Medicare · Cornerstone
Medigap Plan G, the default supplement
Last reviewed June 11, 20265 min readBy the Goodsurance editorial team Reviewed by the Goodsurance editorial team
If you go the Original Medicare route and start shopping for a supplement, you will hit Plan G almost immediately, because it is the one most people on that path end up choosing today. It is worth understanding why it earned that spot, and just as importantly, what "standardized" means, because that one word changes how you should shop.
1Standardized means the coverage is identical everywhere
Medigap plans are labeled by letter, A through N, and the letters are set by federal law. A Plan G is a Plan G no matter who sells it. The benefits are identical from one insurer to the next. An expensive Plan G and a cheap Plan G cover exactly the same things.
That flips the usual logic of buying insurance. You are not comparing coverage; you are comparing price and the company behind it, for a product whose benefits are fixed by regulation. That makes Medigap one of the few insurance purchases where shopping on price is the rational move. One caution: the medical benefits are identical, but a carrier can attach extras that are not part of the standardized plan, like a gym perk or a hearing-aid discount. Those are not coverage, and they can be dropped at the carrier's discretion, so do not let a soft perk drive a decision about a contract you may hold for decades.
2What Plan G actually covers
Plan G is comprehensive. It fills in nearly all of the gaps Original Medicare leaves: the Part A hospital deductible, the daily coinsurance on long hospital and skilled-nursing stays, the 20% Part B coinsurance that has no cap of its own, the first three pints of blood, hospice cost-sharing, and Part B excess charges. It even includes a limited amount of emergency coverage during foreign travel.
There is exactly one gap it does not cover: the annual Part B deductible, which is $283 in 2026. You pay that yourself, once a year, and after that a comprehensive Plan G means most of your covered care costs you very little out of pocket. That combination, near-complete coverage with one small annual exception, is the reason it has become the modern default. What Plan G does not do, like every Medigap plan: it does not cover prescription drugs (that is a separate Part D plan), and it does not add dental, vision, or hearing.
What Plan G covers, and the one gap
Covers
- Part A hospital deductible
- Hospital and skilled-nursing daily coinsurance
- The uncapped 20% Part B coinsurance
- Part B excess charges
- Foreign-travel emergency (limited)
Does not cover
- The annual Part B deductible, once a year
- Prescription drugs (a separate Part D plan)
- Routine dental, vision, hearing
Standardized: identical across carriers. Source: CMS.
3The high-deductible version, for a lower premium
There is a second version of Plan G worth knowing about: High-Deductible Plan G. It covers exactly the same things as regular Plan G, but you pay a yearly deductible, $2,950 in 2026, before the coverage starts paying. In exchange, the monthly premium is substantially lower.
The math is straightforward. If you are a light user of care in a typical year, the premium savings can exceed what you would pay toward the deductible, so you come out ahead. If you have a heavy year, you pay the deductible and then the plan behaves like regular Plan G. It is a way to keep comprehensive coverage while betting on a quiet year, with a capped downside if you are wrong, and it can make Plan G affordable for someone who finds the standard premium a stretch.
- Higher monthly premium
- Covered care costs you very little
- Much lower premium
- A yearly deductible first, then identical coverage
4Why not Plan F, which covers even that deductible?
Because for most people, Plan F is no longer available. Federal law closed Plan F to anyone who became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020. If you were eligible before that date you can still have it, but newer enrollees cannot buy it. That left Plan G as the most comprehensive plan available to new enrollees, and it is a close substitute: the only difference between F and G is that one Part B deductible.
5The timing rule that decides what you will pay
This is the most important practical point in the whole article, and it is about when you buy, not what you buy. When you first enroll in Part B at 65, you get a six-month Medigap Open Enrollment window. During those six months, you have a guaranteed right to buy any Medigap plan from any carrier, and they cannot deny you or charge more because of your health history.
After that window closes, in most states, that protection goes away. A carrier can then require medical underwriting, look at your health, and decline you or raise your price. The same Plan G, identical coverage, can become harder or more expensive simply because you waited. A few states give more ongoing access, so this is worth checking where you live, but the safe assumption is that the six-month window is the moment.
Your six months of guaranteed issue
In most states, once your six-month window closes a carrier can review your health and charge more or decline you, for the identical Plan G. A few states give more ongoing access; the safe assumption is that the window is the moment.
6How to shop it
Since the coverage is fixed, the shopping comes down to two things: price and the carrier. Get quotes for the same plan letter from several insurers, because the identical Plan G can vary meaningfully in price. But the opening premium is only half the picture. Medigap premiums are priced one of three ways, and the method shapes how your premium behaves as you age.
A plan that is cheapest at 65 can become the most expensive over twenty years if it is attained-age-rated and the carrier raises rates aggressively. So the real comparison is the pricing method and the carrier's track record on increases, which is not printed on a quote sheet, exactly where a knowledgeable agent earns their keep. One more small lever: many carriers offer a household discount if you and a spouse both enroll.
- Same price regardless of age
- Does not rise as you age
- Locked to your age at purchase
- Does not climb with age after
- Cheapest at 65
- Rises as you age
Common questions about Medicare
Quick answers to common questions
Tap any question to expand. Each question links to a fuller standalone answer.
What does Medigap Plan G cover?
Medigap Plan G (a Medicare Supplement policy that pairs with Original Medicare) covers most of the gaps Original Medicare leaves behind.
