Reps. Michael Burgess (R-Texas), a physician, and Donna Christensen (D-Virgin Islands) introduced legislation that would change how the Congressional Budget Office looks at budget savings from wellness programs.

The Preventive Health Savings Act, which was introduced Friday, calls for the CBO to analyze scientific data to gather information on budget savings achieved through disease prevention and wellness programs beyond the 10-year budget-scoring period.

The legislation will encourage more federal investment in prevention of chronic diseases, according to a statement made by Healthcare Leadership Council President Mary Grealy.

"Congress needs to see the full picture of how wellness programs improve population health and not just the initial price tag," Grealy said in the statement. "We shouldn't ignore the long-term savings to our healthcare system just because they don't show up within an arbitrary period of time."