Our facilities are designed for easy use—we offer state-of-the-art equipment, a clean and vibrant environment, activities for children of any age and group exercise classes to keep you interested. The hardest part is signing up!
And when you join the Y, you’re gaining more than access to our fitness facilities, weight rooms, basketball courts and group exercise and yoga classes. The Y is more than a gym. The Y is a movement.
Benefits of membership
Gain full access to the YMCA of Avery County’s facilities
Aquatics Center
Wellness Center
Group Fitness
Youth Development Center
Blackburn Indoor Athletic Facility
O’Connell Fieldhouse
- Create a personal fitness plan with the help of the Y staff
- Develop a healthy lifestyle
- Build positive relationships
- Enjoy a friendly, value-oriented atmosphere
- Be a part of fitness classes and programs for the entire family
- Improve your quality of life through chronic disease management
- Experience YUSA’s Nationwide Membership Program
Downloads
Membership Rates
There is a $25 joining fee.
- Individual
18 years and older - Annual:
$576 - Monthly: $57
- Auto Draft: $52
- Two person
household - Annual:
$756 - Monthly: $74
- Auto Draft: $67
- Household
with children under 23 - Annual:
$816 - Monthly: $80
- Auto Draft: $72
- Senior
65 years and older - Annual:
$488 - Monthly: $49
- Auto Draft: $44
- Full-time student
16 years and older - Annual:
$348 - Monthly: $36
- Auto Draft: $30
24/7 Access: Fitness That Fits Your Schedule
The Williams YMCA of Avery County is excited to begin offering 24/7 Access to the Wellness Center at the Avery County facility beginning Monday, August 21st, 2023!
As a Y member with 24/7 Access, you may use the Wellness Center at any time. After staffed hours of operation, ONLY Williams YMCA of Avery County adult members who have signed the 24/7 Access waiver and purchased the additional membership benefit will gain admission to the Wellness Center. Once the Y closes, there will be no Y staff to assist members in the Wellness or Membership areas and all other areas of the facility will be closed.
To learn more, please visit our 24/7 Access page.
Ready to register for 24/7 Access? Visit our Welcome Center Desk during normal hours of operation to complete your waiver and add this service to your membership!
Y-Access Program
Don’t think you can swing the membership fee?
Through our Y-Access Program, we can help. One of the goals of the Y is to offer its services and programs to everyone, regardless of income level. Provided the resources are available, financial assistance will be offered on a sliding scale for those unable to pay full rates. Please pay us a visit or contact Lisa Isley for more information; or complete the Y-Access Application and return it, along with financial documentation, to get started. Please allow up to two weeks for processing.
JUST VISITING?
You can get a DAY PASS to access everything the YMCA has to offer for just $10 for adults and $5 for children 17 and under.
Nationwide Membership
Nationwide Membership enables you to visit any participating YMCA in the United States through membership at your “home” YMCA (your home Y is the local association that enrolled you as a member and collects your membership dues). Your home YMCA should be the one that you are currently using most frequently.
The Williams YMCA of Avery County is an Independent Y, free from the added support of an Association. A large portion of our membership base is made up of seasonal residents. For this reason, our continued participation in the Y-USA Nationwide Program is contingent upon the following:
- Nationwide members understand that there is no reimbursement to us from their home YMCA when they visit our facility. We are welcoming you as a guest – completely free of charge.
- Seasonal residents who will be staying in the area for longer than one month will join our facility as an active member, or pay guest fees for visits made after their first month in our area.
Our success as an organization is entirely dependent upon a happy partnership between you as members, and the Directors and employees that you encounter every day. For that reason, we encourage you to come to us with any questions or concerns that you may have.
YMCA + Dr. B
How can I use my HSA/FSA for the Y?
Fitness can transform whole-body health. If you exercise to prevent or treat a medical condition, you may qualify to get a Letter of Medical Necessity to unlock your HSA or FSA funds and potentially get up to the entire cost of your YMCA membership reimbursed.
