How Many Physicians Have Opted Out of the Medicare Program? | KFF has some information on the percentage of physicians who have opted out of Medicare.
My AARP UHC pays for a gym membership but that doesn’t include aqua classes which is all I do since the President’s Physical Fitness Test convinced me 60 years ago that nothing good ever happens in a gym. So I pay $5/water class and skip the membership.
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The price difference with vs without the gym membership (traditional Medicare , plan g) is very small for us, fortunately. We use the gym. We have a very inexpensive membership to our local club, but adding it to the Humana (traditional) would actually save us a few $ and, more importantly, gives us access to gyms when we visit our kids across country. It was only a minor price difference and for as inexpensive as our current membership is, we may keep it too. Will figure it all out when it arrives. Am currently looking at dental options. Most are not that good and are not cheap.
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When I had Aetna in 2024, it included silver sneakers. I switched to UHC/AARP and it switched to Renew Active. Took 2 minutes to change it at the YMCA and there is no difference in the memberships. I can use any Y as it is a regular Y membership. I can join many other gyms or rec centers too. It is one of my favorite benefits. In Denver seniors (62+) get a free membership at the city rec centers or can use silver sneakers/renew active.
The class I take the most often is called Silver Sneakers, a general exercise class with weights, stretch bands, balls, and chairs you can sit in or use for balance. Anyone can attend, and while most are over 65, there are a few younger people in each class. They are the most popular classes at the Y, always full.
I think the only difference may be that there is Silver Sneakers online that you can sign up for with a Silver Sneakers membership and that might not be available with Active Renew.
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Individual dental insurance seems unlikely to be a good deal, since dental insurance in general is more like prepaid dental care than insurance against catastrophic costs (due to low limits). Mostly, dental insurance is a way for employers to give a benefit to employees.
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Dental insurance is not like life or health insurance, but more like a pot of money the members agree to use, and so limit the amount anyone can use to usually $2000 or so per person, per year.
I have found the biggest benefit is the negotiated prices with participating dentists. Without using a preferred provider, my root canal would have cost about $5000. Instead it cost me about $1000 plus all my yearly benefit.
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Those programs with gyms come and go and are subject to change so don’t get too comfortable. Ours changed to YMCA membership (yea!) from a gym membership.
I didn’t think we had any gym membership at all available so it took a bit of sleuthing.
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H and I both have AARP/UHC part G. It comes with a Dentegra dental discount benefit. We both had to change dentists to take advantage of it, but found a good practice close by.
He also finds Renew Active offers the same things as the Silver Sneakers program that he had before, plus more.
I learned about AARP/UHC here on CC when I was researching my Medicare enrollment about this time last year. H was close enough to his birthday that the window hadn’t shut on him to switch his G so he moved over to it too. We both used (different) brokers to enroll, but I also did research on my own. Our experience is that brokers have their “go-to” plans, so it’s important to do your own due diligence.
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My husband used a broker to compare and ended up wtih AARP/UHC (plan G). I’ve noticed a number of our friends also have same. So I imagine it’s a pretty popular choice. It’s not the cheapest, but he felt it offered the best value for his situation.
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I asked four gym class friends and it was split. 2 have United Health Care advantage plans. (I kept my opinion to myself). The other two have Anthem Blue Cross traditional plans. All four get their YMCA membership covered. It’s not a make or break for me but if I can save a bit I’m happy.
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For the record, I just mentioned the gym membership thing as a food for thought. We’ve all been the victim of what seems like the nice shiny deal/buy! I feel like the gym membership thing is the talk of so many 65+ people I talk to. It CAN be great. But also depending on the prices/comparisons, etc. having dental insurance IS probably great!
If you can get all of it for a price you’re happy with, go for it!
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Same here. H and I are wildly different on healthcare needs. He is very high maintenance with many specialists and big preexisting conditions. Yet he’s the most proactive on his health as anyone I know. The gym memberships are important to him, as are multiple visits to specialists.
I probably qualify as a couch potato. Get a physical once a year, never get sick, and only Rx is a low-dose blood pressure med. Really been meaning to go to the gym though…
Anyway, AARP/UHC Plan G was the best for both of us. It was important to be able to keep our (different) PCPs, and all of H’s specialists.
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I don’t know if it’s still the case but in the past my YMCA limited the number of “silver sneakers” members.
My agent got back to me and the Blue Shield and Blue Cross plans are identical in my area. Same providers and same costs. So a toss up which one to go with. I’ve been with Blue Shield the last five years so I’m going to stick with them. The plus plan doesn’t seem worth the extra.
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I’m now looking online at pharmacy plans. I’m not seeing why one plan is as low as 1.80 a month and another over $200 with lots of plans in between.
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The same insurer can offer much different rates in other states, or even in different zones within a state. UHC/AARP is a good price in my state/my area. It’s a lot more expensive in my SIL’s state/area. That’s why it’s hard to compare with others if you’re not in the same area.
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I see on my Blue Shield application that if a spouse also enrolls you get a 7% savings.
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I think they used to limit the reimbursement to the Y at 10 classes/visits a month but now it is just a flat fee reimbursement. In the morning, it is almost all old people with free memberships (at least from my unofficial count). The big classes are silver sneakers and water aerobics. At noon the old folks clear out and moms and tots come to swim, and after about 4 pm it is the after work crowd. Some cross over, of course. Day care is open in the morning and then again at 4 pm.
I think it is the free senior memberships that bring in a lot of the money to our Y. Set up 50 chairs in the gym and get a reimbursement from the health insurance companies for holding a class.
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We had the free Silver Sneakers, but they evidently didn’t reimburse well in our area. So we got a spending card from our BCBS Medicare supplement, and it pays the monthly fee for our swim and gym place. There are periods where I have used the place regularly. DH and I have been doing a lot of regular walking, and DH does more distance - about 30 miles/week and some of it running.
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For lurkers, again this thread is mostly focused on traditional Medicare but in my experience Medicare Advantage has worked out really well and simplifies things. Mine is Massachusetts BC/BS PPO and covers medical, dental, vision, hearing, money for gym and a flex card for $700. It has also offered appointments at home with lab and imaging, since I have more than 5 chronic conditions.
More than half of eligible Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Advantage in 2024
In 2024, more than half (54%) of eligible Medicare beneficiaries – 32.8 million people out of 61.2 million Medicare beneficiaries with both Medicare Parts A and B – are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans. Medicare Advantage enrollment as a share of the eligible Medicare population has jumped from 19% in 2007 to 54% in 2024 (Figure 1).
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We have had both Silver Sneakers and ReNew Active. Both have been fine, and can cover multiple gym or Y memberships. In the spring, DH joined the Y where DS lives so he could swim or cycle every morning. No problem.
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