Medigap Plan G: what it covers, and Plan G vs Plan F

If you only read one part of this page, read this.

Medigap plans have letters, A through N. Federal law sets what each letter covers. So a Plan G from one company covers the same things as a Plan G from any other company. A costly Plan G and a cheap Plan G pay the same bills.

That changes how you shop. You are not comparing coverage. You are comparing price and the company. Some companies add extras, like a gym perk. Those extras are not part of the plan, and the company can drop them. Do not let an extra make the choice.

One exception: Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin set up their Medigap plans in a different way. If you live in one of those states, check your state's own plan list.

Plan G fills almost every gap that Original Medicare leaves. It pays the Part A hospital deductible. It pays your share of long hospital and nursing home stays. It pays the 20% you owe for most doctor visits, and that 20% has no yearly cap on its own. It even pays part of the cost of an emergency when you travel abroad.

There is one gap it leaves: the yearly Part B deductible. That is $283 in 2026. You pay it once a year. After that, covered care costs you very little.

Like every Medigap plan, Plan G does not cover prescription drugs. For those you need a separate Part D plan. It also does not cover routine dental, vision, or hearing care.

Plan F and Plan G cover the same things, with one exception. Plan F also pays the yearly Part B deductible. Plan G does not. Every other row on the Medicare.gov chart is the same for both plans.

The bigger difference is who can buy each one. Anyone with Part A and Part B can buy Plan G. Plan F is closed to people who became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020.

It depends on when you first became eligible for Medicare, not when you signed up. If you were eligible before January 1, 2020, you may still buy Plan F (or Plan C). That is true even if you waited to enroll.

If you became eligible on or after January 1, 2020, you cannot buy Plan F or Plan C. You can buy Plan G or Plan D instead. Those give you the same benefits, except for the Part B deductible.

If you already have Plan F, you can keep it. For the full story on why it closed, see Medigap Plan F, why it closed.

If you can buy both plans, the choice comes down to one question. Does Plan F cost more each year than the deductible it covers?

Plan F can save you, at most, the Part B deductible. That is $283 in 2026. So if Plan F costs more than $283 a year more than Plan G, Plan G is the better deal. That holds even in a year when you pay the whole deductible. If the gap is smaller than $283, Plan F may save you a little.

We do not list prices here. Premiums depend on the company, the plan, and where you live. Use real quotes for the steps below.

Also look at the future. No one new can join Plan F, so the people in it get older each year. Ask each company how its Plan F and Plan G prices have changed in past years. Medicare.gov notes that Medigap premiums often go up each year.

Yes, but you may have to answer health questions. In most cases, federal law does not give you a right to switch Medigap plans after your Medigap Open Enrollment Period. A company can look at your health. It can charge you more, or it can say no.

Some states give you more rights. New York and Connecticut let people buy Medigap all year. Some states, such as California and Oregon, have a "birthday rule" that gives you a yearly chance to switch. The rules vary a lot, so check with your State Insurance Department or your SHIP.

Do not cancel Plan F first. Wait until Plan G says yes. When you get the new policy, you have 30 days to decide if you want to keep it. This is called a free look. You pay both premiums for the month you have both.

Plans F and G also come in a high-deductible version in some states. It covers the same things. But you pay up to $2,950 in 2026 for covered costs before the plan pays anything. In return, the monthly premium is lower.

Here is the trade. In a quiet year, you may save more on premiums than you pay in costs. In a hard year, you pay up to the deductible. Then the plan works like regular Plan G. CMS sets the deductible each year. The 2027 amount has not been announced yet.

The high-deductible Plan F has the same rule as regular Plan F. Only people eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020 can buy it.

When you buy matters more than which company you pick. Your Medigap Open Enrollment Period lasts 6 months. It starts the first day of the month you are 65 or older and signed up for Part B.

During those 6 months, any company that sells Medigap in your state must sell you any plan it offers. It cannot charge you more because of your health.

After that, in most states, the same Plan G can cost more or be hard to get. A few situations give you a right to buy later, such as losing other coverage. See Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage? for the rules on switching back from an Advantage plan.

The coverage is fixed, so you shop on two things: price and the company. Get quotes for Plan G from several companies. The same plan can have very different prices.

Then ask how each company sets its price. There are three ways, and each one changes how your premium grows as you age. A plan that is cheapest at 65 can cost the most later if its price goes up with your age.

Ask about discounts too. Some companies give discounts to married people, to non-smokers, or for paying by bank draft. Your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) gives free, unbiased help with any of this.