After five years of extensive negotiations, California health clubs will soon be relieved from the outdated $1,000 price cap that limited the financial terms of contracts for health club services. Senate Bill 581 was signed into law last week by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
'IHRSA extends its thanks to the many club operators who were involved in this process,' said Helen Durkin, IHRSA's director of public policy. 'The passage and signing of this bill would not have been possible without the collective work and persistence of the dedicated industry professionals who have worked with us to see this important bill signed into law.'
The price cap will rise to $3,000 in January 2006 and to $4,400 in 2010. The new law clarifies that nothing in the bill is intended to limit month-to-month contracts, while extending the cooling-off period from three to five days. Consumers signing contracts for more than $1,500 will have the right to cancel those contracts for up to 20 days and receive a pro-rata refund. Contracts in the range of $2,000 to $2,500 must provide the consumer with 30 days to cancel, and contracts above $2,500 must give consumers 45 days to cancel (both on a pro-rata basis). Optional services will no longer be viewed as part of the contract.
Report: 39M Deaths from Chronic Disease Preventable
Heart disease, diabetes and other chronic ailments will kill nearly 400 million people over the next 10 years, but many of those deaths can be prevented, the World Health Organization said today.
Until recent years, these chronic conditions were overshadowed by infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, though they cause far more deaths.
The 128-page WHO report, entitled 'Preventing Chronic Diseases -- a Vital Investment', estimated that 39 million deaths from chronic diseases in the next 10 years can be prevented through healthier lifestyles and relatively cheap medication. Eighty percent of all heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes cases, and over 40 percent of cancer cases, could be prevented, the report said.
Regrettably, this week is Kevin Buckley's last as a member of IHRSA's public policy team.
In his five years with the association, Kevin testified at dozens of hearings and represented our industry at countless meetings on key issues such as AEDs, tax-exempt competition, health club sales taxes, and 'consumer protection' legislation. Most recently, he was instrumental in the passage of the California cap legislation.
Kevin's intelligence and tenacity will serve him well in his new role as a public policy specialist for a pharmaceutical company.
We wish him well in his new endeavor!
State Legislative Update
Michigan: State Senator Tom George, who is also a physician, says both the health of state residents -- one in seven of whom is on Medicaid -- and the state economy could benefit from legislation he plans to introduce soon. He will propose a change to the state's current prohibition against tying healthy behaviors to insurance costs or programs.
