Original Medicare leaves you with uncapped 20% coinsurance and a $1,736 Part A deductible per hospitalization. Medigap fills those gaps through standardized plan letters. Here's what each plan covers and how to choose.
Medigap (Medicare Supplement) insurance is sold by private insurers to cover the cost-sharing gaps Original Medicare leaves open — deductibles, coinsurance, and the uncapped 20% you owe on Part B services. Ten standardized plan types exist; Plans C and F are closed to new enrollees since 2020. Plan G covers all gaps except the $283 Part B deductible and is the most widely purchased plan for new enrollees in 2026. You must buy during your 6-month Open Enrollment Period to lock in guaranteed acceptance regardless of health history.
Original Medicare (Parts A and B) covers hospital stays, outpatient visits, lab work, durable medical equipment, and most medically necessary services. What it does not do is cover everything. When you use healthcare, you are responsible for:
Medigap policies are sold by private insurers to cover some or all of these costs. The trade-off: a monthly Medigap premium on top of your Part B premium ($185.00/month in 2026).
Under federal law, Medigap policies sold in most states must follow standardized benefit designs set by the Medicare Supplement Insurance Minimum Standards Model Act. Every insurer selling Plan G must offer the same core benefits as every other insurer selling Plan G. You shop on price and service quality — not on coverage differences between insurers for the same plan letter.
Medicare.gov maintains the official comparison chart showing exactly what each plan letter covers.
Note: Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin have their own Medigap standardization systems that differ from the federal letter system.
Ten Medigap plan types are currently sold to new Medicare enrollees. Plans C and F are closed to anyone who became eligible for Medicare after January 1, 2020, per the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). People enrolled in those plans before that date keep their coverage.
| Plan | Part A deductible | Part B coinsurance (20%) | Part B deductible | Skilled nursing coinsurance | Part B excess charges | Foreign travel (80%) | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | A | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | | B | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | | C \* | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | | D | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | | F \* | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | G | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | | K | 50% | 50% | No | 50% | No | No | | L | 75% | 75% | No | 75% | No | No | | M | 50% | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | | N | Yes | Yes (with copays) | No | Yes | No | Yes |
\*Plans C and F closed to new Medicare enrollees since January 1, 2020.
Plans K and L have annual out-of-pocket maximums — see Medicare.gov for current limits.
Plan G and Plan N account for the majority of new Medigap enrollments. Both cover the Part A deductible, most Part B coinsurance, skilled nursing facility coinsurance, and foreign travel emergencies. The differences matter:
Plan G - Covers 100% of Part B coinsurance after you pay the $283 Part B annual deductible - Covers Part B excess charges (doctors not accepting Medicare assignment) - After meeting the $283 deductible: $0 additional out-of-pocket for covered Part B services
Plan N - Pays Part B coinsurance but requires up to $20 copay per office visit and up to $50 per ER visit (waived if you are admitted as an inpatient) - Does not cover Part B excess charges — you owe the full excess if a physician charges above the Medicare-approved rate - Monthly premium is typically $20–$80 lower than Plan G, depending on insurer and location
When Plan N makes sense: If Plan N’s annual premium savings exceed your expected copays plus any excess charge exposure, Plan N can be the better value. For people with infrequent doctor visits who primarily see physicians that accept Medicare assignment, Plan N’s lower monthly premium can result in lower total annual cost.
When Plan G makes sense: If you see specialists frequently, manage a chronic condition with regular outpatient treatment, or prefer a predictable $0 after-deductible cost structure, Plan G eliminates more financial uncertainty.
To check whether your doctors accept Medicare assignment — which matters if you’re considering Plan N — use the Medicare Provider Directory at medicare.gov/care-compare.
Your Medigap Open Enrollment Period (OEP) is six months long. It starts the month you are: 1. Age 65 or older, AND 2. Enrolled in Medicare Part B
During the OEP, insurers are federally required to offer you any Medigap plan they sell at the standard premium, regardless of your health history. They cannot deny your application or charge more based on pre-existing conditions.
This window does not repeat. Missing the OEP has lasting consequences: in most states, insurers can apply medical underwriting after the OEP, potentially denying coverage or charging substantially higher premiums.
State exceptions: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and New York maintain year-round guaranteed issue requirements. Check your state insurance department to confirm your state’s rules before your OEP closes.
Guaranteed Issue rights outside the OEP: Federal law also grants guaranteed issue rights in specific situations — losing employer coverage, your Medicare Advantage plan leaving your service area, moving, or your plan going bankrupt. These rights are narrow, time-limited, and not a substitute for buying during the OEP.
Private insurers use one of three rating methods to set Medigap premiums:
When comparing Medigap quotes, ask each insurer which rating method applies. An attained-age policy with a lower premium at 65 may cost substantially more by age 80 than a community-rated or issue-age policy with a higher initial premium.
Medigap supplements Original Medicare — it does not replace it or expand its scope. Medigap policies do not include:
For the full picture of Medicare — enrollment windows, penalties, and Part D — see the Medicare enrollment guide.
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*This content is educational and does not constitute insurance or financial planning advice. Medicare supplement plan benefits, premiums, and eligibility rules vary by insurer and state. All Medicare cost-sharing amounts shown are for 2026 and change annually. Visit Medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE for plan-specific information and licensed agent referrals.*
No. Medigap is designed to work with Original Medicare (Parts A and B) only. If you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan (Part C), you cannot use a Medigap policy — insurers are not permitted to sell you one knowingly. If you want Medigap, you must stay in (or return to) Original Medicare. Switching from Medicare Advantage back to Original Medicare and adding Medigap after your initial Open Enrollment Period may require medical underwriting in most states.
No. Medigap policies cover only the cost-sharing gaps within Original Medicare — deductibles, coinsurance, and some items like foreign travel emergencies and skilled nursing facility coinsurance depending on the plan. Dental, vision, hearing, and prescription drugs are outside Original Medicare's scope and outside Medigap's scope. A separate Medicare Part D plan covers outpatient prescription drugs; standalone dental and vision plans are available through private insurers.
During your 6-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period — which starts the month you are both 65 or older and enrolled in Medicare Part B — insurers are federally required to offer you any plan they sell at the same premium as a healthy enrollee, regardless of your health history. After the OEP, most states allow insurers to use medical underwriting, which can result in a denial or higher premium. A few states (including Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and New York) have year-round guaranteed issue rules — check your state insurance department for specifics.
Plan G is the most comprehensive plan available to new Medicare enrollees in 2026 — it covers all Original Medicare cost-sharing except the $283 Part B annual deductible. Whether it’s the right plan depends on your health usage and budget. Plan N costs less per month but adds up-to-$20 office visit copays, up-to-$50 ER copays (waived if admitted), and no Part B excess charge coverage. Plans K and L offer lower premiums in exchange for 50% or 75% coverage of some benefits with annual out-of-pocket limits. The “best” plan depends on how often you use healthcare and whether your doctors accept Medicare assignment.
No. Your Medigap plan benefits do not change annually the way Medicare Advantage benefits do. The standardized benefits for each plan letter are set by federal law and don’t change year to year. What does change annually are the underlying Original Medicare cost-sharing amounts (the Part B deductible was $240 in 2024, $257 in 2025, and is $283 in 2026, per CMS), which affect how much Medigap has to cover. Premiums can increase over time — especially with attained-age-rated policies — but the coverage structure for each plan letter remains consistent.