Tennessee YMCAs to Cut Ties With SilverSneakers, Forcing Seniors to Look Elsewhere for Fitness

With the Tennessee State Alliance of YMCAs' recent decision to exit the SilverSneakers network, at least 10,000 senior Tennesseans will be without access to the free national fitness program starting next January, reports the Tennessean . This will leave them with little option but to pay for YMCA memberships, although members can still participate in SilverSneakers activities at more than 350 other fitness centers across the state. Over half of the currently active SilverSneakers members live in rural regions, where the local YMCA is often the only fitness community available. "Tennessee Ys are committed to continuing to serve seniors in our community, and we intend to provide a variety of options to allow participants to continue to come to the Y once our agreement with SilverSneakers ends at the end of 2019," stated the Tennessee Alliance. Out-of-pocket monthly costs for YMCA memberships are frequently unaffordable for seniors on fixed incomes, and the Alliance's decision to leave SilverSneakers was driven by failed negotiations with program provider Tivity Health seeking a more equitable reimbursement policy. "These are people on fixed incomes and zero-premium plans, so there's no reason to have to pay for it to get healthy," argued Tivity Health's Steve Janicak. "We want to make sure they know there are alternatives."