Silver Sneakers a boon to residents

We write to bring attention to and protest the decision of many YMCAs not to participate in Silver Sneakers, a fitness program for older persons generally offered by your health insurance program in conjunction with local providers like the YMCA.

In 2022, as seniors with back, joint, and arthritis problems, we benefited from swimming at the YMCA through Silver Sneakers as a United Healthcare benefit with no additional cost apart from the regular and substantial cost of our health insurance. The reasoning was that being fit is part of being healthy. It is not all altruism: a fit, healthy Silver Sneakers participant will need less costly, medical intervention.

Now our insurance has changed from United Healthcare to Aetna and we are no longer able to receive our benefits at the Y. For 2023, we understand that eight YMCAs have not come to negotiating terms with and are not participating in Silver Sneakers. These eight Ys are the Soundview Family Y, the Bridgeport Branch Y, the Hamden-North Haven Y, the Fairfield Branch Y, the Lakewood-Trumbull Y, the Stratford Branch Y, the Valley Y, and the Woodruff- Milford Y. It is interesting to note that both the JCC and the Wallingford Y, and perhaps several other Ys, reached agreement with Silver Sneakers and are still providing Silver Sneakers benefits to their constituents. (Moreover, United Healthcare is still offering Y benefits to seniors through an alternative program, Renew Active. Perhaps Aetna could consider an alternative.)

Unfortunately, the eight nonparticipating Ys intend to charge the three of us a total of almost $2,000 to swim in a pool that was built with community money to serve the community.

Rilla Dath, Judith Buzzell

and Nancy McNeth Branford and Guilford