On June 18, 2015, the German Bundestag passed the Act to Strengthen Health Promotion and Prevention (Prevention Act - PrävG). For the first time, the law also includes quality-assured exercise programs in sports and fitness studios.
The Hamburger Morgenpost reported on 16.06.2015 under the headline: "Mucki-Bude auf Rezept" and on 17.06.2015 under the headline: "Soon there will be a gym on prescription":
Apparently, Jens Spahn, the CDU/CSU's health policy spokesperson, managed to find a majority in the health committee together with the SPD for the proposal that in future "quality-assured exercise programs, such as in particular courses to improve endurance and stretching and coordination skills" should also be promoted in commercial fitness and health studios via the new Prevention Act.
In a nutshell, this means that the dominance of sports clubs, for which the medical prescription for sport and exercise was previously reserved, has been broken.
FID's political work leads to success
For the author of this success, Paul Underberg, it was an exciting few days in Berlin. Firstly, on 16.06.2015, the formation of a majority in the Health Committee, on 17.06. the 2nd and 3rd reading of the bill and on 18.06.2015 the passing of the bill in the German Bundestag.
You read that right!
It was not the German Sports Studio Association (DSSV e.V.), which raises well over 1 million a year, that achieved this first success for fitness.) has achieved this first success for the fitness industry in its 31 years of "irrelevant" political work in Bonn or Berlin, but the FID, founded by Paul Underberg, which has been supported in its political goals for two years by the BVGSD e.V. under Patrick Schlenz and the DFAV e.V. under Volker Ebener.
We, the "makers" of the F&G, have also played a small part in this success through our constant reporting and our personal commitment.
For the DSSV e.V., this is an indictment in terms of recognition for the management of health-oriented fitness studios. The DSSV is the association that claims to represent the more than 8,000 German fitness studios. This obviously includes being able to make its voice heard politically.
Significance for health-oriented fitness studios
But what does the new Prevention Act mean for health-oriented fitness studios in Germany?
Not only does it mean that we will share in the annual 511 million euros now available for this prevention purpose, but it should also lead to a change in employers' allowances for keeping their employees healthy.
Previously, commercial fitness studios were excluded from this employer subsidy. In addition, equipment training in commercial fitness studios could not be prescribed until now.
Now we are getting much closer to Paul Underberg's actual goal.
If doctors can also issue prescriptions for controlled, qualified and documented training in commercial fitness studios, then the barrier to tax-free participation in such training should also fall for employees. Likewise, several health insurance companies (e.g. Barmer GEK) have already indicated that they will be happy if more people actively do something more for their health in the future.
This should also pave the way for Underberg's 2nd goal of a 60 euro monthly contribution for employees. Underberg's second goal, a 60 euro monthly contribution for qualified, monitored and documented training in a commercial fitness studio, should soon be open, with the health insurance company and the employer each paying 20 euros and the remaining 20 euros coming from the trainee themselves.
A really real opportunity, especially for the studios organized in the Bundesverband Gesundheitsstudios Deutschland (BVGSD e.V.).
Volker Ebener
Source: F&G
Published on: 22 June 2015