Most people save 20-40% off their membership by using those tax-free funds; how much you save overall will depend on your income tax bracket.
What is an HSA or FSA account?
Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) allow you to save pre-tax dollars that you can use to pay for eligible medical expenses. Fitness fees do not immediately qualify as eligible HSA/FSA expenses, but they do qualify if a provider recommends exercise to prevent or treat a medical condition.
To qualify those expenses for reimbursement with an HSA/FSA administrator, you need a Letter of Medical Necessity from a provider. Our partner, Dr. B, offers online consultations with licensed providers in every state—365 days a year.
How it works:
- Start a $15 medical consultation—no video required
- A licensed provider will review your health history and current condition. If you qualify, they’ll email your fitness recommendations and Letter of Medical Necessity within 3 business hours.
- Submit your letter and YMCA receipts purchased on or after the date of your letter to your HSA/FSA administrator for reimbursement.
- You don’t need to bring any documentation to the Y; this would all be handled with your employer.
Who is Dr. B?
Dr. B offers affordable telehealth with the same care and quality you’d get from your favorite family doctor—without the waiting room. Patients can get $15 online consultations for a wide variety of conditions and send prescriptions to the pharmacy of their choice. They can also help provide qualifying patients with the Letter of Medical Necessity required for HSA/FSA fitness reimbursements. Learn more at hidrb.com/and/ymca.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an HSA/FSA account?
Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) are tax-exempt accounts designated for covering eligible medical expenses. The IRS determines the differences between HSA and FSA accounts, which are usually established and overseen by an HSA or FSA administrator. (You can access your FSA administrator via your employer’s HR department.)
Am I eligible for this?
You are eligible if:
- You have an active HSA or FSA account.
- You are preventing or reversing health conditions like depression, anxiety, chronic fatigue, insomnia, obesity, infertility, diabetes, heart disease, and more through an exercise or fitness routine.
How does this work?
A Dr. B medical consultation involves a short health assessment about conditions you are working to prevent or reverse. If eligible, you’ll receive a Letter of Medical Necessity detailing how your condition qualifies exercise costs as HSA or FSA-eligible expenses. (The letter comes a few hours after you’ve completed payment.)
If you have an HSA or FSA account, you can submit this letter to reimburse future Y membership, fitness classes, personal training or other exercise program fees. To ensure compliance, keep that Letter of Medical Necessity and applicable receipts available for the next three years.
Can I use my HSA/FSA dollars to pay for the Y?
If you exercise to prevent or treat one of the medical conditions listed below, you may be able to use your pre-tax HSA/FSA funds towards your Y membership cost. To do so, you’ll need a Letter of Medical Necessity from a licensed provider to confirm that your expense qualifies as a medical expense.
We’re making it more convenient than ever to get this letter by partnering with Dr. B—a telehealth platform that offers $15 online consultations for common conditions. Just start an online fitness consultation, and they’ll handle the rest!
Here’s how it works:
- Go to hidrb.com/and/ymca for a one-time $15 online consultation. (No appointments or video call required!)
- If you qualify, receive your Letter of Medical Necessity, valid for 12 months, via email within a few hours.
- Submit your letter and YMCA receipts purchased on or after the date of your letter to your HSA/FSA administrator for reimbursement.
- You don’t need to bring any documentation to the Y; you will handle this with your employer.
Medical Conditions:
- Autoimmune disease
- Back pain
- Balance and coordination issues
- Cancer
- Chronic fatigue
- Cognitive decline disorders like dementia and Alzheimer’s
- Diabetes
- Erectile dysfunction
- Fatty liver disease
- Fibromyalgia
- Gout
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Kidney disease
- Mental health conditions like depression + anxiety
- Migraines
- Obesity + heavier weight
- Osteoporosis
- Polycystic ovary syndrome
- Pre-diabetes
- Physical injury
- Respiratory diseases
- Sleep disorders
- Stroke
How do you submit a Letter of Medical Necessity to your HSA/FSA administrator?
- Find your HSA/FSA administrator: If you’re not sure who your HSA or FSA administrator is, contact your employer’s HR department.
