Should Insurance Reimburse Health Clubs For Exercise Programs?.

It’s often been said that if exercise were a pill, it’d be a mega-blockbuster, given the positive health effects — from lower cholesterol to improved cognition to longer lifetimes — to which it’s been tied.An editorial just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association says research supports consideration of a wider policy of reimbursing for structured exercise programs, particularly in high-risk groups, such as diabetics. Currently, health-insurance plans don’t treat exercise as medicine; only some plans offer a fitness benefit, usually a partial reimbursement for gym membership.Marco Pahor, author of the editorial and a University of Florida professor and chair of the school’s department of aging and geriatric research, isn’t saying that every commercial insurer should suddenly start paying for everyone’s Saturday-afternoon Zumba class.
But he points to a review of published data published in the same issue of JAMA that found aerobic exercise, strength training or both can help control blood-sugar levels in diabetics. And, he notes that “cost analyses have shown that use of a health plan–sponsored health club benefit by the general older population and by older adults with diabetes was associated with slower increases in total health care costs over 2 years.” Older adults going to a health club two or more times a week incurred $1,252 less in health-care costs in the second year than those who went less than once a week, he writes.
“The type of supported program and the target population eligible ought to be carefully assessed,” he writes. For example, it may be more cost-effective to pay for exercise programs for people with existing diabetes, not as a preventive measure. More data on the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of a structured exercise program on different health conditions and outcomes need to be analyzed, he says.
That said, there is “solid evidence for public policy makers to consider structured exercise and physical activity programs as worthy of insurance reimbursement to promote health, especially in high-risk populations,” he writes.
What do you think, readers? Should Medicare or private insurers reimburse for exercise programs just like they do for statins or antidepressants
By Katherine Hobson

Should Insurance Reimburse Health Clubs For Exercise Programs?.

It’s often been said that if exercise were a pill, it’d be a mega-blockbuster, given the positive health effects — from lower cholesterol to improved cognition to longer lifetimes — to which it’s been tied.An editorial just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association says research supports consideration of a wider policy of reimbursing for structured exercise programs, particularly in high-risk groups, such as diabetics. Currently, health-insurance plans don’t treat exercise as medicine; only some plans offer a fitness benefit, usually a partial reimbursement for gym membership.Marco Pahor, author of the editorial and a University of Florida professor and chair of the school’s department of aging and geriatric research, isn’t saying that every commercial insurer should suddenly start paying for everyone’s Saturday-afternoon Zumba class.
But he points to a review of published data published in the same issue of JAMA that found aerobic exercise, strength training or both can help control blood-sugar levels in diabetics. And, he notes that “cost analyses have shown that use of a health plan–sponsored health club benefit by the general older population and by older adults with diabetes was associated with slower increases in total health care costs over 2 years.” Older adults going to a health club two or more times a week incurred $1,252 less in health-care costs in the second year than those who went less than once a week, he writes.
“The type of supported program and the target population eligible ought to be carefully assessed,” he writes. For example, it may be more cost-effective to pay for exercise programs for people with existing diabetes, not as a preventive measure. More data on the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of a structured exercise program on different health conditions and outcomes need to be analyzed, he says.
That said, there is “solid evidence for public policy makers to consider structured exercise and physical activity programs as worthy of insurance reimbursement to promote health, especially in high-risk populations,” he writes.
What do you think, readers? Should Medicare or private insurers reimburse for exercise programs just like they do for statins or antidepressants
By Katherine Hobson

What a crying shame! Anthony Weiner takes full advantage of House Health Club that is paid for by the taxpayers and could care less!

WASHINGTON DC – You may not know it, but an exclusive health club in DC is subsidized by your money. But, taxpayers aren’t welcome. Only members of Congress are.Photos of Anthony Weiner in the House gym recently brought attention to this popular Congressional perk.

http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/national/wellness-provides-plush-gym-for-house-members

What a crying shame! Anthony Weiner takes full advantage of House Health Club that is paid for by the taxpayers and could care less!

