My Highmark Health Insurance is Dropping Silver Sneakers as of 12/31/2024 !

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RandomName

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See title. I love Silver Sneakers. I use it at the YMCA for pickleball a few times every week, all for free !

No more. The blurb I got from Highmark about changes to the policy says it is ending 12/31/2024. It is being replaced with something called Fiton Health. I've made several calls, to Fiton itself, and to local fitness places, and no one has heard of them. Fiton gave me the names of places near me that participate and none of them have pickleball. They are all 'boutique' places with a few workout machines and some yoga mats, and a TV. To use an apt acronym, WTF ?

My other coverage with my Highmark insurance is great, so I might just keep it, and pay for an annual membership at the YMCA. I haven't gotten a price for that yet, but internet says it is $100 per year, which seems worth it, for pickleball twice or thrice a week, 2 hours a shot.

Anyone else out there getting thrown off of Silver Sneakers? What are you going to do, please? Looking for advice.

Thanks
 

I always liked Silver Sneakers classes, I even became a Silver Sneakers instructor. But, I never had Silver Sneakers as a health benefit, my provider(Kaiser Permanente) offered a Silver & Fit plan that paid for gym membership, where I would then have access to Silver Sneaker classes.
 
Thanks for the response, Nathan.

Update: I called Fiton Health again, got a different person who had information for me, this time, that sounded positive, and made sense. I will get a debit card from Fiton with $88 per month that I can use to buy memberships at gyms. Good enough for me. No need to scurry about finding a new health insurance company.

Kind of annoying having to call around so much to get the answer, though.
 

So disappointed to loose Silver Sneakers. I am trying to navigate the FitOn Website and I am going keep an open mind. I really liked the format of the zoom sessions on Silver Sneakers and many of the instructors were stellar. I liked the variety of online class options I could either participate in 45 minute classes or the Express classes that were 15 minutes and provided a variety (of standing and seated options) without leaving my home. So far the instructors and way that FitOn is configured I am not seeing any older instructors. They all look so young and I am past getting down on the floor with a mat etc. Hopefully, this will work out. I have a suspicion that this is probably driven by costs to the insurance company.
 
I go to the Clarkcon center in Brockport, NY …. They never heard of “FitON”. Sofar I have not heard anything good about them compared To Silver Sneakers. From what I can tell the only reason HM is using them is because they are cheeper. They are not even close to the quality of Silver Sneakers!!!!
 
I got a letter from FitOn a few days ago saying I can keep going to my regular gym, that I was a member of with silver sneakers, but now being a member through FitOn. They must have contacted my gym and set things up. Yesterday, Jan 2, I used my usual bar code tab to scan myself in as usual at my gym. So it is working out for me, luckily.
 
I started medicare January 1st, with AARP UHC Supplemental Plan G. Their gym benefit is called Renew Active. I am signed up at two gyms now.
 
RandomName said:
Thanks for the response, Nathan.

Update: I called Fiton Health again, got a different person who had information for me, this time, that sounded positive, and made sense. I will get a debit card from Fiton with $88 per month that I can use to buy memberships at gyms. Good enough for me. No need to scurry about finding a new health insurance company.

Kind of annoying having to call around so much to get the answer, though.
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According to the several FitOn representatives I spoke with, the “debit card” can only be used at non network facilities. We belong to the YMCA which is a network facility so membership is covered using the “credits” but the remaining “credits”cannot be used for other classes at the gym. I’ve researched the FitOn credit use policy and the FitOn practice in my opinion doesn’t represent their own policy for credit use. For example, there are facilities that take credits for membership and also offer classes using additional credits. Very confusing program that is prevent member use of the “credits”.
 
JustAVet said:
According to the several FitOn representatives I spoke with, the “debit card” can only be used at non network facilities. We belong to the YMCA which is a network facility so membership is covered using the “credits” but the remaining “credits”cannot be used for other classes at the gym. I’ve researched the FitOn credit use policy and the FitOn practice in my opinion doesn’t represent their own policy for credit use. For example, there are facilities that take credits for membership and also offer classes using additional credits. Very confusing program that is prevent member use of the “credits”.
Click to expand...

Interesting. I was supposed to get this 'card' in the mail, but still have not received it. I suppose I don't need it (yet) since FitOn bridged from my 2024 Silver Sneakers plan at YMCA into my 2025 YMCA membership, and I can still do everything I want, which is pickleball and weight / machine room, showers, lockers (still haven't had a shower there).
 
We were at our regular fitness center and chatting with the ladies at the desk, and they said that Humana had also dropped Silver Sneakers this year. They apparently didn’t let people know that it was being dropped, and they got a shock when they came to the fitness center and found their membership was cancelled.
We had considered going back to Humana from Devoted Health to have our old doctor, so now we are both really thankful that we didn’t do that.
It turned out that the new doctor we have is working out better anyway, so it was the best choice all around.
 

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