Silver&Fit: How This No- or Low-Cost Gym Program Could Help You Stay Fit in Retirement

The Silver&Fit Healthy Aging and Exercise Program is one of three major fitness programs sometimes offered through Medigap, Medicare Advantage, and company-sponsored retiree health plans. Insurers may offer gym memberships to help keep older people healthy.

Besides Silver&Fit, insurers manage their fitness offerings through SilverSneakers or Renew Active. When you sign up for a Medicare plan, one of the factors worth considering is whether you’ll get access to a free or nearly free fitness plan at all, and if you do, which one it will be.

What is Silver&Fit?

Silver&Fit provides no-cost or low-cost gym memberships to nearly 5 million Medicare enrollees at more than 18,500 fitness centers, as well as online. It is one of three nationwide fitness and gym membership programs offered by many Medicare supplement (Medigap) and Medicare Advantage insurers.

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The other two programs are SilverSneakers and Renew Active. Renew Active is offered as part of the AARP Medicare plans from United Healthcare.

Silver&Fit is owned by American Specialty Health, an Indiana-based company that offers a variety of fitness and therapy programs.

A program like this is an attractive benefit, especially if you are going to join a gym or take fitness classes anyway. The average cost of a gym membership is about $38 a month.

What’s the difference between Silver&Fit, SilverSneakers, and Renew Active?

The three programs vary in size and offerings. Among the differences are:

Lots of gyms and fitness programs offer all three of these fitness programs, so, from that point of view, they are similar. What gym memberships include differs by location, but commonly these are standard memberships with treadmills, ellipticals, weight machines, and free weights. There are also facilities that accept only men or only women, if you prefer that. Some gyms include swimming pools, tennis and pickleball courts, and yoga and Pilates studios.

SilverSneakers and Renew Active don’t charge a fee. An insurance company may offer Silver&Fit at no extra charge, or there may be a small fee that varies by health plan.

All three programs offer online fitness training, but Silver&Fit has been especially active in adding online benefits. It offers 6,500 on-demand workout videos on areas such as:

• Cycling

• Dance

• Pilates 

• Cardio 

• Strength

• Yoga

• HIIT (High intensity interval training)

• Meditation

Silver&Fit also has personal health coaching by phone, video, or chat, for those who want support in setting and achieving goals.

How do seniors apply for Silver&Fit?

Silver&Fit is only available through insurance companies that offer Medigap plans, Medicare Advantage, and some company group retirement plans, says Jack Chirrick, director of corporate communications for Silver&Fit’s parent company, American Specialty Health, in an email to GoodRx Health. 

You can check if your insurer or one you are considering offers Silver&Fit by using this online tool. Silver&Fit says that if you don’t see your insurer on this list, contact your insurer and ask. Companies can add or subtract this benefit without much warning.

Once you have signed up for a Medicare or other insurance plan that offers Silver&Fit, sign up for a personal account with Silver&Fit. You’ll not only see information about local gyms, but you’ll also be able to sign up for online fitness classes and an automated goals and fitness evaluation that will help you choose the right online program.

Which locations accept Silver&Fit?

To find a gym that offers Silver&Fit, members can use this Silver&Fit tool to enter their ZIP code to see the gyms nearby. If there is more than one gym in your area, it is a good idea to visit more than one before signing up. The atmosphere and what they offer can differ greatly.

You can change your membership to a Silver&Fit gym once a month — although, in some cases, your insurer’s contract with Silver&Fit will allow you to belong to more than one gym at a time. It pays to ask, or to log in to view the details of your contract. The information may be available there.

How do I redeem my Silver&Fit benefits?

Start by making sure that you are eligible. If you need more help, call 1-877-427-4788 (TTY/TDD 711). Once you are enrolled and have chosen a gym, the people there will help you join. You can also select a Home Kit. The kits allow you to choose between:

• Fitness trackers

• Pilates

• Resistance equipment

• Swim kits

• Yoga kits

You get one home kit a year for free, but you can buy more.

Is Silver&Fit better than SilverSneakers?

There are tradeoffs between the two programs. But if you have a choice, it may come down to personal preference. The availability of a gym you like may be the biggest variable.

If you prefer online fitness, Silver&Fit has robust offerings, with a coach available by phone or video. Whether you choose a gym or online fitness, being able to participate with someone else can make exercise more fun and more likely you’ll stick with it. One of the nice things about online programs is that location doesn’t matter. Someone you participate with can live far away.

Silver&Fit can be free, or it may have a small cost as determined by the insurer you choose. The other two programs are completely free.

Silver&Fit had a 97% satisfaction rating in its most recent member survey, Chirrick said.

How it works with Medicare plans

Fitness benefits can be attractive. If you are going to pay to join a gym, getting the membership with your Medicare Advantage or Medigap plan at no additional charge or even a small charge is a good deal. But don’t pick a Medigap plan simply because it offers Silver&Fit or other gym plans. Make sure you compare all the factors of the eight available standardized national plans. 

Once you have signed up for a Medigap plan, it can be very difficult to switch. There are no guarantees that either your insurer or your favorite gym or exercise program will continue to offer Silver&Fit. 

If you have questions about how to get a low- or no-cost gym membership while on Medicare, contact your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program for free one-on-one Medicare counseling. 

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Written by:

Jennie L. Phipps

Jennie L. Phipps is a journalist with decades of experience, including 10 years as the top editor of midsize daily newspapers. For the last 10 years, she has written about retirement, Medicare, Social Security, annuities, insurance, real estate, budgeting and saving, and all things personal finance for a variety of companies and websites.

Edited by:

Kristen Gerencher, MSOT

Kristen Gerencher is an award-winning writer who has reported on healthcare, medicine, and insurance for a variety of national publications. Before contributing to GoodRx, she was a healthcare and personal finance reporter for MarketWatch.

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