Can I Use Health Insurance to Buy a Treadmill?

Can you use your health insurance or funds from a Health Savings Account to buy a treadmill? The answer might well be “Yes, indeed.” It really all depends on your plan, but there many out there which will not only reimburse a treadmill but fitness coaching and gym memberships. The key is in the know-how.

Right off the bat, I’ll tell you this isn’t really a freebie. As with all things, someone somewhere is going to pay for this. Rather, it’s a question of accessing your health care benefits and a matter of paperwork. If you think a treadmill could be qualified by a doctor as a medical necessity, you might be in the market for one fit for people with severe obesity or overweight classification. Read our Five Point Buying Guide here to learn more about treadmill shopping.

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Key Terms

In researching this piece, I found direct answers to be a bit elusive as plans change frequently as do the laws. Some basic vocabulary that will help includes:

• HSA: A health savings account (HSA) is considered to be a tax-advantaged account which participants can use to pay for qualifying medical expenses. These can include office copays, pharmaceutical prescriptions, bandages, and other medically necessary supplies. The reason they’re considered tax-advantaged is they lower your taxable income and the money isn’t taxed while in the interest-bearing account, nor are taxes levied on withdrawals if used for approved purchases. To use an HSA you must be enrolled in an HSA-type of insurance plan.
• FSA: A flexible spending account (FSA) is an employer-sponsored savings account that allows users to contribute pre-tax funds. These can be used for approved medical expenses, including qualifying supplies. Participating in these is contingent upon the employer’s participation.
• HRA: A health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) is an employer-funded plan that will reimburse employees for qualifying expenses. The employer can often claim a tax deduction for the reimbursements they make through these plans. The HRA may vary widely from one employer to another.
• Medicaid: In the United States, Medicaid is the federal-state partnership which provides health care assistance to low-income families.
• Medicare: In the United States, Medicare is a federal government insurance plan for people over the age of 65, as well as some younger individuals with qualifying disabilities.

How Do I Qualify These Funds for a Treadmill?

The first step is to demonstrate that the treadmill, or any other exercise equipment for that matter, is actually a qualified medical necessity. To do this, you’ll need to secure a Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN) from your physician. This would be the same for qualifying fitness coaches or workout plans. According to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS), eligible reimbursements through an FSA, HSA, or HRA, must relate to the diagnosis, cure, or treatment of a disease.

Per the IRS website, “You can include in medical expenses amounts you pay to lose weight if it is a treatment for a specific disease diagnosed by a physician (such as obesity, hypertension, or heart disease). This includes fees you pay for membership in a weight reduction group as well as fees for attendance at periodic meetings.” This also includes the cost of special food in medical expenses IF, the food doesn’t satisfy normal nutritional needs, and if the food alleviates or treats and illness, and the need is substantiated by a physician.

Some medical conditions which might justify a home treadmill would include:

• Stroke victims
• Post-injury physical therapy
• Type 2 diabetes
• Cancer
• Medical obesity
• Congestive heart failure
• Pulmonary heart disease

In terms of private, or commercial health insurance, many plans offer similar options, or at least discounts. Per the Aetna members website, discounts are available for qualified weight management, online health coaching, and fitness services. Blue Cross of Massachusetts also a discount plan for qualifying fitness programs. With the private health insurance plans, most of the details will depend on the individual provider. But the common denominator is that you’ll need a medical doctor to effectively prescribe the treadmill as part of a treatment, no different than a wheelchair or orthopedic shoes.

To the best of my reading, at this time, neither Medicaid nor Medicare will provide direct funds for a home treadmill, but your doctor could prescribe some fitness-related services at their discretion. With the federal and state programs, there’s a lot of variance between the states and individual circumstances.

A Little Paperwork Required

If you’re looking for an easy way to score a free treadmill, this probably isn’t it. That said, if you do have an HSA, FSA, or HRA, and you can get your doctor to write you a LMN and prescribe a treadmill as treatment, then it’s doable. The first step would be to check with your doctor and see if you can qualify.