New discussion on Renew Active changes

[TRL1111]

The original thread has become unwieldy, and has outdated information in it, so I'm starting a new thread.

From the Renew Active location finder website:

Starting Jan. 1, 2025, Orangetheory Fitness, The Exercise Coach and Xponential Fitness brands including Club Pilates, CycleBar, StretchLab, Rumble, Pure Barre and YogaSix will no longer be in the Renew Active fitness network.

This applies to both Advantage members and people who have a Medicare supplement.  So nobody with Renew Active will have access to these gyms.

Advantage members have received letters from UHC stating that they will no longer have access to gyms identified as "premium" in Renew Active's network. 

Supplement holders have received no such notification concerning "premium" gyms.  UHC sent letters to supplement holders listing gyms they visited in the past that would no longer be available, and in my case the only gyms listed were among the ones listed as no longer being in the network at all starting 1-1-25 (Club Pilates, StretchLab, Orangetheory, in my case), and nothing about any of the premium gyms I belong to, and the word "premium" was not in my letter at all.

From that it can be inferred that supplement holders will still have access to premium locations, and one person has said their agent said supplement holders will still have access to premium locations.  But as far as I can tell, there's been no outright statement to that effect from UHC or Renew Active.

YMCAs have been mentioned in this discussion, because some are classified as "premium" and therefore not available to Advantage members after 1-1-25 (but presumably will be available to supplement holders). YMCAs operate independently when it comes to participation in programs like Renew Active or Silver Sneakers. So all along, some YMCAs have participated in Renew Active and some haven't, and some have participated but then dropped out (YMCA of Metropolitan Washington DC did that last year, for example).

But all indications are that only a small number of YMCAs are classified as "premium"--Charlotte, Houston, and Knoxville have been mentioned here. The vast majority that participate in Renew Active are not classified as "premium" and are therefore available to all Renew Active members--Advantage and supplement alike.

Something that's not discussed much, no doubt partly because it's so hard to get reliable information, is how much Renew Active pays the gyms. A while back, someone who worked for an Xponential brand location said they thought Renew Active paid a little less than the drop-in rate, and another person agreed. I found that hard to believe because the drop-in rate is about $35 per class, and they said they "thought" that's what it was. But more recently, an Xponential location employee said it was a little over $30, and then said they went back and double-checked to be sure, and confirmed it was a little over $30 per class.

Frankly, I can't believe they kept this up for as long as they did. We don't know whether Renew Active offered the dropped gyms to stay in the program if they'd accept a lower reimbursement, and we definitely don't know what Renew Active might have offered, but the $10 extra a month I pay for "wellness extras" with my UHC Plan G supplement obviously doesn't come anywhere near covering even one visit a month to an Xponential location. Shoot--even the whole premium, $150/month, is way less than they're shelling out for my gym visits alone, never mind any medical claims (although that's generally $0 because I've met my Part B deductible (after which UHC has to start paying my 20% of charges) only once, and even then, I barely met it). And while I enjoy all the gym visits I do, I'm under no delusion that my health would be markedly worse if I didn't have access to them.

So I'm not shocked they dropped the expensive gyms for everyone, and remain happy I have free access to my choice of a bunch of other ones.  And I'll note that by eliminating the Xponential and other expensive locations, the Renew Active network now resembles Silver Sneakers' network, and people seem pretty happy with that.

[TRL1111]

I got an email from a Club Pilates I belong to:  they'll waive the $149 enrollment fee and give me a 10% discount each month on any membership package.  Other locations have offered a discount on a 4-pack of classes only, so this is a different variation.

[TRL1111]

I got this from Orangetheory today:

"While your subsidized eligibility may be changing, we’re here to ensure you can continue achieving your goals in a way that works for you in 2025. 

To make your transition smooth and seamless, we're excited to offer you exclusive membership rates tailored just for you."

It doesn't detail the rates, and says to call your studio.  But it does say "Special 2025 Senior Discount (65+) membership rates with a free month*."  Of course there's no matching * below that explaining anything, but the fine print says it's good on premier or elite level memberships.  And the fine print says the offer is good from December 6, 2024, through January 31, 2025, although the email itself says to take advantage of the offer before December 31, 2024.

