ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Silver Sneakers program has been covering the cost of YMCA memberships for seniors on certain Medicare Advantage plans for years but come January 1, 2026, that will end.
Inez Burns, a Silver Sneakers member says the program means a lot to her and her senior friends. “It’s the friends you meet, you go to peoples’ weddings and birthdays and you give each other gifts at Christmas, it’s a whole lot that goes on in the program, It’s more than just going to work out,” Burns says.
But as News10NBC Investigative Reporter Jennifer Lewke first reported last week, a dispute over reimbursement rates has the YMCA dropping Silver Sneakers in 2026. Those members will either have to find another gym in the Silver Sneakers network or pay a monthly membership fee to stay at the YMCA. “So, you want me to pay an extra $50 a month to keep myself healthy when it should be free because a healthy community is the best community to be in,” Burns says…