How to Get a Free Gym Membership Through Health Insurance
Key takeaways:
Some health insurance plans will reimburse you for all or some of your gym membership fees and other fitness-related expenses, while others give you access to discounts.
You may have to track your activity using your insurance company’s app and work out at an approved location to take advantage of savings and incentives.
Original Medicare does not offer coverage for gym memberships. But some Medicare Advantage (MA) and Medicare supplement insurance (Medigap) plans do.
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If you have health insurance, free gym membership may be one of your plan’s benefits. Or, if you can’t get your membership fully reimbursed, you can often get discounts through your plan. Many health insurance plans offer perks — such as a free Fitbit or even cash incentives — for staying active and reaching health milestones.
Continue reading (and check with your plan directly) to learn about getting access to free gym membership through insurance.
Does health insurance cover gym membership?
Many health insurance plans offer fitness benefits like gym membership discounts or full or partial wellness reimbursements to their customers. Some require you to go to the gym a certain number of times per month or complete specific milestones to qualify for these benefits.
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As a first step to finding out if you’re eligible for free gym membership, review your health insurance plan’s benefits. Typically, you can log into your account through your insurer’s website to review what is included in your plan.
Below, we review gym membership benefits offered by a selection of health insurance companies:
Aetna: Some Aetna insurance plans offer savings on gym memberships, health coach services, and nutrition products.
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey: Enrollees in the company’s fitness incentive program get a $20 reward per month ($240 per year). Members must work out at least 12 times a month at participating gyms to qualify. And they have the option to report visits through the HorizonbFit app.
Kaiser Permanente: Like some other health insurance providers, Kaiser Permanente offers customers free or discounted gym memberships through partnerships with organizations such as Active&Fit.
Which Medicare Advantage plans offer free gym membership?
Many Medicare Advantage (MA) plans and Medicare supplement insurance (Medigap) plans that cover older adults offer enrollees free gym membership through these programs:
Silver&Fit: Silver&Fit provides no-cost or low-cost gym membership to nearly 5 million Medicare enrollees at more than 18,000 fitness centers across the U.S.
SilverSneakers: Membership in SilverSneakers is free. You can use this benefit for drop-in classes at more than 15,000 local community centers and gyms nationwide or for online fitness classes.
Renew Active: Renew Active, which includes a free gym membership at a location near you, is provided as part of AARP MA plans offered by UnitedHealthcare.
Does Medicare provide coverage for gym membership?
Original Medicare does not cover the cost of gym membership. But, as mentioned, many MA and Medigap plans will cover all or part of a gym membership through access to the Silver&Fit, SilverSneakers, and Renew Active programs.
Does Medicare cover gyms? Read more about which health and fitness services are covered by Medicare and Medicare Advantage.
What about Medigap? Learn about how to select the best Medigap plan for your fitness needs.
Need more help affording a gym membership? Find out which factors affect the pricing of gym memberships and how to save with more affordable options.
Are gym memberships tax deductible?
If you are using the gym to recover from a specific injury, it is possible that your membership fees will be tax deductible. Otherwise, gym memberships are not tax deductible because they are not considered qualified healthcare expenses.
Qualified healthcare expenses are tax-deductible items and services that are medically necessary for diagnosing or treating a specific health concern. This often includes medical equipment like wheelchairs and walkers. And though not specifically included in the list of qualified healthcare expenses from the IRS, gym memberships can qualify for tax deduction if they are deemed medically necessary.
Can a gym membership be covered by HSA or FSA?
Gym memberships may or may not be considered a qualified healthcare expense by your health savings account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA) administrator.
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An HSA is a personal savings account that allows you to use tax-free funds for qualified healthcare expenses when you’re covered by a high-deductible health plan. You (and sometimes your employer) contribute pretax dollars to an HSA. An FSA is an employer-sponsored account that allows you to pay for certain healthcare expenses not covered by your insurance plan with tax-free funds. An FSA is funded by deductions from your paycheck and, sometimes, employer contributions.
Gym membership isn’t typically considered an eligible tax-free expense when using HSA and FSA funds. Though, it may qualify if it’s deemed medically necessary. To use tax-free HSA or FSA funds to pay for gym membership, you’ll likely need a letter of medical necessity from your physician. This letter, which you’ll need to submit to your HSA or FSA administrator, details the specific reason why the gym membership is needed.
The bottom line
Most commercial health insurance plans offer fitness incentive programs, and those perks sometimes include free gym membership. If your plan won’t fully reimburse your membership, you may still be able to get a low-cost or discounted gym membership or other fitness benefits.
Many Medicare Advantage (MA) plans and Medicare supplement insurance (Medigap) plans offer free gym membership for older adults through the Silver&Fit, SilverSneakers, and Renew Active programs. Original Medicare doesn’t cover the cost of gym memberships, however. And gym memberships do not always qualify as eligible expenses for use of health savings account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA) tax-free funds.
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References
Aetna. (n.d.). Healthy savings for a healthier you.
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. (n.d.). HorizonbFit.
Internal Revenue Service. (2023). Publication 502 (2023), medical and dental expenses.
Kaiser Permanente. (n.d.). Fitness deals.
Medicare.gov. (n.d.). Gym memberships and fitness programs.
Optum Store. (n.d.). When exercise is doctor-ordered, turn to your HSA/FSA.
