December 2025
You may be seeing media coverage and social media posts about Blue Cross Medicare plans and the fitness benefit changes for 2026. There are many incorrect assumptions about how our company contracts for this supplemental benefit. We want to make sure you have the facts.
The Medicare market is dealing with significant financial stability issues. One of the many cost pressures Blue Cross is facing related to Medicare coverage is an enormous price hike from our Medicare fitness vendor to keep all current fitness locations included in the network available to our members.
Blue Cross has no say in which locations are included in the network tiers offered by our Medicare fitness vendor, nor do we participate in any contract negotiations with the gyms. As a steward of our members’ healthcare dollars, Blue Cross needs to ensure this benefit remains sustainable.
As a result of the change to a different network tier, Twin Cities Life Time and YMCA locations will no longer be part of the Medicare fitness network for Blue Cross members starting on January 1, 2026. YMCAs located in Greater Minnesota communities are included in the network.
Blue Cross Medicare members will continue to have access to more than 600 fitness locations across the state, with more than 240 in the Twin Cities. Members will also have unlimited access to on-demand workout videos, live online fitness classes and the thousands of additional fitness locations nationwide.