AARP/UHC Renew Active change for 2025

[js22]

I was told by The Exercise Coach this morning that AARP/UHC has removed them as a gym for Renew Active for 2025.

I have looked online at Medicare.gov  as well as the AARP/UHC Plan G for 2025 but not seeing anything that specifies that there will be changes for 2025, other than premium.

I called AARP/UHC customer service and was assured that The Exercise Coach  was still an available gym for me for 2025.

I found a YouTube video that talks about 2025 changes to renew active. He read a letter that UHC sent to a renew active member over 2 weeks ago. What it stated was that gyms listed as premium locations will no longer be part of Renew Active. The YouTube video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gEIIHEES70 about the 3:39 time mark. He did do a follow up video that indicated that removal of premium gyms was location based.

I have not received any communication from AARP/UHC about this. I emailed them to ask if it is true that premium gyms are being dropped and how do we know what locations are keeping premium gyms for Renew Active.

[m186939a]

I have used the Y for 7 years since I found out AARP UNH covered the gym with Renew. I am very upset the Y has been dropped. I have made many good friends and they have helped me stay active. I heard by word of mouth that the Y was dropped for 2025. Now I have to find a gym that includes the classes and workouts I have been doing. It's really sad insurance companies do not work with people to do preventive care which would help cut cost for them and for their clients.

[LisaT742060]

I was going to sign up for United healthcare now due to losing EXERCISE COACH. I will go elsewhere. I am so mad.

[DavidG962812]

My wife & I both received the letter from UHC stating that "Premium" gyms would no longer be covered under our Advantage Plan for 2025. So, I had a Chat with a UHC rep who assured me that our Premium gym (Lifetime Fitness) was covered for 2025. Then I received an email from Lifetime stating the UHC was dropping them from our coverage for 2025. Well, I called UHC and was told that Lifetime was correct and UHC was not covering their membership for 2025. I asked why the 2025 Plan description on UHC's website stilled showed Lifetime as a covered gym? The answer was, UHC has not updated their website yet, but it would be corrected sometime in early December. So, PEOPLE WHO SIGN UP FOR A 2025 UHC ADVANTAGE PLAN DURING THE ENROLEMENT PERIOD WON'T FIND OUT "PREMIUM GYMS" ARE NOT COVERED UNTIL THE ENROLEMENT PERIOD ENDS. Good one UHC.

[JenniferG108816]

 I own StretchLab...shop other plans, they have premium coverage its called onepass/adaptiv through Optum. 

[PeggyA147789]

 A big problem is that there is only one week left of Open Enrollment. That’s not enough time to investigate all our alternative plan options. 

[LisaT742060]

Thanks for the guidance. I am going to be moving to Medicare in February so I was researching Medigap plans now.  I will talk more with my insurance broker

[CharlesC296805]

FYI, UHC is constantly trying to reach out to all gyms and health facilities to participate. It is locations like LIFETIME Fitness that decide to continue or not. This year, for example, LIFETIME Fitness decided to limit the access times for seniors at a large facility in the Twin Cities, MN. So call them to complain or the other facilities that tell you it is the insurance carrier that does this because that is incorrect. These are businesses that receive money from the carriers for a Basic membership to all of the facilities in the Renew Active program, so in essence, they begin to lose money when the Seniors that have that complimentary membership and are in there from preventing Premier paying members quality time or access, that's one of the reasons that Lifetime Fitness reduced the access times for Seniors.

[cc59308299]

The letter I received from Life Time puts the responsibility for the change on UHC: "UnitedHealthcare has decided to remove the ability to access Life Time from some of their Medicare Advantage plans as of the start of next year...The notice from UnitedHealthcare was not provided to Life Time prior to it being shared, nor were we provided details regarding which Medicare Advantage plan members are impacted by this change."  The letter goes on to advise us to contact our broker, explore other insurance providers, or consider a standard Life Time membership "independent of your insurance coverage."  Whatever, I was barely covered for a short while under my 2024 Advantage Plan since I'd just recently retired, and now I join the rest of you in the same boat.  Very frustrating.

[JenniferG108816]

 I own StretchLabs. UHC dropped us from Renew Active. We are devestated about their decision. Other plans still provide coverage - so do your research and vote with your dollars!  Kaiser permanente is one of the bigger ones, some BCBS, Physicians Mutual, etc.

[PeggyA147789]

 There is only one week left of open enrollment. That’s a lot of work!

[TRL1111]

If you have an Advantage plan, there's another open enrollment from January 1 - March 31.  If you have a supplement, open enrollment is no different from changing it at any other time of the year.

[DavidG962812]

I would agree if UHC was dropping only high end facilities but they have also dropped the YMCA, a not for profit organization. UHC has reduced their funding rates so much that only basic gyms with limited activities and facilities for seniors can afford to contract with them.

