Support the SWIM Act

Make Swim Lessons More Accessible!

We need your help to advocate for the Safe Water Instruction for Minors (SWIM) Act (H.R. 9298), which aims to enhance water safety by allowing the use of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Savings Accounts (FSAs) for swim lessons.

This important legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives and needs your support. Here's how you can help:

1. Use Our Pre-Written Letter: PHTA has prepared the below letter supporting the SWIM Act. Feel free to personalize it with your own experiences or thoughts.
2. Find Your Representatives: To locate your representatives' contact information:
   1. Visit house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
   2. Call (202) 224-3121 for the U.S. House switchboard
3. Send Your Letter: After personalizing the letter and signing your name, send it via email or U.S. mail to your representative.

Why This Matters

• Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1-4 in the U.S.
• Learning to swim reduces drowning risk by 88% for this age group
• The SWIM Act will make life-saving swim lessons more financially accessible

Sample Letter

Copy/paste the information below into your email to your representative, or click here to download a printable Word doc to edit and mail.

[Date]

The Honorable [Representative/Senator’s Name]
U.S. House of Representatives / U.S. Senate
[Address]
Washington, D.C. [ZIP Code]

Please Support the Safe Water Instruction for Minors (SWIM) Act - H.R. 9298

Dear [Representative/Senator’s Name]:

On behalf of [your company’s name], I am writing to express strong support for H.R. 9298, the Safe Water Instruction for Minors (SWIM) Act. This critical, bi-partisan legislation aims to authorize basic water competency swimming lessons as a qualified expense under Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), providing families with a valuable tool to improve water safety and reduce the risk of drowning across the United States.

Drowning remains a persistent and tragic issue in the U.S. with approximately 4,000 fatal and 8,000 nonfatal drowning incidents occurring annually. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drowning is the leading cause of death for children aged one to four, and these deaths are preventable. Studies show that basic swim lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88%, and better yet, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children learn to swim around one year old.

The SWIM Act offers a practical and lifesaving solution through the allowance of using HSAs and FSAs to cover the cost of basic swimming lessons. This bill allows families to utilize pre-tax dollars to pay for swim instruction, empowering parents to take proactive steps in protecting their children while alleviating long-term healthcare costs associated with nonfatal drowning injuries. In 2023, there was approximately $123 billion saved in over 37 million HSAs and $3.28 billion in 2021 contributions over 2.4 million FSAs. Expanding the list of eligible expenses to include basic swimming lessons makes sense given their proven ability towards the health and welfare of children and adults alike by saving lives and preventing serious injuries.

It is important to recognize that basic swim lessons are more than just exercise. These lessons teach essential water competency and safety skills, such as floating, resurfacing, and safely exiting the water. These skills are lifesaving, not just life-enhancing, and should not be grouped with other forms of exercise like competitive swimming, which is specifically excluded in this bill. Allowing families to apply their HSA or FSA funds towards swim lessons will help reduce the number of drownings while making these lessons less of a financial burden to families.

For these reasons, I urge your support of the SWIM Act to ensure that more families have the opportunity to provide their children with critical water safety skills.

Thank you for your consideration and support of this important legislation.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
[Your Company]
[Contact Information]