After hearing remarks from Dr. Mehmet Oz and Admiral Brian Christine, fitness industry executives met with lawmakers to advance prevention-focused health policy and position physical activity as national infrastructure.

Washington, DC–June 11, 2026–More than 130 health and fitness industry leaders participated in 92 meetings with Congressional offices and federal policymakers during the Health & Fitness Association’s (HFA) 2026 Fly-In and Advocacy Summit held June 8–10 in Washington, DC. 

Centered around the theme “From Credibility to Influence,” the event brought together executives, operators, suppliers, healthcare leaders, and policy experts for a half-day Summit on June 9 filled with keynote presentations, policy discussions, and preparation for the Fly-In day on June 10, which involved direct engagement with lawmakers to advance prevention‑focused health policy, position physical activity as national infrastructure, and discuss military readiness. 

Members of Congress who were able to personally meet with participants included Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) and Reps. Josh Harder (D-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA), Steve Womack (R-AK), Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI), Daniel Meuser (R-PA), Lloyd Smucker (R-PA), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), John McGuire (R-VA), Maxine Dexter (D-OR), and Dan Newhouse (R-WA), among others. Meetings focused in part on members serving on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. 

The Summit included a presentation by Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services at the US Department of Health and Human Services, and Admiral Brian Christine, MD, assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services, and head of the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.

Oz’s dinner keynote, delivered at the headquarters for the Daughters of the American Revolution, focused on physical activity’s role in healthy aging and disease prevention and the opportunity for the fitness industry, CMS, and federal policymakers to integrate physical activity into healthcare delivery and prevention efforts. 

Christine’s luncheon keynote addressed prevention, readiness, and long-term wellness, reinforcing the industry’s role in helping improve measurable health outcomes at scale.

On June 10, attendees met with lawmakers and Congressional staff to advocate for policies that expand access to physical activity, improve affordability, modernize prevention efforts, and recognize fitness facilities as scalable community-based health infrastructure. Discussions focused on federal prevention policy, Medicare and CMS engagement, affordability and access, and long-term healthcare cost reduction.

“This year’s Fly-In reflected a major shift in how the industry is engaging in Washington,” said Mike Goscinski, HFA chief of staff. “The conversation is no longer about whether physical activity matters. Policymakers increasingly understand that. The focus now is on implementation, scalability, affordability, and how the fitness industry can help solve some of the country’s biggest healthcare and readiness challenges. The industry showed up in force this week with a unified message that physical activity must be treated as essential prevention infrastructure.”

During the Summit, HFA announced its new Service Ready initiative, a national effort to support military readiness and pre‑enlistment physical preparedness through community‑based fitness infrastructure. Participating facilities will provide no‑cost access and support for eligible recruits preparing for basic training.

The event also included:

• A June 8 welcome reception at HFA headquarters.
• Sessions focused on policymaker perceptions of the industry, physical activity in the GLP-1 era, federal prevention policy, and strategies for communicating the industry’s impact more effectively in Washington.
• Panel discussions featuring legislators and leaders from healthcare, research, policy, and industry organizations, including Congressman Jake Auchincloss (D-MA-4); Mark Harrington Jr., president of Healthworks and president and co-founder of Republic Fitness; Erika Parker, managing director at The Harris Poll; Jordan Crenshaw, senior vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Technology Engagement Center (C_TEC); Al Noshirvani, founder and CEO of Alta Technology Group; and Brian Vidrik, general counsel at ABC Fitness.
• Presentation of HFA’s inaugural Heavy Lifter Awards, recognizing congressional leaders advancing policies that support physical activity, prevention, and the health and fitness industry. This year’s honorees are Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO-8), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19), a leader in efforts to expand HSA/FSA eligibility for physical activity expenses and strengthen the role of physical activity in federal policy.
• A June 9 evening reception and dinner at the headquarters of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
• A June 10 debrief session focused on maintaining advocacy momentum and coordinating long-term engagement efforts beyond the Fly-In itself.

Participants in the Fly-In included executives from acac Health & Fitness, Bay Club Company, Discover Strength, East Bank Club, EoS Fitness, Fitness Formula Clubs, Genesis Health Clubs, Healthworks, Life Time, Planet Fitness, Solidcore and many others, as well as the following sponsoring suppliers:

Premier Sponsors: Matrix, TechnoGym
Advocate Sponsors: AltaDX, Daxko, DIRECTV, Echelon, Life Fitness / Hammer Strength, PerfectGym, SECA, VIDA Fitness, Wellhub, and Woodway
Supporters: National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), ROR Partners, and Zenoti

The date for the next HFA Fly-In and Advocacy Summit will be announced soon.

Photos from this year’s Fly-In & Advocacy Summit can be found on our Flickr album. Please credit photos as follows: Photo courtesy Health & Fitness Association.