- Access your HSA/FSA administrator’s web service: Set up a new account or use your login details to access the online platform of your HSA or FSA administrator.
- Locate their ‘Reimbursement’ or ‘Claims’ section: Find the dedicated area on your HSA/FSA’s website that handles reimbursements or claims.
- Submit your Letter of Medical Necessity and receipts: You’ll be required to upload a few essential documents, including your Letter of Medical Necessity from Dr. B and the receipt for the product or service you bought as a result of your Dr. B health assessment.
- Wait for your claim to be processed: Once you’ve submitted all required documents, it may take a few days or weeks for your HSA/FSA administrator to review and process your claim. Once confirmed, they’ll deposit the reimbursement amount into the account you specified.
You may be able to use the same Letter of Medical Necessity for future exercise purchases if you file the claim within a 12-month period. For example, if you use your HSA funds for Y membership fees, you may be able to resubmit the same letter to renew your Y membership.
What is a Letter of Medical Necessity?
A Letter of Medical Necessity is a document that details why a patient needs a specific product or treatment (like a wheelchair, vitamin supplement, or swim therapy) for medical purposes so that a related expense can be paid with funds from an HSA (Health Savings Account) or FSA (Flexible Spending Account).
HSA and FSA accounts allow you to set aside pre-tax money you can use to pay for qualified medical expenses. But sometimes, these health care costs might not be automatically recognized as HSA- or FSA-eligible items that can be reimbursed with those funds. In such cases, a Letter of Medical Necessity provides documentation explaining why that particular expense is medically necessary, guaranteeing that it meets the criteria for reimbursement under HSA or FSA guidelines.
How long is my letter valid for?
Your Letter of Medical Necessity is valid for 12 months and can be filed for reimbursement with fitness purchase receipts made on or after the letter’s date. You can’t file it with purchases made before the letter was issued.
How much will using my HSA/FSA card save me?
HSA and FSA accounts consist of pre-tax funds, meaning you won’t pay income tax on money you put into those accounts and then use to pay for qualified healthcare expenses.
Using pre-tax money from an HSA or FSA account saves you money because you’re not paying tax on income you’ll then use to buy health-related items. This essentially increases your purchasing power for healthcare necessities. Individuals can contribute a maximum of $3,650 annually to their HSA. Most patients save between $1,000 and $2,000, depending on their state and tax bracket. (You can calculate your savings based on those parameters.)
How long does it take for HSA/FSA administrator to reimburse qualifying purchases?
HSA/FSA administrators typically approve expenses 7-10 days after you submit your Letter of Medical Necessity and receipts. But reimbursement timelines can vary depending on your particular HSA/FSA administrator.
What if I need more information?
Third Party Payer Programs
At the Williams YMCA of Avery County, we believe that staying active is an important aspect of physical, mental and emotional health. That is why we are proud to partner with Ambetter Health, FitOn and United Healthcare to offer members with select health plans and employer groups access to our facilities at no additional cost to them.
For more information about the program, or to see if you qualify, call or stop by the membership desk today.
We Proudly Offer The Following Membership Programs
| RenewActive | FitOn | Ambetter |
| United Healthcare | Blue Cross and Bule Shield of NC | Ambetter Health |
|---|
Payment Options
The Williams YMCA accepts cash, certified or official bank checks, and all major credit or debit cards.
Draft: Membership dues are automatically withdrawn from your checking or savings account or are automatically charged to your debit or credit card each month.
Invoice: Membership dues are invoiced annually, or at the first of each month, and may be paid through your online account, or at the front membership services desk by cash, check, credit or debit card.
Membership Cancellation Policy
If you carry a balance for 90 days, your membership will automatically drop at the end of the third month. All members are given a 30 day grace period to renew their membership. After 60 days, any rejoining member is required to pay the $25 joining fee.
Should you wish to cancel your membership in good standing, all outstanding dues must be paid in full and a written notice must be submitted to the Membership department at least 15 days prior to the next billing date.
