Youth Sports 

What is PHIT & Why it Matters to Youth Sports

The PHIT Act allows individuals & families to use funds in pre-tax medical accounts to lower cost of sports, fitness and other qualified physical activities & equipment such as:

  • Youth Sports League Fees
  • School Pay-to-Play Sports Fees
  • Youth Sports & Fitness Equipment
  • Recreational Activity Fees (hiking/camping trip, dance class etc.)
  • Sport-Exclusive Footwear
  • Tournament & Race Registration Fees
  • Youth Camps + Clinics
  • & Much More

The Facts

Use these statistics to help support PHIT

Financial Relief

What?

  • PHIT helps take some of the financial burden off youth sports parent's, by allowing you to save money on expenses for the exclusive purpose of participating in youth sports/physical activity

Cost Barrier

  • The Cost barrier to youth sports has risen to Avg almost $900 per sport annually - Aspen Institute 

  • University of Michigan Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health found that "only 30 percent of students in families with annual household incomes of less than $60,000 played school sports, compared with 51 percent of students in families that earned $60,000 or more a year,"

  • Median Household Income of HSA Account holder $57,060...below median income level of $59,039 in U.S. (Alegeus 2018) 

How?

  • PHIT will enable individuals to use up to $1,000 per year - up to $2,000 for families - to cover physical activity-related expenses.
  • Money will be placed in pre-tax accounts such as HSAs, FSAs & HRAs
  • Consumers(you) will save 25-37%

Prevention & Mental + Physical Health

  • Inactivity can lead to higher health costs and chronic diseases - PHIT will allow you to use healthcare dollars to stay healthy up front and prevent illness

COVID Impact on Youth Mental Health

  • Participation in a team sport compared to non-sport participation was associated with:

    * 10% lower anxious/depressed scores

    * 19% lower withdrawn/depressed scores

    * 17% lower social problems scores

    * 17% lower thought problems scores

    * 12% lower attention problem scores (https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0268583)

Physical Activity Lowers Incidence of Suicide & Substance Abuse

  • Male and female students who did not meet the aerobic physical activity guideline compared to those who did were 35% and 36%, respectively, more likely to have seriously considered attempting suicide - (CDC)

  • 140,000 Americans died from alcohol abuse each year (CDC)

  • Suicide claimed the lives of over 45,900 people in 2020 (NIH)  

  • 100,306 Americans died from a drug overdose from April 2020 to April 2021 (CDC)

 CDC warns of steep decline in teen mental health - 44% persistently sad or hopeless...1 in 5 contemplated suicide 

- Washington Post 3/31/22

Best treatment is prevention of Mental Health challenges...through self-directed play and structured activities such...as sports

- U.S. Surgeon General

It's time for Congress to pass PHIT and help take some of the financial burden off families so kids can participate in sports and stay active & healthy!


We Need Your Help

Take Action Below & Help Us Pass PHIT!

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