What Health Insurance pays for Gym Membership?

We are constantly striving to get healthier and live a fitter and disease-free life. From Pilates to Yoga, running and dieting, there are numerous ways people take on to make sure that they are on top of their health game, stay fit and whatnot. Gym membership is one of these many ways to stay fit and probably one of the most popular ones out of them all as well. But gym memberships can be quite expensive, given the expensive equipment and trained professionals working at these fitness centres. Health insurance plans these days offer bountiful value-added benefits including health camps, mental health seminars, etc. So, it is natural to wonder if health insurance gym membership plans are also a reality since gym sessions are a way to promote good health and lifestyle.

Do Health Insurance Plans Cover Gym Membership?

Wonderful for all, many health insurance plans do offer gym membership as an added benefit of the plan. Health insurance gym membership is one of many value-added services and benefits that comprehensive health insurance plans may offer. It can be considered a part of the health management benefits offered by health insurance companies as well. The reason for these benefits is to keep the clients healthy in advance so that the risk of huge health insurance claims is reduced over the long run. Depending on the situation, these value-added services benefit both the insurance companies and the policyholders.

What Health Insurance Pays for Gym Membership?

Value-added benefits are not something every health insurance plan would come with. There are some special kinds of plans only that provide such services on top of your basic health insurance-related benefits. You can expect to find health insurance gym membership coverage either in highly comprehensive plans or plans that come with very high net worth and assured sum. Whatever the case, the only way to make sure that your health insurance plan covers gym membership is by reading the terms and conditions of the plan carefully or by enquiring about the benefit directly with the provider/aggregator.

Is Gym Membership Benefit Subject to Limits and Sub-Limits?

Just like any other value-added service or benefit offered by health insurance plans, health insurance gym membership coverage is also subjected to sub-limits and combined limits. Depending on the plan, you may get a monthly limit on the cover that your plan offers or it can be a yearly limit as well. As evident, you will have to check the coverage limits of the plan to get a realistic picture of your health insurance gym membership cover.

Some Special Cases to Consider

One thing that you need to remember when buying health insurance gym membership plans is that there can be a few special cases where the plan offer coverage for a gym membership and not as a general benefit. Given below is a list of those potential special circumstances:

Referred by A Doctor

Many people who are seeking chiropractic treatments or going through rehabilitation therapy after a bodily injury are prescribed by the doctor to take gym sessions to gain more strength in muscles. There is a chance that your health insurance gym membership cover only begins when you have a reference letter from a doctor for the membership. Make sure you check whether your plan comes with this condition.  

Franchise-Specific Cover

Some insurance companies have tie-up with special gyms or fitness center franchises. If your insurance company is one such entity, there is a possibility that you will get the health insurance gym membership cover only if you get a membership at the partner franchise of the insurance company. It is quite similar to credit value-added benefits where you get discounts or cashback at only certain outlets or companies.

Certified Trainer Cover

Insurance companies often work with certified personal trainers as well and provide health insurance gym membership covers only if you are getting training from these specialized trainers. See if your insurance company has a similar kind of arrangement with a personal trainer.

What Kind of Claims Can You Get?

• Stipends or Reimbursements: This is one of the best possible scenarios when it comes to health insurance gym membership covers. This arrangement will have the insurance companies either give you full reimbursement for your monthly gym fee. If not that, you may get a stipend for the gym fee as well. You can use this stipend to pay for the membership. There can be some upper limit set for the stipend though.
• Membership Discounts: Some insurance companies offer a discount on the total membership fee for the gym. This particular arrangement does not cover the complete fee for the membership and only lets you get a discount with the help of your health insurance card and the plan.
• Referral Discounts: These discounts are given to people who are joining the gym when prescribed by a doctor. You will have to have a formal prescription verified by the insurance company to redeem this type of benefit.
• Senior Citizen Discounts and Deals: As evident by the name, these discounts and benefits are only offered to senior citizens when they join a fitness centre or gym. The way to redeem such benefits can depend on the unique arrangement of your health insurance gym membership plan though. It can be offered as a stipend, reimbursement or just a simple discount on the total fee of the gym.
• Expense Cover for Equipment: Some insurance plans just go ahead and offer reimbursement for gym equipment for home gyms. This is the least common type of cover you will find in the category of health insurance gym membership plans. But there is still a possibility that you may.

Final Thoughts

However uncommon, it is very much possible to find a health insurance plan which offers you gym membership cover as an added benefit. You may have to pay a little extra for this cover or it may come as a complimentary service like health and wellness camps arranged by insurance companies for their customers. So, make sure that you read the fine print of the policy and understand everything before diving into the purchasing formalities and choose the best health insurance in Dubai.