WASHINGTON DC – You may not know it, but an exclusive health club in DC is subsidized by your money. But, taxpayers aren’t welcome. Only members of Congress are.Photos of Anthony Weiner in the House gym recently brought attention to this popular Congressional perk.

http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/national/wellness-provides-plush-gym-for-house-members

Breaking Health Club News: Georgia and Texas Introduce Latest Personal Trainer Licensing Bills

Bills in Georgia and Texas are the latest legislation that have been introduced relating to personal trainer licensing. Another bill introduced in Massachusetts does not have the licensure requirement.Introduced in March, Georgia Senate Bill 204 would impose professional and continuing education requirements of personal trainers and require them to pass an exam to obtain a license to practice in that state. The bill also would establish an 11-member Georgia Board of Fitness Trainers, which would determine the specific requirements for licensing. If passed, the bill would go into effect March 31, 2012. The International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) says similar legislation in Georgia was defeated in 2010.Also in March, Texas introduced House Bill 3800, which relates to the licensing and regulation of professional fitness trainers administered by the Department of State Health Services. If passed, that bill would go into effect Sept. 1, 2011.Earlier this year, Massachusetts introduced House Bill 1005 in which personal trainers would be required to have either a current certification by a national independent organization accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies or a credential or certification in either personal training, exercise science or a similar field from an educational institution recognized by either the Council for Higher Education Accreditation or the United States Department of Education.
Minus a licensure requirement, House Bill 1005, according to IHRSA, is the most industry-friendly personal trainer bill proposed in the country. Legislation that did include a licensure requirement was defeated during the 2009-2010 Massachusetts legislative session.

Breaking Health Club News: Georgia and Texas Introduce Latest Personal Trainer Licensing Bills

Bills in Georgia and Texas are the latest legislation that have been introduced relating to personal trainer licensing. Another bill introduced in Massachusetts does not have the licensure requirement.Introduced in March, Georgia Senate Bill 204 would impose professional and continuing education requirements of personal trainers and require them to pass an exam to obtain a license to practice in that state. The bill also would establish an 11-member Georgia Board of Fitness Trainers, which would determine the specific requirements for licensing. If passed, the bill would go into effect March 31, 2012. The International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) says similar legislation in Georgia was defeated in 2010.Also in March, Texas introduced House Bill 3800, which relates to the licensing and regulation of professional fitness trainers administered by the Department of State Health Services. If passed, that bill would go into effect Sept. 1, 2011.Earlier this year, Massachusetts introduced House Bill 1005 in which personal trainers would be required to have either a current certification by a national independent organization accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies or a credential or certification in either personal training, exercise science or a similar field from an educational institution recognized by either the Council for Higher Education Accreditation or the United States Department of Education.
Minus a licensure requirement, House Bill 1005, according to IHRSA, is the most industry-friendly personal trainer bill proposed in the country. Legislation that did include a licensure requirement was defeated during the 2009-2010 Massachusetts legislative session.

