[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 108 (Monday, July 9, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S8798]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HARKIN (for himself and Mr. Smith):
  S. 1753. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide 
a tax credit to employers for the costs of implementing wellness 
programs, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Finance.
  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, today, culminating many months of 
consultation with health experts and business, Senator Gordon Smith and 
I will introduce the Healthy Workforce Act.
  The aim of this bill is to help American businesses to provide a 
whole range of opportunities for their employees to live healthier 
lives. The idea is to make it easier for businesses to push more of 
their health care investments upstream, helping their employees to get 
healthy an stay healthy, and to stay out of the hospital.
  Corporate America traditionally has not been a major player in the 
field of wellness and disease prevention. But that is rapidly changing 
as you can tell by the presence of these important business leaders, 
here, this morning. This is extremely encouraging. Because corporate 
America has the expertise, the resources, and the enlightened self-
interest to make a huge difference in the way we approach health care 
in this country.
  So, in introducing this bill, Senator Smith and I are making 
something of a business proposition, a proposal for a partnership. We 
believe that the Federal Government needs to provide incentives in the 
form of tax credits and, in return, we want corporate America to step 
more boldly into the field of wellness and disease prevention.
  Here is what the Healthy Workforce Act would do. It would give a 50-
percent tax credit to businesses that offer a qualified comprehensive 
wellness program to their employees. For a company to receive the 50-
percent credit, the employee wellness program must include three of the 
following four components:
  First, a health awareness and education component, which could 
include health risk assessments and screenings.
  Second, a behavioral change component, for instance: counseling, 
seminars, or self-help materials to help employees to lead healthier 
lifestyles.
  Third, a supportive environment component. This might include 
offering meaningful incentives to participating employees, for example, 
a reduction in health premiums, or allowing employees to exercise 
during the workday.
  And fourth, creation of an employee engagement committee, which would 
tailor the wellness program to the needs of the workforce at a 
particular company.
  I am pleased that the Healthy Workforce Act already has the support 
of the American Heart Association, the Coalition on Catastrophic and 
Chronic Health Care Costs, and a whole range of other public health 
groups and others in the business community.
  As I said, employee wellness is a matter of enlightened corporate 
self-interest. Employees who are fit are less likely to call in sick. 
They have more energy and self-confidence. They are more resistant to 
stress. They have better attitudes. Obviously, corporate America also 
has a profound interest in keeping down health insurance costs.
  But businesses can't get this job done alone. It is high time for the 
Federal Government to step up to the plate in a very robust way. And 
that is exactly what the Healthy Workforce Act is all about.
  In conclusion, I just want to emphasize, again, that this bill is the 
product of a pretty amazing collaboration. There is tremendous 
expertise and good will in both the business community and in the 
public health community. Their ideas and input have made this a better 
bill. And I deeply appreciate their assistance. I look forward to 
continuing this partnership and working to pass this critically needed 
legislation.

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