Virgin HealthMiles Comments on New York Governor David Paterson's "Obesity Tax" Statement

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - December 19, 2008) - Yesterday, New York Governor David Paterson commented about levying an "obesity tax" to force Americans to take greater responsibility for managing their weight. As Paterson noted, one in three Americans is now obese, and that number continues to rise. Obesity-related conditions, such as heart disease, hypertension and type 2 diabetes put further strain on the already-burdened U.S. healthcare system.

Virgin HealthMiles (www.virginhealthmiles.com) provides organizations and governments with wellness incentive programs. Since its inception in 2005, Virgin HealthMiles has found the incentive approach to be a proven formula for engaging and motivating the workforce to increase their physical activity. Unlike traditional wellness programs that only engage a small percentage of the workforce, Virgin HealthMiles attracts an average of 40% of employees to participate, which helps organizations reduce medical costs and improve employee productivity and satisfaction. Virgin HealthMiles recently announced a year-long obesity awareness initiative in partnership with US governors and their cabinets from 12 states, with a potential pledge of $6.3 million towards fighting childhood obesity (www.virginhealthmiles.com/capitolstepschallenge).

Virgin HealthMiles' CEO, Chris Boyce, is available as a subject matter expert to speak about the benefits organizations are experiencing by motivating employees to become more active, and strategies on how to tackle obesity. Boyce can share statistics about how increased physical activity has made a quantifiable impact on the wellness of individuals, as well as helped companies lower healthcare premiums. To speak with Mr. Boyce, please contact Kathy Wilson at 781-652-0499 or kwilson@tieronepr.com.

Contact Information: Contact: Kathy Wilson 781-652-0499