Medicare Supplement Plan G: Coverage & Costs

This guide is for anyone deciding whether Plan G is the right Medigap coverage for their situation — not a comparison of specific insurance companies.

Is Plan G a Good Fit for You?

If predictability and doctor freedom matter more to you than shaving a few dollars off your monthly premium, Plan G tends to be a strong fit.

If you're healthy and budget-focused, it's still worth comparing against Plan N or High Deductible Plan G before you decide.

Who Plan G Is Best For

What Does Medigap Plan G Cover?

Plan G is a Medigap policy that works alongside Original Medicare (Part A and Part B), covering most of the out-of-pocket costs Medicare doesn't pay for.

• Part A coinsurance and hospital costs, including up to 365 extra days after Medicare benefits are used up
• Part A deductible, paid in full
• Part B coinsurance and copayments, covered at 100% after you meet the Part B deductible
• Skilled nursing facility coinsurance
• Part B excess charges — the extra amount a provider who doesn't accept Medicare assignment is allowed to bill
• Foreign travel emergency care, up to 80% of eligible costs within plan limits

What Isn't Covered Under Plan G?

• The Part B deductible ($283 for 2026, adjusted annually) — this is the one Medicare-approved cost Plan G doesn't pay
• Prescription drugs — you'll need a standalone Part D plan
• Vision, dental, and hearing — these require separate coverage

Plan G: Pros and Cons

Weighing these side by side, we come down on the side of the pros more often than not.

The list of cons is real, but most of it comes down to paying more upfront for a plan that then gives you very few surprises later.

That's a trade we think is worth making for the majority of people we work with.

We hear a version of the same story often.

A client gets a new diagnosis and wants to see a specialist two states away, near where their adult kids live, or they spend winters somewhere warm and want to keep the same doctor they've always had.

Plan G makes that simple: any doctor who accepts Medicare is "in network," no matter where in the country you are.

One reason many clients value Plan G is that its standardized benefits don't change from year to year.

Provider networks and plan benefits can change annually with Medicare Advantage, but your Plan G benefits remain the same as long as you keep the policy.

The only thing that can change is the premium, and even that's something you can shop around on your own terms, on your own timeline.

If we're being direct about it: the pros column is where most of our clients end up living day to day.

The cons column is mostly about the price you pay to get there.

For people who travel, split time between homes, or just don't want their coverage to change on them without warning, that stability is worth quite a bit.

That's one of the biggest reasons Plan G continues to be the Medigap plan we recommend most often.

Why Plan G Became the Most Popular Medigap Plan

Plan G wasn't always the default recommendation. For years, Plan F was the more comprehensive option, since it also covered the Part B deductible.

When Plan F closed to newly eligible beneficiaries in 2020, Plan G became the natural replacement.

It offers nearly identical coverage, and it's still available to everyone.

Since then, Plan G has become the most widely selected Medigap plan for newly eligible beneficiaries.

Because Plan G's benefits are so close to Plan F's, many beneficiaries also found they could save more in premium each year than the Part B deductible Plan F would have covered for them.

This helped accelerate the shift, not just Plan F's closure to new enrollees on its own.

How Much Does Medigap Plan G Cost?

Plan G premiums typically run between $140 and $300 a month, depending on your state, age, gender, tobacco use, and the insurance company's pricing method.

Sample Monthly Quotes — 65-Year-Old, Non-Smoking Applicant

Quotes shown are examples for illustration only.

Actual premiums vary by ZIP code, age, gender (where permitted), tobacco use, household discounts, and carrier.

Florida and a handful of other states tend to run meaningfully higher than the national range.

Why Premiums Differ Between Companies

Since Plan G's benefits are standardized by federal law, coverage is identical no matter which company you choose.

What changes from one insurer to the next is the premium, driven by each company's pricing method (community-rated, issue-age-rated, or attained-age-rated) and its own claims experience.

That's the entire reason it's worth comparing companies before you enroll.

Not because one company's Plan G "covers more," but because the price for identical coverage can vary by $50 or more a month.

We put together a full breakdown of how different Plan G companies tend to compare on price and service if you want to see how specific insurers stack up.

