Pennsylvania lawmaker pitches plan for incentivizing state residents to hit the gym

There are many reasons to avoid working out: Lack of time, lack of energy, lack of motivation.

But a Pennsylvania lawmaker wants to take away at least one excuse by making gym membership a bit more affordable for commonwealth residents.

Rep. Joe Hogan says he is preparing a bill that would establish tax benefits — called Pennsylvania Physical Health Improvement Tax Credits — of up to $1,000 to offset the costs of joining a gym or health club.

He says incentivizing exercise will improve the health of many Pennsylvanians and could benefit the commonwealth by decreasing health insurance rates and Medicaid costs.

“As the pace of life continues to increase unabated, this legislation will allow the Commonwealth to send a clear message about the importance of regular physical activity,” the Bucks County Republican wrote in a Sept. 10 memo.

Hogan hasn’t yet introduced his legislation. A similar proposal is under consideration in Ohio, where a lawmaker wants to create a personal tax deduction of $1,500 each year for gym memberships.

Fitness is a key component of the Make America Healthy Again movement, with President Donald Trump’s administration recently decrying “the widespread epidemic of declining health and physical fitness” in the U.S. and reinstating the Presidential Fitness Test.