the eligible employer, in consultation with a 

3 physician (as defined in section 213(d)) who is 

4 board certified in preventive medicine, 

5 ‘‘(B) that provides at least 2 preventive 

6 health screenings for the benefit of the eligible 

7 employer’s employees, 

8 ‘‘(C) that provides counseling, seminars, 

9 self-help materials, and other resources related 

10 to at least 3 of the following: 

11 ‘‘(i) smoking, 

12 ‘‘(ii) obesity, 

13 ‘‘(iii) stress management, 

14 ‘‘(iv) physical fitness, 

15 ‘‘(v) nutrition, 

16 ‘‘(vi) substance abuse, 

17 ‘‘(vii) depression, 

18 ‘‘(viii) mental health, 

19 ‘‘(ix) heart disease, and 

20 ‘‘(x) maternal and infant health, and 

21 ‘‘(D) whose qualified participants include 

22 not less than 50 percent of the eligible employ23 er’s full-time employees. 


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1 ‘‘(3) QUALIFIED EMPLOYEE.—With respect to 

2 an eligible employer, the term ‘qualified employee’ 

3 means an individual who is— 

4 ‘‘(A) a full-time employee of the eligible 

5 employer, and 

6 ‘‘(B) a qualified participant in the eligible 

7 employer’s qualified wellness program. 

8 ‘‘(4) QUALIFIED PARTICIPANT.—With respect 

9 to a taxable year, the term ‘qualified participant’ 

10 means an individual who participates in at least 2 of 

11 the preventive health screenings or other programs 

12 offered through a qualified wellness program during 

13 the taxable year, as determined by the eligible em14 ployer who has developed and implemented such 

15 qualified wellness program. 

16 ‘‘(d) TERMINATION.—This section shall not apply in 

17 taxable years beginning after December 31, 2011.’’. 

18 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

19 (1) Section 38(b) of such Code is amended by 

20 striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph (29), by 

21 striking the period at the end of paragraph (30) and 

22 inserting ‘‘, and’’, and by adding at the end the fol23 lowing new paragraph: 

24 ‘‘(31) the wellness program credit determined 

25 under section 45N(a).’’. 


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1 (2) The table of sections for subpart D of part 

2 IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 of such Code is 

3 amended by inserting after the item relating to sec4 tion 45M the following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 45N. Wellness program credit.’’. 

5 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

6 this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after 

7 December 31, 2006. 

8 SEC. 5. NATIONAL EDUCATION CAMPAIGN. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 

10 Human Services, acting through the Director of the Agen11 cy for Healthcare Research and Quality, shall carry out 

12 a national education campaign to encourage the use of 

13 preventive health screenings by individuals, employers, 

14 physicians, hospitals, State and local health departments, 

15 community health centers, industrial sites, occupational 

16 health centers, academic centers, private practices, the 

17 military, and Federal departments and agencies. 

18 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 

19 out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated 

20 such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 

21 2007 through 2011. 

Æ 


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