Medicare Fitness Benefits
February 17, 2018 | Tom Peterson
Want help getting in shape? Many private health plans including Medicare Advantage, Medicare Cost and Medicare Supplement plans offer additional benefits that Original Medicare does not. Medicare Health Plans try to promote healthy lifestyles and one of the ways they do this may be by offering a fitness benefit. There are various types of fitness benefits and some of these may provide fully paid gym memberships or home fitness kits. Two of the more popular administrators are Silver&Fit® and Silver Sneakers®.
Silver&Fit®
The Silver&Fit Exercise and Healthy Living Benefit provides access to a fully paid membership at wide range of participating locations. You are required to designate a facility but can change it one time per month. If you are unable to get to a fitness facility or would rather work out in the comfort of your home, you can choose to receive two at home workout kits per year.
Silver Sneakers®
Silver Sneakers is the popular option. With more than 14,000 participating facilities nationwide and unrestricted access to every location, there are many options available. There are fitness classes for all abilities led by certified instructors. This is a nationwide program and you have access to all of them simultaneously. Silver Sneakers also offers an at-home option which includes instructional DVD’s.
To see if you are eligible for these benefits consult your agent, current plan or one of the above listed fitness benefit administrators.