Health insurance with gym membership

Leading a healthy lifestyle can lead to several benefits. The Australian Government’s Department of Health and Aged Care suggests that regular physical activity, positive nutrition and sleep habits can help prevent health issues, while improving mental wellbeing. Generally speaking, if you have less health-related issues, you’ll be less likely to incur expensive medical costs. This means maintaining a healthy lifestyle could potentially save you money in the long run.

It’s also often in a health insurer’s best interests to incentivise its members to lead active lifestyles, as it usually means less health-related claims being made. This is why some providers partner with gyms and fitness centres to provide discounted membership rates or benefits towards health management programs that aim to assist in the treatment of a specific medical condition.

So, if you’re interested in getting active by joining a gym or local fitness class, here’s some things to consider when looking at health insurance policies with discounted gym memberships or claimable benefits.

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How does health insurance with gym membership work?

If you want to access a discount or be able to claim part of the cost of your gym membership, Yoga, Pilates or other exercise classes through your health insurer, you will typically need a private health insurance extras policy that offers health-related benefits. A combined hospital and extras policy with health-related benefits would also more than likely be eligible.

As a starting point, it could be worth asking your current health insurance provider what they offer in the way of ‘health management benefits’, ‘healthy lifestyle benefits’, or ‘wellness benefits’ to understand the services (if any) that might be currently available to you. You may be surprised at what’s already on offer or what could be as part of an extras policy with the same provider. Some of the claimable benefits could be gym memberships, personal training, quit smoking programs and weight management programs.

It’s also often worth finding out what is required by your provider to claim the money back—for example, some providers require a referral from a health professional (like a GP, medical practitioner or allied health professional), a plan devised by a personal trainer or an invoice from the gym itself. Exclusions can also apply—for example, some insurers won’t cover the cost of personal trainers, while others will only cover sessions with trainers approved by them that hold a recognised certification. Recreational and competitive sports or activities may also not be covered. There will generally be annual limits and sub-limits to how much you can claim, as well as waiting periods, so check the policy’s Private Health Information Statement (PHIS) for more details.

Gym membership discounts may only apply for specific partner gyms and fitness centres and usually come with their own terms and conditions, such as only applying for certain membership types or durations.

Below is a list of current health insurance providers that offer gym and fitness related benefits and discounts. The list is based on the providers rated in Canstar’s Health Insurance Star Ratings and Awards, which means it’s not an exhaustive list, but can give you a good starting point. You should also check a policy’s PHIS, as well as other relevant documentation before making a decision.

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Health insurance providers with gym membership discounts and benefits

Ahm Health Insurance

If you have Health Improvement Benefits included in your Ahm health insurance cover, you may be able to claim for certain exercise classes. Your health provider would need to submit a Health Improvement Benefit Approval Form specifying the health condition that is being managed through the exercise program for the claim to be eligible.

Ahm is also partnered with Goodlife Health Clubs and offers a free five day trial for you and a friend before you join, as well as 15% off new selected memberships. T&Cs apply, please visit the Ahm website for more details.

AIA Health Insurance

AIA offers discounted gym memberships through Goodlife Health Clubs and Fitness First, as well as discounts on certain fitness devices. They also provide coverage for quit smoking programs and nutrition consultations. T&Cs apply, please visit the AIA Health Insurance website for more details.

Bupa

You may be able to claim gym membership and personal training fees when the exercise program is recommended by your health professional to address or improve a specific diagnosed health condition — for example, diabetes. Your health professional (GP, medical specialists or exercise physiologist) must complete a Health Management Gym and PT Medical Form on your behalf. Bupa also notes that it only pays benefits for Bupa recognised gyms and personal training providers. T&Cs apply, please visit the Bupa website for more details.

Frank Health Insurance

You may be able to claim gym memberships and exercises classes if your Frank extras cover includes Health Maintenance Programs. An approval form must be completed and signed by a health provider listing the specific health condition being managed and the duration of the program for the claim to be eligible. T&Cs apply, please visit the Frank Health Insurance website for more details.

HBF Health Insurance

HBF Health Insurance has partnered with several gyms and fitness clubs to offer discounts to its members. Get 15% off Blue and Platinum 12-month and 18-month Goodlife Health Clubs memberships, 10% off 12-month Zap Fitness Passport memberships (also saving on start-up fees) and pay only $8 a week for 8 weeks, plus two complimentary personal training sessions and no joining fee for Snap Fitness. T&Cs apply, please visit the HBF Health Insurance website for more details.