[GailL1]

@DavidG962812 

But even YMCA locations are clumped by area and thus work by areas.  Like this from the YMCA of Western North Carolina - this is dated 01/2023 - I do not know if this has been updated since then - they also may not take it now.  

Nothing is ever for sure unless it is included directly in the contract and not as a supplement to the contract.  That goes for both MA plans and Medigap plans.  

YMCA of Western North Carolina Medicare Advantage and Supplement Plan Partners Updated January 2023 

[KeithC724412]

Agree. UHC dropped the Y where I live in NC, and it is not a “premium” facility by any stretch of the imagination. When I asked folks at the Y they said nobody from UHC contacted the regional office to explain that they had been removed from the plan, otherwise they would have tried to work something out with them. I don’t get it?

[DavidG962812]

IHC Advantage plans are not only reducing funding for Renew gym access but other benefits also; eg: the $40/quarter OTC is gone. I get it, it’s a business and they are managing their costs. For me the reductions make other Medicare Advantage plan providers a better value. Eg:Silver Sneakers currently still includes Lifetime Fitness.

[CharlesC296805]

Where are you getting your information from?  CMS has reduced the funding for all carriers for 2025, therefore as part of the reduced funding, as an example, the OTC and many benefits have been reduced for many carriers, not just UHC. Just look online at all the carriers and their benefits to see the differences between this year and next year in 2025. 

[GailL1]

@CharlesC296805 

I think some of the plans being discussed in this tread are Medigap plans. And the Medigap insurer don’t get funding from Medicare.  This isn’t anything new - they did the same thing with Silver Sneakers a few years back.

Medicare supplemental plans that have such benefits as gym or exercise programs, dental / vision or most anything else outside of what the Feds say have to be covered in a Medigap plan and how mean very little because they are not contractual and can be canceled or changed at any time.  Read the disclosures.

[JillR908616]

The plans were are referring to are all Medicare Advantage plans which is different from medigap. 

[GailL1]

@JillR908616 

The initial post is from a beneficiary with a Medigap Plan G - there are others mixed into the this thread too and some didn’t specify.

I don’t know who did it or why - but am sure that it does have to do with money - UHC or gym

Nothing is ever for sure unless it is included directly in the contract and not as a supplement to the contract.  That goes for both MA plans and Medigap plans.  

[DavidG962812]

Agreed, but if the carrier's website has not been updated (eg: UHC Advantage plans still list Lifetime as included) then it's tough to know what you're signing up for. Also, in my initial communication with UHC via Chat I was told Lifetime was 'definitely" included for 2025 so I assume they were just reading the website data to me.

[JillR908616]

Agreed. UHC does not appear to know what they are doing. Everyone I’ve spoken with there, (and I escalated my complaint AND went through my plan that pays them, which is Calpers) didn’t know anything about the change. They were just sympathetic and told me to submit a grievance. Doesn’t instill much faith in this company. 

[GailL1]

The “Gottcha’ phenomenon 

I’m not involved in this so what happens if you have this type of extra benefit and then for some reason you can no longer access the benefit - do they drop your premiums ?

I think for extra stuff like this and other lost leader type benefits, people would be better off getting it on their own and not worry about what a health insurer is gonna be doing.  

ESPECIALLY if it is connected to a Medigap plan which is not so easily switched in many states.  Might be ok for a MA plan cause you can pick a new one of those every year during AEP. 

[TRL1111]

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@GailL1 wrote:

I think for extra stuff like this and other lost leader type benefits, people would be better off getting it on their own and not worry about what a health insurer is gonna be doing.  

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Just as a data point, I travel fulltime and Renew Active allows me to go to gyms all over the country.  If I didn't have it, I would have to pay the drop-in rate wherever I went, and that's a definite disincentive.  (And I did occasionally pay the drop-in rate before I went on Medicare, but since I was shelling out actual money, I had to think about whether this unknown yoga class at a YMCA I've never been to would be worth the money.)

So Renew Active has been a fantastic benefit for me, and it's the reason I chose the AARP/UHC supplement over any other.  Maybe other supplements have a gym benefit, but when I was getting mine at age 65, AARP/UHC was the only one that obviously had one.  I was actually kind of grateful because it made my choice easy.

Interestingly, I've compared premiums for Plan G and Plan G with wellness benefits for different age groups, and sometimes for really old people, the Plan G with wellness benefits is cheaper than the regular Plan G.  Poking around like that has taught me that it's impossible to understand supplement pricing at any sort of specific level.  I'm resigned to the fact that my supplement will cost more every year, as my age-related discount goes down and healthcare costs go up.  It's just math.

