Health insurance benefits for fitness apps, can they cover app subscriptions?

Did you know that you can make use of health insurance benefits for fitness apps? You may be able to have the cost of your fitness app subscription covered by your work or personal health insurance policy. The health insurance industry recognizes the importance of personal health and well-being and some companies give you credits towards fitness app costs such as an asensei membership.  Health insurers may also cover gym memberships or the cost of fitness equipment so read on to find out if you are one of the lucky ones.

What are Personal Spending Accounts?

Personal Spending Accounts (PSA) are an enhanced and modern health insurance benefit often used by employers as a competitive advantage to help attract and retain talent.  They give employees money to spend on health and wellness in a less constrained way than a traditional health insurance plan.

PSAs are funds made available to corporate health insurance plan members. The employer chooses what expenses are eligible for the employee to claim. Employers can use the PSA to help employees proactively manage their health by reimbursing a wide range of products and services such as gym memberships, exercise/sports equipment or weight-loss programs. PSA claims are treated as taxable income for employees and are not a business deduction for employers.”

Some asensei members have already successfully applied their PSA credits towards asensei subscription costs.  For example, in Canada, the insurance giant Sunlife provides members with a ‘Personal Spending Account’ which can be applied to fitness apps like asensei.

“PSA use focuses around fitness-related services, such as gym memberships, personal training, and fitness equipment. Since employers can choose what is covered under a PSA, they have the potential to incent many kinds of healthy behaviours to align with the needs and preferences of their employees as well as their own organizational goals or health and wellness programs.” - [Sunlife]

Possible Health Insurance Providers for Fitness Apps in the USA

There are a number of Health Insurance Companies in the USA that may provide benefits towards your asensei membership, you will need to check your particular plan for details.  If you have a policy with one of the following firms you should check details to see if you are eligible:

• United Health
• Kaiser
• Anthem
• Humana

Possible Health Insurance Providers for Fitness Apps in the United Kingdom

There are a number of Health Insurance Companies in the United Kingdom who may provide benefits that can be used towards your asensei membership, you will need to check your particular plan for details.  If you have a plan with one of the following firms you should check your policy details to see if you are eligible:

• Bupa
• Aviva
• AXA PPP
• WPA

Possible Health Insurance Providers for Fitness Apps in Canada

There are a number of Health Insurance Companies in Canada who may provide benefits that can be used towards your asensei membership, you will need to check your particular plan for details.  If you have a plan with one of the following firms you should check your policy details to see if you are eligible:

• SUNLIFE
• GREAT WEST LIFE
• Manulife

Possible Health Insurance Providers for Fitness Apps in Australia

There are a number of Health Insurance Companies in Australia who may provide benefits that can be used towards your asensei membership, you will need to check your particular plan for details.  If you have a plan with one of the following firms you should check your policy details to see if you are eligible:

• Medibank
• HCF
• nib
• Australian Unity

Summary: What to do next?

Health insurance plans with a flexible spending account covering fitness app costs are not universal by any means but having a careful check of your terms and conditions doesn’t hurt and could result in a pleasant surprise. Check with your health insurance provider and find out if you have benefits that can reimburse your fitness app costs. If they don't cover the app costs themselves they may cover the cost of fitness equipment such as rowing machines or treadmills, or even gym memberships. 

How do I check if my Health Insurance benefits include fitness apps?

The first thing to do is to dig our your policy documentation.  This may be in paper form, or increasingly acccessed online via a web portal.  Have a look through the document and see if fitness, personal training or apps are covered.  Health Insurance policies can be lengthy and difficult to understand and the wording may be vague.  If you are unsure then get in contact with your insurer and ask.  It may be that some fitness apps are covered under a generic term like 'personal training'.

Share your experience with your Health Insurance provider and help others

If you have been successful in claiming expenses such as fitness apps like asensei through your health insurance provider, let us know via support@asensei.com so we can share with other app users and help them to benefit too!

FAQs

Do health insurance companies cover the cost of gym membership?

Regularly going to the gym can be a great way to stay in great physical and mental shape. However, it may be difficult to find a membership at an affordable price. Many insurance policies have health insurance benefits for gym and fitness memberships and will reimburse costs, so it is a great idea for you to look into your current provider.

A few ways your healthcare provider may cover costs for your gym membership are:

1. Reimbursement

2. Stipends

3. Gym membership discounts

Many healthcare providers have partnered with gym and fitness institutions to provide benefits for their members. For example, in the United States, healthcare provider, United Health, has started the Renew Active program giving its members complimentary memberships to participating locations and in the UK Vitality offers discounts on gym memberships.

Do health insurance companies cover the cost of home exercise equipment?

Although less common, there may be a chance that your healthcare provider will expense your home exercise equipment like rowing machines, cardio equipment, dumbbells, and suspension trainers. As mentioned previously, SunLife Insurance in Canada provides members with a Personal Spending Account which allows members to use their credit towards fitness equipment at home. Carefully read through your policy to see if this can apply to you!

Why do health insurance companies pay for fitness?

Healthy members mean less cost for health insurance companies later down the road. Staying in good physical shape will lower the risks of diseases and injuries of substantial costs for both the insurance companies and you. In the end, it’s a win-win for the provider and you to stay in good physical condition.

My insurance company doesn’t cover fitness, what should I do?

If your healthcare provider doesn’t cover your fitness costs you can look at alternatives to get in good physical condition. Running, cycling, walking, yoga, and follow-along workouts at home can get in in better shape than you might think. Subscribe to asensei’s Youtube channel and follow 4x Olympian Eric Murray each as he takes you on a free indoor rowing workout each week.

Tight on budget but want to try something new? asensei has free workouts available to you right away when you download the app. Give it a try!

Download asensei for Free

Rowing is better in the asensei app. You will have all the key stats displayed on screen during your session, you will have asensei set you personalized goals, you won't need to program the machine or take note of your results, asensei does it all.

The app also features a curated selection of livestream workouts, with personalised goal setting and tracking in the (RE)LIVE program.