Plenty of active seniors
are mighty mad about the end of SilverSneakers
by Judith Graham /
Kaiser Health News | December 6, 2018
John Garland Graves
was taken aback when he walked into his McKinleyville, Calif., gym in October
and learned that his SilverSneakers membership was being canceled.
Since 2014, Graves,
69, has enjoyed free access to the gym through SilverSneakers, the nation’s
best-known fitness program for seniors. He was disturbed by the news, as are
many other people who have recently learned they’re losing this benefit.
A controversial
business decision by UnitedHealthcare, the nation’s largest health insurance
carrier, is causing the disruption.
As of Jan. 1, the
company is dropping SilverSneakers—an optional benefit—for 1.2 million
customers with Medicare Advantage plans in 11 states (California, Connecticut,
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina,
and Utah) as well as 1.3 million customers with Medicare supplemental (Medigap)
insurance in nine states (Arizona, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana,
North Carolina, Ohio, Utah, and Wisconsin).
Graves, who works out
four to five days a week and has a UnitedHealthcare Medigap policy, decided to
seek coverage elsewhere after the company raised his policy’s rates and
eliminated SilverSneakers in California. He has signed up for a new policy with
Blue Shield of California.
Starting next year,
UnitedHealthcare will offer members a package of fitness and wellness benefits
instead of paying to use SilverSneakers — a move that will give the company
more control over its benefits and may save it money.
Seniors with
UnitedHealthcare Medicare supplemental policies will get 50% off memberships at
thousands of gyms across the country, telephone access to wellness coaches, and
access to various online communities and health-related resources.
UnitedHealthcare will offer members a
package of fitness and wellness benefits instead of paying to use
SilverSneakers.
Those with Medicare
Advantage policies can join Renew Active, UnitedHealthcare’s fitness program,
with a network of more than 7,000 sites, at no cost, and qualify for an
evaluation from a personal trainer and an online brain-training program, among
other services.
Steve Warner, who
leads UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare Advantage product team, explained the
company’s move by noting that over 90% of policyholders who are eligible for
SilverSneakers “never step foot in a gym” or use this benefit.
UnitedHealthcare wants
to reach “a broader portion of our membership” with a “wider variety of fitness
resources,” he said, noting that the company’s shift away from SilverSneakers
began last year and has accelerated this year.
(Altogether, more
than 5 million customers have been affected. But the company is making
market-by-market decisions, and nearly 675,000 UnitedHealthcare Medigap
policyholders and 1.9 million UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plan members
will retain access to SilverSneakers in 2019.)
“I think it’s a smart
move,” said Connie Holt, an independent broker with Goldsum Insurance Solutions
of Pleasant Hill, Calif.
But many of the
company’s customers aren’t happy that SilverSneakers, which offers group
classes tailored to seniors in addition to gym access at 15,000 sites, is
disappearing. And confusion about alternatives is widespread.
It’s one of the “top
topics” that seniors have been raising over the past few months when they call
Ohio’s Senior Health Insurance Information Program, said Chris Reeg, the OSHIIP
program director.
Many
of the company’s customers aren’t happy that SilverSneakers is disappearing.
And confusion about alternatives is widespread.
Michael Chanak Jr.,
69, of Wadsworth, Ohio, had problems getting through to UnitedHealthcare’s
customer relations department several times when he called with questions — a
common complaint. “The way this is being implemented is a train wreck,” said
Chanak, who has a UnitedHealthcare Medicare supplemental policy and spends an
hour every day exercising at his gym.
People are “extremely
upset,” wrote Margaret Lee of Arroyo Grande, Calif., in an email. “That’s about
the only topic of conversation at my water exercise class!”
AARP has also become
a target of anger because it endorses UnitedHealthcare’s Medigap and Medicare
Advantage insurance policies—an arrangement that yields substantial royalties
for the organization.
In an email, Mark
Bagley, a spokesman for the organization, said, “UHC [UnitedHealthcare], not
AARP, operates these plans and determines the benefits.”
“I will be dropping
my AARP membership when it is time to renew,” wrote Shelley Holbrook, 67, of
Yorba Linda, Calif., a UnitedHealthcare Medigap policyholder, in an email
exchange about the loss of SilverSneakers. “I am a Parkinson’s patient who has
been prescribed this type of exercise program,” she explained.
“This program is
under the guidance of certified instructors that make sure the exercise
routines are performed correctly. … An ordinary gym membership provides no
instruction on how to use the equipment safely for seniors.”
“A health coach is
not what I need,” Holbrook continued. “I have used the health coaches before,
and have found them to be totally worthless.”
Recent research suggests that
SilverSneakers may help reduce isolation and loneliness in seniors who go to
classes and form new relationships.
For policyholders
like Holbrook, the situation is complicated by another factor: Federal laws
don’t ensure that seniors can switch Medicare supplemental insurance plans
without undergoing new medical evaluations after an initial “guarantee issue”
period. (This period occurs six months following a person’s enrollment in
Medicare. Changes are allowed under a few specific circumstances and by laws in
a few states.)
If seniors can meet
medical standards, they’ll find SilverSneakers available from other insurance
operators. In 2019, Tivity Health is offering the program through more than 65
health plans covering more than 15 million older adults and introducing a new
digital platform that emphasizes its social benefits: SilverSneakers Connect.
“There are people
we’ve learned who are alone but don’t want to go to the gym,” and the new
platform can help them connect with each other as well as activities in their
communities, said Donato Tramuto, Tivity Health’s CEO. Recent research suggests
that SilverSneakers may help reduce isolation and loneliness in seniors who go
to classes and form new relationships, he noted.
Whether
UnitedHealthcare’s health plans will be less appealing because of the shift
away from SilverSneakers is yet to be determined. Several years ago, Humana,
another giant insurer, also began reducing the number of plans that offered
SilverSneakers, but it faced a backlash from members and sales representatives.
“The membership perceives [SilverSneakers] as a valuable benefit despite the
fact that not everyone uses it,” said George Renaudin, Humana’s senior vice
president of Medicare.
Humana subsequently
reversed course and is now making SilverSneakers broadly available to about 3.5
million Medicare Advantage and Medigap policyholders.
Ray Liss, who retired
seven years ago, just changed over from UnitedHealthcare to a Humana Medicare
supplemental policy with his wife. The loss of SilverSneakers precipitated the
switch, which has an unexpected benefit: The couple will save almost $60 a
month next year on their new policy.
In an email, Liss,
who declined to say where he lives, was philosophical about the value of
exploring his options, writing, “I was pretty mad at the time, but it worked
out for the best.”
Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit
news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program
of the Kaiser Family Foundation, which is not affiliated with Kaiser
Permanente.
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