This is a collaborative post: Actively engaging in a fitness program can help prevent chronic illness, increase agility, strengthen muscles, and support rehabilitation. This makes fitness a vital part of your overall health and wellness. More importantly, your fitness doesn’t need to decline once you’ve reached retirement age. Fortunately, if you’re a Medicare recipient, you can receive coverage for fitness club memberships and programs offering both fitness and wellness support, but you have to get the right plan.
What Does a Medicare-Covered Gym Membership Look Like?
Yoga, Pilates, swimming, weights, water aerobics, etc. Gym memberships available to Medicare recipients are available through local gyms throughout the country. Therefore, they resemble standard gym memberships.
What Plan Do I Need?
Medicare provides coverage for fitness club memberships and programs that include both online and on-site classes through either Medicare Advantage (also called Part C or MA plans) or Medigap.
Original Medicare does not offer coverage for fitness memberships, but Part B will pay for annual wellness visits and, with a referral from a Medicare-approved provider, nutritional counseling for obese and diabetic patients as well as other preventive care programs.
Medicare Advantage vs. Medigap
Medicare Advantage is a bundled package handled by a Medicare-approved private insurance company. It includes all of the benefits available through Original Medicare, including annual wellness visits, but with Medicare Advantage, you can also cater a plan to include fitness benefits.
Medigap is supplemental insurance that covers the “gaps” in coverage. Specifically, it covers coinsurance, copayments, and other out-of-pocket expenses, except the premium. Like Medicare Advantage, Medigap plans are provided by private insurance companies. However, it’s only available to recipients of Original Medicare. You can have Medigap coverage or Medicare Advantage but not both.
Fitness Memberships Available Through Medicare
Three fitness programs are available through Medicare: One Pass Select, Silver&Fit, and Renew Active. Through them, you should be able to easily build a regimen that includes all your favorite fitness activities and, in some cases, specialty sports and classes, including popular training methods such as lagree london for those looking to improve strength, endurance, and overall fitness.
One Pass Select, Silver&Fit, and Renew Active also include opportunities to connect virtually and in person with other members in the network as well as brain health activities and healthy aging support.
The Way It Works
Fitness memberships are offered through various locations throughout the country. These include gyms, YMCAs, and local community centers as well as other fitness facilities. Gym memberships through Medicare plans offer the standard gym experience, including:
- Exercise equipment: cardio and weights
- Group exercise classes, including Senior-focused
- Swimming pools
- Tennis and racket ball courts
- Walking tracks
Online classes are also included, but personal trainers most likely aren’t. Also, you’ll need to search the network for specialty interests and classes not typically included in a gym membership.
One Pass Select
One Pass Select is a new gym membership fitness/wellness program that allows you to find a plan that fits your fitness lifestyle. You pick one of five tiers: Classic, Standard, Premium, Elite, and Digital. The price goes up with each tier. Along with exercise equipment and classes, One Pass Select also includes brain health activities and social events.
One Pass Select offers:
- 16,000+ fitness locations
- Online and on-site classes
- Digital fitness apps
- Grocery and home essentials delivery
Silver&Fit
Silver&Fit offers flexible plans for fitness and your overall well-being. This membership includes a Well-Being club to encourage social connections and healthy aging support.
As a member, you can access:
- 18,000+ fitness locations
- A well-being club
- Online workouts
- Home fitness kits
- Exercise plans
Renew Active
Renew Active memberships are only available through United Healthcare. Like One Pass Select and Silver&Fit, Renew Active focuses on health and overall wellness, including brain health and social activities. Memberships include:
- 25,000 fitness locations
- Onsite and online classes
- Online Fitbit community
- An annual personalized fitness plan
- AARP-exclusive online brain health activities
Coverage Through Medigap
Some Medigap plans cover fitness memberships. When they do, membership is usually free. The memberships are accessed through the same One Pass Select, Silver&Fit, and Renew Active programs available through Medicare Advantage plans.
Does Medicare Cover Exercise Equipment or Wellness Devices?
If specific exercise equipment is necessary for medical treatment or rehabilitation, Medicare may cover all or part of the cost. For the most part, however, Medicare does not cover exercise equipment, and it is unlikely to cover the cost of equipment for general exercise use.
Medicare is also unlikely to pay for personal wellness devices, like FitBit watches or activity trackers.