Health Insurance can Pay to get Healthy and Stay Healthy.

When most of us think about our "health insurance" or medical coverage, we usually think of having a way to pay for treatments of disease, yet the term is health insurance " not just medical insurance, and with good reason. Many health insurance companies are realizing how they can save money by preventing, as well as treating conditions - and are putting the "health" back in health insurance.

Many of the big health insurance companies are offering payments or at least discounts towards fitness and wellness programs even, for gym memberships. Check with your own health insurance policy or your health benefits coordinator at work. You may be surprised to find that you are covered for things like a basic gym membership. If you have never considered working out, and your heath coverage offers you a discount membership at a health club, now may be a great time to start. Getting in shape has many benefits not the least of which can be a reduction of your overall health care costs. 

So once you have your health insurance carrier to thank for a low cost gym membership, it-s important that you choose one that will actually improve your health and not make it worse. Health clubs, spas, and gyms can be great places to tone up, but they can also be havens for the spreading of disease as well as hold the potential for injuries. So it is important that you choose wisely when using your health insurance to purchase a club membership. Here are a few things to look for before signing up. When you first fill out the application for membership a quality and responsible health club will ask you to fill out a comprehensive medical history, this way they will know if you have certain conditions such as heart trouble or back injury that could prevent you from doing certain activities safely.

Check to see if they have a personal trainer on staff. Your first workout with a trainer should then be one where they evaluate your fitness and abilities and design a program for you, which includes proper training and instruction on the equipment. If they just hand you a towel and say " "the machines are over there" " I'd steer clear! Check for overall cleanliness of the facility. See that the showers are clean and free from mold and mildew. Look around the equipment areas and confirm that there are adequate towels and spray bottles to clean equipment before and after use.

Many gyms and health clubs offer additional classes and wellness programs such as yoga, Tai-Chi, etc. Check with your medical insurance provider, as all or part of the additional cost for these programs even the cost of a personal trainer, may be covered under your policy.