[TRL1111]

For those who are thinking about changing their Advantage plan or supplement to get away from Renew Active, the other two main gym benefit programs are Silver Sneakers and Silver & Fit.  Silver & Fit has a tiered system, where standard gyms are included but premium gyms cost more, but it's impossible to get information about the pricing on those.

Silver & Fit's version for people not on Medicare is called Active & Fit, and I could never find pricing for that, either.  But I used a link from an association I belong to that offers Active & Fit, and the provider finder DOES include pricing for premier gyms. 

I'm looking in the Denver area, and I see the following pricing for premium gyms for members of Active & Fit.  It's NOT the Medicare Silver & Fit, but maybe it gives an idea of what the pricing for Silver & Fit might be.  Or maybe not--who knows.  I had a feeling the advertised discount of "20-70% off" for premium gyms would be closer to 20% than 70%, and it looks like I was right.

All of these have a one-time enrollment fee of $28:

The Exercise Coach:  4 sessions a month for $114.

Club Pilates:  4 classes a month for $101.

StretchLab:  Four 25-minute stretches a month for $135.

Yoga Six:  4 classes a month for $63.

Pure Barre:  4 classes a month for $79.

As far as I know, Silver & Fit is the only one that offers access to these locations at all; Silver Sneakers never has, and Renew Active is dropping them on 1-1-25.

Edited to add:  I checked the Silver Sneakers provider locator, and the provider locators for both Active & Fit and Silver & Fit, and none of them appear to have the YMCAs in Charlotte or Houston.  The only program that has those YMCAs is Renew Active--at the premium level, which it appears supplements will have access, but Advantage members won't.

[d506305s]

I’m incredibly disappointed by this change.  The multi-gym membership offered through Renew Active was one of the primary reasons I selected UHC supplement.  The gyms that remain do not offer the same service as the various gyms that have been removed from the program.  It is making me reconsider my choice of Medicare supplement.

[TRL1111]

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@d506305s wrote:

The gyms that remain do not offer the same service as the various gyms that have been removed from the program.  It is making me reconsider my choice of Medicare supplement.

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I'm very disappointed, too.  But I calculated that UHC has spent $9,000 on Xponential location visits for me over the past 2-1/2 years.  And that doesn't include the YMCAs and rec centers I go to even more than I go to Xponential places. 

Knowing that Renew Active pays $30 per visit to the Xponential and similar gyms, how much of a premium increase would you be willing to pay in order to keep the benefit?  Insurance companies are not in the business of paying out more than they take in.

[GailL1]

@TRL1111 

Just remember that the benefits that are auxiliary and not part of the Federal statue of Medigap coverage always have a disclaimer.  It should be in your actual policy.  

The AARP/UHC Medicare Supplemental Plan (Medigap) site says:

These offers are only available to insured members covered under an AARP Medicare Supplement Plan from UnitedHealthcare. These are additional insured member services apart from the AARP Medicare Supplement Plan benefits, are not insurance programs, are subject to geographical availability and may be discontinued at any time. Certain offerings are provided by third parties not affiliated with UnitedHealthcare. None of these services are a substitute for the advice of a doctor or should be used for emergency or urgent care needs. In an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

Gym membership varies by plan and area. Access to gym and fitness location network may vary by location and plan.

Just double check with the facility which you are using and find out if they are still participating regardless if you have received any communication from the insurer.  

[SoulSurvivor61]

My fitness coverage is still intact on for 2025, but I am not happy with Vision coverage.. now it's  every 2 years instead of annually and they have the nerve to drop it from $250 to $200.  😡 

[TRL1111]

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@SoulSurvivor61 wrote:

My fitness coverage is still intact on for 2025,

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This discussion is about changes to the Renew Active gym benefit.  Are you saying that your plan doesn't have these changes?  "Premium" gyms are still available even though it's an Advantage plan, and Xponential gyms are still available even though they don't appear on the Renew Active list of gyms any more?