Anytime Fitness Terminates India Franchisee Agreement

After Anytime Fitness clubs closed unexpectedly in India, the Hastings, MN-based company cut ties with the master franchisee in that country.
The decision to end the agreement with Chandan Lunawat, chairman and managing director of Anytime India Fitness Private Limited, was made at the beginning of May, according to Anytime Fitness President and Co-Founder Dave Mortensen.
“We are extremely disappointed to learn of the recent closings of Anytime Fitness clubs in India,” Mortensen said in a statement. “This is an unfortunate development for the Indian fitness industry and for Anytime Fitness.”
All four Anytime Fitness clubs in India have closed, but the company considers them temporarily closed as it seeks alternatives to reopen them. Those alternatives include an acquisition by another club company or the assumption of the leases by a new master franchisee, says Mark Daly, company spokesperson.
According to an article from an Indian website, Lunawat closed his club in Kalyaninagar, India, on May 1. A notice posted at the club said the club would be closed for a week due to maintenance, but it has not reopened.
Lunawat announced his franchisee agreement with Anytime Fitness in December 2009. Since that time, however, Lunawat took liberties with the Anytime Fitness model and deviated from the company’s systems despite Anytime’s warnings, Mortensen said.
“As a result of these breaches, we delivered a notice of termination of our agreement to our master franchisee,” Mortensen said. “Regrettably, we were unable to apply resources from overseas to protect the numerous individuals that have been affected by this problem, including club members, staff, landlords, vendors, respected financial institutions and a prominent Bollywood celebrity.”
Any new Anytime Fitness clubs that open in India will be jointly owned and operated by Anytime Fitness and the new master franchisee, Daly says.
“We’re operating very successfully in 10 different countries currently using the standard master franchisee agreement,” Daly says. “This is the first time anything like this has ever happened where a master franchisee has not used the Anytime Fitness business model. We’re convinced that the Anytime Fitness business model can work in India.”

Anytime Fitness Terminates India Franchisee Agreement

After Anytime Fitness clubs closed unexpectedly in India, the Hastings, MN-based company cut ties with the master franchisee in that country.
The decision to end the agreement with Chandan Lunawat, chairman and managing director of Anytime India Fitness Private Limited, was made at the beginning of May, according to Anytime Fitness President and Co-Founder Dave Mortensen.
“We are extremely disappointed to learn of the recent closings of Anytime Fitness clubs in India,” Mortensen said in a statement. “This is an unfortunate development for the Indian fitness industry and for Anytime Fitness.”
All four Anytime Fitness clubs in India have closed, but the company considers them temporarily closed as it seeks alternatives to reopen them. Those alternatives include an acquisition by another club company or the assumption of the leases by a new master franchisee, says Mark Daly, company spokesperson.
According to an article from an Indian website, Lunawat closed his club in Kalyaninagar, India, on May 1. A notice posted at the club said the club would be closed for a week due to maintenance, but it has not reopened.
Lunawat announced his franchisee agreement with Anytime Fitness in December 2009. Since that time, however, Lunawat took liberties with the Anytime Fitness model and deviated from the company’s systems despite Anytime’s warnings, Mortensen said.
“As a result of these breaches, we delivered a notice of termination of our agreement to our master franchisee,” Mortensen said. “Regrettably, we were unable to apply resources from overseas to protect the numerous individuals that have been affected by this problem, including club members, staff, landlords, vendors, respected financial institutions and a prominent Bollywood celebrity.”
Any new Anytime Fitness clubs that open in India will be jointly owned and operated by Anytime Fitness and the new master franchisee, Daly says.
“We’re operating very successfully in 10 different countries currently using the standard master franchisee agreement,” Daly says. “This is the first time anything like this has ever happened where a master franchisee has not used the Anytime Fitness business model. We’re convinced that the Anytime Fitness business model can work in India.”

