A pair of Republican lawmakers are proposing legislation to help taxpayers afford the cost of fitness club memberships.

Sen. Joe Picozzi, R-Philadelphia, announced that he plans to introduce legislation to provide $1,000 tax credits to offset the cost of fitness club memberships. Rep. Joe Hogan, R-Bucks, announced a similar proposal last September. Neither lawmaker has introduced legislation so no bill numbers have been assigned to the proposals.

The move comes as the state is grappling with increased obesity rates and controversy over how to respond.

Last month, the administration of Gov. Josh Shapiro moved to limit the use of Medicaid benefits for expensive GLP-1 weight loss drugs like Ozempic or Wegovy. The change took effect Jan. 1.

About 70,000 patients had been using Medicaid benefits to cover the cost of GLP-1 medications.

Pennsylvania’s Medicaid program began covering the cost of the weight loss drugs in 2023 but demand for the drugs proved to be a budget-buster.

Pennsylvania’s Medicaid coverage of the weight loss drugs cost the state more than $1.3 billion in 2025 — up from a fraction of that several years ago.

Under the change announced in December, Medicaid won’t cover the weight loss drugs for obesity alone. Medicaid will cover the cost of the drugs if the patient has diabetes or other conditions.

Hogan noted that helping people afford their fitness club memberships should also benefit all taxpayers by reducing health insurance and Medicaid costs.

Picozzi said offering a financial incentive may be the boost needed to help some residents take steps to better manage their weight and improve their physical health.

Just over 34% of Pennsylvanians have obesity, a rate that has been incrementally increasing. In 1990, fewer than 15% of Pennsylvanians had obesity.