SilverSneakers Medicare Review

Pros Explained

• Free fitness benefits for members of participating Medicare insurance plans: SilverSneakers is free to consumers. Participating Medicare health insurers pay the fees for consumers to access the benefits.
• Partners with more than 15,000 gyms and other facilities nationwide: Large network of gyms and other community settings where members can access fitness facilities and classes.
• Offers on-demand and live online classes: Not everyone can safely get to the gym for in-person fitness classes, so SilverSneakers offers on-demand and live fitness classes online—a great alternative that lets members stay fit from home.

Cons Explained

• Only available through Medicare insurance plans: SilverSneakers is a perk for members of participating health plans. It’s not available to the general public, so if you just want a fitness program, you have to look elsewhere.

Available Plans

SilverSneakers doesn’t offer Medicare insurance plans, but it partners with many Medicare plans who offer SilverSneakers as a free extra benefit for members. SilverSneakers offers on-demand and live online courses, a fitness app, and in-person fitness classes.

Customer Service

Members can call 866-584-7389, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST. Members can also request an email via an online form.

Customer Satisfaction 

SilverSneakers reports a 94% customer satisfaction rate and a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 83. NPS is a standard measure of customer satisfaction used across industries. Typically, a nine or 10 out of 10 represents customers who are so satisfied they will promote the business. SilverSneakers’ NPS score suggests customers are satisfied even if they aren’t likely to be evangelists for the company.

Third-Party Ratings

There aren't any reviews for SilverSneaker by itself, but the Better Business Bureau page for Tivity Health includes reviews for SilverSneakers' services. Consumers who believed they were eligible for gym membership through SilverSneakers canceled their existing gym memberships, only to find out they did not meet SilverSneakers’ age eligibility requirements. Tivity Health has responded to the complaints, promising to review its enrollment processes, add monitoring to ensure accurate eligibility, and update its customer service training.

Cost

SilverSneakers is free to members of participating Medicare insurance plans.

Competition: SilverSneakers vs. UnitedHealthcare

If you’re looking for a Medicare insurance plan, you can’t choose SilverSneakers. But there’s a good chance the plan you choose will give you access to SilverSneakers as a free extra benefit. For Medicare insurance coverage, consider UnitedHealthcare, the insurer with the largest share of Medicare Advantage members. UnitedHealthcare offers a range of Medicare Advantage and supplemental plans and scores well on the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Star Ratings (CMS) quality measures. Many Medicare plans will get you access to SilverSneakers benefits, but as the market leader, UnitedHealthcare is a good all-around option for its range of available plans and extra benefits.

Final Verdict

SilverSneakers is a popular fitness program designed for people 65 and older. It’s available to millions of Medicare health plan members at no charge. The company has added online options, both live and on-demand, as in-person gym activity dipped during the pandemic. Its partners are most of the largest Medicare Advantage insurers in the country, and its coverage is nationwide. To stay fit and healthy, SilverSneakers is a great option for Medicare members.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is SilverSneakers still covered by Medicare?

Yes, SilverSneakers is included as an extra benefit for some Medicare members. However, it is not included in all Medicare plans. There are also eligibility requirements, such as age restrictions, that can affect whether the program is available to you.

Why did UnitedHealthcare drop SilverSneakers?

UnitedHealthcare dropped SilverSneakers in order to start its own fitness program. The program is called Renew Active and incorporates both physical and brain health into its activities.

What are the advantages to SilverSneakers?

SilverSneakers offers some Medicare members access to at-home or in-person fitness. The program offers classes at more than 15,000 facilities and gyms around the world. For those who can't make it to the gym, live and on-demand online classes allow members to stay fit at home.

Does Medicare automatically include SilverSneakers?

SilverSneakers is available with many Medicare plans but is not automatically included with all of them. If access to SilverSneakers is important to you, it is definitely worthwhile to check which plans offer it before committing to one.

Methodology

Even Medicare health plans with a national presence can vary locally in cost, quality, and customer satisfaction. To evaluate Medicare plans, we looked at health insurance industry ratings from the primary accrediting agency for health plans, the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), and the Medicare Star Ratings from CMS, the regulatory agency that oversees Medicare. We included the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ complaint index and AM Best’s financial stability ratings. We also considered information from the companies on their programs and strategies.