Community Chat

[MoJoV]

Our mailman mentioned something about this.  It's a deal where seniors get free admission to local gyms. Wow. Can anyone tell me how to join up. I looked at websites etc. Everything was kind of vague. Any help would be appreciated.

[nightnurse]

Silver Sneakers free gym membership is offered through various MEDICARE insurance  companies. 

[Goldenmoher]

Our local Y offers Silver Sneakers with the price of a Y membership. The have several types of classes including yoga, tai chi, circuit ( using light weights and resistance and Zumba gold.

[x Hedge]

@MoJoV,
https://www.silversneakers.com/

[gizmogal]

Silver Sneakers is a program that is sometimes included with supplemental Medicare health plans or Medicare Advantage plans. To the best of my knowledge, it is not the gyms that offer it, it is the health plans that subsidize your use of selected gyms via a Medicare supplement/Medicare Advantage policy. 

 It is not in all cases free admission to gyms; some plans provide discounted membership that make the cost nominal. They want older people to maintain fitness and provide incentive. This is a way to look for what’s available in your state by looking at health plans associated with Medicare, not by looking at offerings from gyms. 

https://tools.silversneakers.com/Eligibility/HealthPlans

Here is the home page of Silver Sneakers to learn more about it and how it works with Medicare enrollees.

https://www.silversneakers.com

If you are not enrolled in Medicare, your choices for access to gyms through Silver Sneakers will be more limited, if at all. I am pretty sure it is not for non-Medicare folks. 

[151949]

Yes, silver sneakers is a benefit offered by some medicare advantage plans and supplements. You have to go to gyms that accept the plan. It is free gym membership basically. I believe all YMCA participate. We use ours almost every day - mostly to swim at the Y. I can participate in every program my YMCA offers for free with it. A few years ago I joined a prediabetes class at the Y and they paid for that. 

We actually were in the PPO insurance plan but when we found out the HMO offered Silver sneakers - we switched.

[151949]

---

@Goldenmoherwrote:

Our local Y offers Silver Sneakers with the price of a Y membership. The have several types of classes including yoga, tai chi, circuit ( using light weights and resistance and Zumba gold.

---

No - silver sneakers pays your Y membership. You don't pay anything. You get silver sneakers thru your health ins.

[151949]

If you want to know if your supplement/ advantage plan cover silver sneakers you should call the customer service # on your insurance card.

[Drythe]

Silver Sneakers is also offered through AARP membership no matter what your supplemental may or may not be.  Only certain gyms participate - we have friends who use it for the H2O gym.  Just depends on whoever in your area accepts it.

[jlkz]

For years I used Silver Sneakers at both Curves and at a local Sports Club that included a pool.  Totally free...both with our Blue Cross health insurance.