HCF

You may be able to claim an exercise or gym program that’s recommended by your medical practitioner or allied health professional, if its purpose is to treat a specific medical condition (like arthritis, hypertension, obesity, asthma, diabetes or osteoporosis). Your medical professional would have to confirm your condition on an Exercise and Gym Benefits Form. Recreational or competitive sports and activities aren’t covered by this. You may also be able to claim for a dietitian-led HCF-approved weight management program. T&Cs apply, please visit the HCF website for more details.

Health Insurance Fund (HIF)

You may be able to claim a benefit on your gym membership if your healthcare professional (GP or Specialist) helps you complete a Health Management Form. Once completed, you’ll also need to submit your claim with appropriate gym-related invoices. T&Cs apply, please visit the Health Insurance Fund (HIF) website for more details.

Medibank

Medibank members can get 20% off 12 or 18-month platinum memberships with Fitness First and Goodlife Health Clubs or any 12 or 18-month membership with Zap Fitness. T&Cs apply, please visit the Medibank website for more details.

nib

You may be able to claim gym memberships and weight management programs if you have nib Extras health cover with Healthier Lifestyle benefits. You’ll need a medical provider (such as a doctor or physio) to sign a Health Management Form to confirm that the membership or services are part of a health management program. Personal training and quit smoking programs may also be eligible. T&Cs apply, please visit the nib website for more details.

Peoplecare Health Insurance

You may be able to claim fitness equipment, health screenings and fitness and weight management programs under Peoplecare Health Insurance extras cover. You will need a doctor or other registered healthcare professional to have diagnosed you with a condition that needs things like gym equipment to treat and you may be able to claim back some of the costs. They would also need to help you fill out a Declaration of Condition Form. T&Cs apply, please visit the Peoplecare Health Insurance website for more details.

Phoenix Health Fund

Through Phoenix Health Fund’s Healthy Lifestyle Program, you can claim benefits towards the cost of approved health-related programs. This program could contribute towards some of the costs of approved quit smoking courses, gym memberships, asthma and diabetes management classes, weight management programs and health screening and diagnostic testing. The Healthy Lifestyle Programs is only offered on selected Extras covers and in some cases the services will need to be recommended by your referring healthcare professional as part of a health or chronic disease management program. T&Cs apply, please visit the Phoenix Health Fund website for more details.

Westfund

If you hold an eligible Westfund extras cover and have served the two month waiting period, you may be able to claim a benefit towards the cost of health management programs like aquatic programs, fitness centres, weight loss programs and mental health programs. To make a claim, you’ll need a Medicare registered practitioner, such as a GP, Medical Specialist or Exercise Physiologist to complete a Health Management Declaration Claim Form every calendar year to confirm that the claimable program/s are for the management of a health condition.

Source: All offers are based on advertised online promotions on each provider’s website on 7 January, 2025. Please note, conditions, exclusions and annual limits may apply to these offers and benefits. Read all terms and conditions provided by the relevant health insurance provider before deciding whether to commit to a policy.

How much can you claim on gym memberships each year?

If your insurance provider offers gym membership as a benefit, they will often set annual limits, combined limits and/or sub-limits up to which you can claim for. Combined limits group different services and treatments together giving you a specific dollar amount for the whole group (e.g. lifestyle benefits). Sub-limits allow you to claim dollar amounts for specific services within a combined limit category (e.g. gym membership). These will often differ between policies and providers. Whether these benefits will assist you will ultimately come down to your own financial needs and depend on what policy you have, which other extras are included and the limits placed on them.

How to find the right health management benefit for you

This will ultimately depend on your personal circumstances and healthcare needs. It’s important to note that a discounted rate on a gym membership or a health management benefit shouldn’t be the only reason for choosing one health insurance provider over another. It’s important to weigh up the quality of the policy’s coverage, as well as its overall cost. You may find that the right policy for you doesn’t include a gym membership discount or benefit. Some health insurance providers also offer sign-up deals and discounts for people looking to switch providers or take out a policy for the first time.

Extras policies also often come with a variety of inclusions, like dental, physiotherapy, optical, remedial massage etc., so it may be worth thinking about how and if you would use these extras if you were to take out a policy. If you already have a private health insurance policy and are thinking of switching or if you are taking out a policy for the first time, you can compare health insurance policies with Canstar.

If you’re unsure about which gym or fitness club to join, you may find Canstar Blue’s Gyms and Fitness Clubs Customer Satisfaction Awards helpful when making a decision.

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