After you pay the Part B deductible ($283 in 2026), Plan G covers your Part A hospital coinsurance and costs, the 20 percent Part B coinsurance for doctor and outpatient services, the first three pints of blood, skilled nursing facility coinsurance, hospice coinsurance, and Medicare Part B excess charges (extra amounts some doctors can bill above the Medicare-approved rate). It also includes foreign travel emergency coverage up to plan limits. The one major gap Plan G does not cover is that Part B deductible, which you pay yourself. Plan G does not include prescription drug coverage, so you would add a separate Part D plan. Because Plan G is standardized, its benefits are the same across insurers; only the premium and service differ.
What is the difference between Medigap Plan G and Plan F?
The only difference between Medigap Plan G and Plan F is that Plan F also covers the Part B deductible, while Plan G does not.
Both are Medicare Supplement policies (private coverage that pairs with Original Medicare) and are standardized, so their other benefits are identical: each covers the Part A and Part B coinsurance, hospital costs, blood, skilled nursing coinsurance, hospice coinsurance, Part B excess charges, and foreign travel emergency coverage. With Plan G, you pay the Part B deductible yourself, which is $283 in 2026. With Plan F, the plan covers that $283 for you. Plan F is no longer available to people who became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020; those folks can choose Plan G instead. When comparing the two, weigh the Plan F premium against the single $283 deductible that Plan G leaves you to pay.
When can I buy a Medigap policy?
The best time to buy a Medigap policy (Medicare Supplement, private coverage that pairs with Original Medicare) is during your Medigap Open Enrollment Period, a six-month window that begins the month you are 65 or older and enrolled in Part B.
During this one-time window, an insurer must sell you any Medigap policy it offers at its best available rate and cannot deny you or charge more because of your health, a protection called guaranteed issue. Once those six months pass, you can still apply for Medigap at any time of year, but outside this window the insurer can review your health history and may charge more or decline you, depending on your state's rules. Some states and certain situations offer additional guaranteed-issue rights. Because timing affects both price and acceptance, this six-month window is the simplest path. To review your timing, reach out to a licensed Goodsurance advisor at 1-888-301-8091 (TTY 711), Mon to Fri 8 am to 5 pm PT.
Is there a high-deductible version of Medigap Plan G?
Yes.
High-deductible Plan G is a version of the standardized Medigap Plan G (Medicare Supplement, private coverage that pairs with Original Medicare) that charges a lower monthly premium in exchange for you paying a yearly deductible before the policy starts covering the gaps. In 2026, that high-deductible amount is $2,950. Once your out-of-pocket spending on covered services reaches $2,950 for the year, high-deductible Plan G then pays the same gaps that regular Plan G covers, such as Part A and Part B coinsurance and Part B excess charges. The trade-off is straightforward: you accept more upfront cost in a year you use a lot of care, in return for a lower premium every month. Whether the lower premium outweighs the deductible depends on how much care you expect to use and your budget. Like standard Plan G, it does not include drug coverage, so you would add a separate Part D plan.
What is the difference between Medigap Plan N and Plan G?
Medigap Plan N usually has a lower monthly premium than Plan G, but in exchange you share a few costs that Plan G fully covers.
Both are standardized Medicare Supplement policies (private coverage that pairs with Original Medicare). With Plan N, after you meet the Part B deductible ($283 in 2026), you pay a copay of up to $20 for some office visits and up to $50 for emergency room visits that do not lead to admission, and Plan N does not cover Part B excess charges (extra amounts some doctors can bill above the Medicare-approved rate). Plan G covers those excess charges and has no office or ER copays. So Plan N can save you money each month if you do not have frequent visits and your doctors accept Medicare's approved amount, while Plan G offers more complete coverage for a higher premium. The right choice depends on how often you see doctors and your budget.
What are Medicare Part B excess charges?
A Medicare Part B excess charge is an extra amount a doctor can bill above the Medicare-approved rate for a service.
This happens only when a provider does not accept Medicare assignment, meaning they have not agreed to accept Medicare's approved amount as full payment. By law, that extra charge is limited to no more than 15 percent above the Medicare-approved amount, and some states ban excess charges entirely. Excess charges matter when choosing a Medigap policy (Medicare Supplement, private coverage that pairs with Original Medicare) because some plans cover them and some do not. For example, Medigap Plan G covers Part B excess charges, while Medigap Plan N does not, leaving you to pay them. Many doctors do accept assignment, so excess charges may never affect you, but if you see providers who do not, the difference between plans can matter.
Does Medigap Plan N include prescription drug coverage?
No.
Medigap Plan N (a Medicare Supplement policy that pairs with Original Medicare) does not include prescription drug coverage. No standardized Medigap policy sold today includes drug coverage, so if you have Plan N and want help with prescriptions, you add a separate Part D drug plan. Plan N is designed to fill gaps in Original Medicare for hospital and medical costs, such as coinsurance, but drugs you pick up at the pharmacy fall under Part D, which is a different type of coverage. In 2026, Part D also includes a yearly out-of-pocket cap of $2,100 on covered prescription drugs. When pairing Plan N with a Part D plan, check that plan's drug list to confirm your medications are covered. Keeping the two pieces separate, a Medigap policy for medical gaps and a Part D plan for prescriptions, is the standard approach with Original Medicare.
References
- Medicare.govThe standardized Medigap benefit chart and Open Enrollment rules.
- CMS, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesFederal Medigap standardization and the Plan F closure (MACRA). cms.gov
- Medicare Rights CenterIndependent guidance on supplement shopping. medicarerights.org