One thing we explain to nearly every client is that no Medicare Supplement company can promise lower future rate increases.

Premiums change over time based on factors like claims experience, inflation, and your state's pricing rules.

That's why we recommend focusing on today's competitive pricing and periodically reviewing your coverage.

Don't assume one company will always remain the least expensive.

What Else to Compare Before You Enroll

Before enrolling in Plan G, it's worth comparing it against a few alternatives — our full Medicare Supplement plans comparison chart covers all of them side by side:

• Plan N — a lower premium in exchange for small, predictable copays
• High Deductible Plan G — a much lower premium paired with an annual deductible you pay before the plan's coverage kicks in
• Original Medicare alone — rarely the right call for most people, but worth understanding if a Medigap premium isn't in the budget at all

Not because Plan G is a bad choice.

It's because a good recommendation should always come after ruling out the alternatives, not before.

When We Don't Recommend Plan G

We don't recommend Plan G for everyone. We often point clients toward another option instead when:

• Someone has an extremely tight retirement budget and every dollar of monthly premium matters
• A healthy client is likely to save substantially with Plan N over the years — this usually means they're in an area where Plan N's premium savings outweigh the coverage difference we'd otherwise recommend Plan G for
• High Deductible Plan G makes sense in areas where the premium plus the annual deductible comes out close to what a standard Plan G premium costs on its own
• A client qualifies for other coverage that fits their needs better than any Medigap plan would — for example, someone working past age 65 who still has affordable employer coverage

Plan G is our most-recommended plan, not our only recommendation.

Part of doing this well is telling people when a different option actually serves them better.

How to Enroll in Medicare Supplement Plan G

1. Make sure you're enrolled in both Medicare Part A and Part B.
2. Check your Medigap Open Enrollment Period — the six-month window starting the month you turn 65 and are enrolled in Part B. Coverage is guaranteed during this window, with no health questions.
3. Compare quotes across multiple carriers for Plan G, since coverage is identical and only price and service differ.
4. Submit your application. If you're outside your Open Enrollment window, ask about medical underwriting and whether a guaranteed issue right applies to your situation.
5. Review your coverage every year or two, especially if your premium has increased.

A few things people commonly get wrong about enrollment:

• "I can switch anytime" — usually not without underwriting once your Open Enrollment window closes
• "My benefits change if I switch companies" — they don't, since Plan G is standardized
• "I'll always pass underwriting" — health changes can affect this, which is why timing your enrollment matters

We've had many people contact us years after enrolling, hoping to switch to a lower-priced company.

Unfortunately, some no longer qualify because of changes in their health.

That's one reason choosing carefully during your Open Enrollment Period can be so valuable.

Common Mistakes and Misconceptions

Real-Life Situations Where Plan G Makes Sense

The following examples are based on common situations we see with Medicare beneficiaries, not any single client.

Our Advice After Helping Medicare Beneficiaries Choose Medigap

After helping Medicare beneficiaries compare Medigap plans for more than 15 years, here's what we tell every new client considering Plan G, and why each one matters:

• Benefits are identical regardless of which company you choose — so there's no coverage trade-off in shopping around for a better price
• Always compare premiums across multiple carriers before enrolling — the gap between the cheapest and most expensive quote for the same coverage is often $50 or more a month
• Apply during your Medigap Open Enrollment Period whenever possible — this is the only time acceptance is guaranteed regardless of your health
• Don't assume you can switch companies later without underwriting — health changes between now and then can affect whether you'd still qualify
• Revisit your premium every few years, especially if rates increase significantly — the company that was cheapest at enrollment isn't guaranteed to stay that way

Bottom Line

Medicare Supplement Plan G offers some of the most comprehensive coverage available in Medigap, with predictable costs and no networks to worry about.

After helping Medicare beneficiaries compare coverage for more than 15 years, we continue to recommend Plan G more often than any other Medigap plan.

Not because it's right for everyone, but because it consistently provides the combination of predictable costs, nationwide access, and long-term stability that many retirees value most.

How We Keep This Guide Current

Medicare rules, deductibles, and premiums change over time.

We review this guide regularly to update Medicare cost figures, enrollment rules, and pricing examples so the information stays accurate.