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Will health insurance pay for a gym membership?

I have been seeing a nutritionist as recommended by my dr. to help me get my weight under control, she is recommending that I get a gym membership and work out 4 days a week, However right now I cannot afford one and I didn't know if my health insurance would cover it if my doctor wrote them saying it was for medical purposes. BTW I have Humana National POS-Open Access Insurance!

Public Comments

1. Not likely. But you need to refer to the policy to see if they make an exception
2. Some insurers will pay, you have to look through your policy or contact them to see if yours does. However, you usually have to pay up front and be reimbursed later.
3. No. And you can exercise without a gym membership.
4. No, it won't. I'd suggest hitting the sidewalk, and walking/running four times a week, for a free workout.
5. ~~It depends on your policy and every policy is different. No one here can give you a correct answer (yes some insurance plans will pay for gyms (or have a special rate) but it depends on what your employer chooses. Never take the word of a provider or any one else when it comes to your personal health insurance plan. The only people who can give you correct answer is a rep for your insurance company. So look at the back of your card and call the toll free number and get it straight from them. If you don't get it from your insurance company, and find out what you were told is incorrect, you HAVE to pay for the mistake. So never take anyone else's answer on this, even providers!
6. I doubt it. When people have a health plan they are given contracts to describe what is covered. Read it or call customer service.
7. 1. Inside every YMCA, there is a gym that is include in the YMCA membership, which costs much less than a regular gym membership does. So if you need to be in a gym and cannot afford a gym membership, get a YMCA membership and use the gym at the YMCA. This costs less, and you also get whatever else the YMCA offers. 2. What you need to do for "medical purposes" is to "work out 4 days a week". There is no medical purpose to doing it in a gym, as opposed to any number of other places. For example: If you need to run, run on the sidewalk, or run in circles on the floor of your home, instead of running on a treadmill. If you need to walk up steps, instead of using a stairmaster, use an actual staircase. If you need to lift moderate weights, use large bottles of laundry detergent. Yes, some of these activities will make it impossible to watch television at the same time, but there is no medical purpose to watching television while you exercise.