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@GailL1 wrote:

  ESPECIALLY if it is connected to a Medigap plan which is not so easily switched in many states.  Might be ok for a MA plan cause you can pick a new one of those every year during AEP. 

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I disagree with you there.  I think picking an Advantage plan based on the gym benefit is a terrible idea, because there are so many other variables with Advantage plans, and I'm not talking only about how much this plan's grocery benefit is compared to another plan's.  Provider networks are vitally important in Advantage plans, the drug formulary (and drug coverage) matters a great deal, copays and coinsurance matter, the out-of-pocket max could very well come into play, and the coverage for the "extras" does vary among plans.

At least with a supplement, everything is the same except for the gym benefit.  Getting a supplement with a gym benefit may or may not turn out to be a good idea, but at least your choice has no impact on any of your actual healthcare, unlike with an Advantage plan.

[CBtoo]

Nope they don't drop your premiums that I can tell.

The catch with AARP UHC medigaps is that originally they only had the extra "free" benefits and no version without them. Then, at least in my state, in June 2023 they started offering a G without those allegedly "free" extras. The premium was far less. So much for "free".

As you already mentioned, the catch with switching for many is medical underwriting. I, for example, would have signed up for the G without extras were that a choice back when I signed up (I wanted community rated so this was my only choice in this state so I had to choose to "deal with it"). Now it is questionable if I'd pass medical underwriting (am going to try because finally misdiagnoses have been cleared up) to be able to switch so I am paying about $840/year more for those so called free but now diminishing choices within those extras. 

[TRL1111]

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@CBtoo wrote:

Nope they don't drop your premiums that I can tell.

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Looked at another way, it could be that by dropping a benefit they don't have to raise your premium.  I'm pretty sure that's what's happening with Advantage plans--the companies are dropping benefits as a way to keep that premium at $0.

[GailL1]

@CBtoo 

Some states have expanded when guaranteed issue rights can be accessed - so, check that out with your state’s Dept. of Insurance.  Or give me the state where you live and I will let you know if this right is available to you without underwriting.  

[CBtoo]

I know what the rules are in my state. If I am not GI I need to pass medical underwriting. No added state specific rules. I am not GI at this point in time. 

[LisaT742060]

How about Florida 

[GailL1]

@LisaT742060 

FLORIDA has only a few instances of expanded guaranteed issue rights.  One is to give disabled people access to at least (1) medigap plan and another if there is a situation for those over 65 with certain qualifying events - like if you lose your Medicaid benefits or changes were made to your retiree coverage.

This article also gives some good pointers of whether certain diseases won’t pass underwriting.

KFF.org 10/18/2024 -Medigap May Be Elusive for Medicare Beneficiaries with Pre-Existing Conditions 

If you go further down the article there is a color coded map of states with things that are special. 

Florida does have some extended GI rights but that is mostly for those that have been declared as disabled - Florida law does give them access to certain Medigap plans.  Florida had to do this because Federal law does not give those who are less than 65 on Medicare access to any Medigap plans.

• Thirty-five states require Medigap insurers to issue policies to Medicare beneficiaries ages 65 and older due to certain qualifying events, such as when an applicant has a change in their employer (retiree) coverage (29 states) or when beneficiaries lose their Medicaid eligibility (10 states).
• Thirty-six states require insurance companies to offer at least one kind of Medigap policy to Medicare beneficiaries under age 65 with disabilities during an initial open enrollment period, regardless of medical conditions.

• Ten states require Medigap insurers to issue policies when an applicant under age 65 has a change in their employer (retiree) coverage. These 10 states (CA, CO, FL, ID, IL, MN, MO, OR, TX, and VA) also offer guaranteed issue rights for applicants ages 65 and older who have a change in their employer (retiree) coverage. However, some states have more restrictive policies for people under age 65. For example, in Texas, this guaranteed issue right applies only for Medigap Plan A for people under age 65.

When Do People Seeking a Medigap Policy Have Guaranteed Issue Protections Under Federal Law?

Sorry, Florida is not a state with expanded GI rights that will help you to switch plans unless you want to try the one described in the chart -

This is called TRIAL RIGHTS:

You an drop a Medigap plan, pick up a MA plan, decide you want to go back to Trad. Medicare with a medigap policy and do so within a 12 month period.

See your situation in the chart under this heading:

When Do People Seeking a Medigap Policy Have Guaranteed Issue Protections Under Federal Law?

[TRL1111]

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@LisaT742060 wrote:

How about Florida 

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Seems to me if you live in Florida, you should know the answer to that.  Florida is one of the remaining holdouts on expanding Medicaid; it's unlikely they're going to expand guaranteed issue rights for supplements unless somebody makes them.