Health Club News: Synergy Fitness Clubs Owner Convicted of Two Murders

Christian Tarantino, co-owner of Synergy Fitness Clubs, New York, has been convicted by a federal jury of two 1994 murders.
The verdict, announced May 23, followed eight weeks of trial. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on a third murder charge in the case, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York. Tarantino, who was arrested Sept. 24, 2008, after an FBI raid at his mansion in Dix Hills, NY, faces a mandatory life imprisonment sentence on each of the murder convictions.“We hope that [the] convictions bring a measure of closure to the family and friends of the victims,” U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch said in a statement. “As this case clearly demonstrates, we will not rest until those who engage in such murderous violence are brought to justice.” The U.S. Attorney’s Office, citing trial evidence, said that on June 23, 1994, Tarantino and co-conspirators, including a man named Louis Dorval, carried out an armed robbery of a Mid-Island Check Cashing armored van in Syosset, NY. During the robbery, Dorval shot and killed Julius Baumgardt, one of the van guards.
After the Baumgardt murder, Tarantino learned that Dorval told at least one other person that he and Tarantino had committed the armored van robbery and murder. On Aug. 10, 1994, Dorval and others were charged in New Jersey with various racketeering offenses unrelated to the armored van robbery. Two days later, after Dorval stated that he would flee rather than face incarceration, Tarantino and others murdered Dorval, put his body in a plastic tool trunk and dumped the trunk into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Long Island, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Dorval’s body was found four days later by U.S. Coast Guard personnel.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that Tarantino murdered Dorval to prevent him from disclosing to federal authorities information relating to various crimes, including Tarantino’s role in the armored van robbery and Baumgardt murder.
The jury did not return a verdict on two charges stemming from the Aug. 18, 2003, murder of Vincent Gargiulo, the brother-in-law of Twisted Sister lead singer Dee Snider. Tarantino will be re-tried on those charges on Aug. 1.
Some of Tarantino’s friends have created a blog in his support.
Tarantino is part-owner of five Synergy Fitness Clubs in Long Island, NY, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. However, in 2008, an employee at the Synergy Fitness Club in Farmingdale, NY, told Club Industry that another part-owner took over the club after Tarantino’s arrest. A recent request for more information about the current ownership structure of Synergy Fitness Clubs was denied by the company’s corporate office.
Synergy Fitness has 16 locations in the New York City metro area, according to the company’s website. In 2010, one of the Synergy Fitness Clubs in Manhattan filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Health Club News: Synergy Fitness Clubs Owner Convicted of Two Murders

Christian Tarantino, co-owner of Synergy Fitness Clubs, New York, has been convicted by a federal jury of two 1994 murders.
The verdict, announced May 23, followed eight weeks of trial. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on a third murder charge in the case, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York. Tarantino, who was arrested Sept. 24, 2008, after an FBI raid at his mansion in Dix Hills, NY, faces a mandatory life imprisonment sentence on each of the murder convictions.“We hope that [the] convictions bring a measure of closure to the family and friends of the victims,” U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch said in a statement. “As this case clearly demonstrates, we will not rest until those who engage in such murderous violence are brought to justice.” The U.S. Attorney’s Office, citing trial evidence, said that on June 23, 1994, Tarantino and co-conspirators, including a man named Louis Dorval, carried out an armed robbery of a Mid-Island Check Cashing armored van in Syosset, NY. During the robbery, Dorval shot and killed Julius Baumgardt, one of the van guards.
After the Baumgardt murder, Tarantino learned that Dorval told at least one other person that he and Tarantino had committed the armored van robbery and murder. On Aug. 10, 1994, Dorval and others were charged in New Jersey with various racketeering offenses unrelated to the armored van robbery. Two days later, after Dorval stated that he would flee rather than face incarceration, Tarantino and others murdered Dorval, put his body in a plastic tool trunk and dumped the trunk into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Long Island, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Dorval’s body was found four days later by U.S. Coast Guard personnel.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that Tarantino murdered Dorval to prevent him from disclosing to federal authorities information relating to various crimes, including Tarantino’s role in the armored van robbery and Baumgardt murder.
The jury did not return a verdict on two charges stemming from the Aug. 18, 2003, murder of Vincent Gargiulo, the brother-in-law of Twisted Sister lead singer Dee Snider. Tarantino will be re-tried on those charges on Aug. 1.
Some of Tarantino’s friends have created a blog in his support.
Tarantino is part-owner of five Synergy Fitness Clubs in Long Island, NY, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. However, in 2008, an employee at the Synergy Fitness Club in Farmingdale, NY, told Club Industry that another part-owner took over the club after Tarantino’s arrest. A recent request for more information about the current ownership structure of Synergy Fitness Clubs was denied by the company’s corporate office.
Synergy Fitness has 16 locations in the New York City metro area, according to the company’s website. In 2010, one of the Synergy Fitness Clubs in Manhattan filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

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