September 20th 2023
By Ari Parker
Medigap Plan F and Plan G are both popular because they eliminate almost all out-of-pocket costs. Plan G has slightly less coverage and also lower premiums.
By Ari Parker
Medicare Supplement Plans F and G both help cover most costs that remain after Original Medicare pays its share of your medical bills. These Medigap plans, offered by private insurance companies, usually have higher premiums than Medicare Advantage plans—but they can drastically reduce your overall costs for healthcare.
Historically, Plan F has been the most popular Medigap plan among Medicare beneficiaries. Since it’s not available to those who turn 65 after January 1, 2020, Medigap Plan G is quickly becoming the most common Medigap plan.
Both plans are valued because they provide comprehensive coverage and virtually eliminate out-of-pocket costs. For example, with a Plan G, you won’t owe anything for Medicare-covered services once you meet your Part B deductible of $257 in 2025.
The differences between Plan F and Plan G are minimal, but we’ll dive into the details after reviewing Medicare Supplement plans and how they work.
Medicare Supplement (also called Medigap) plans help cover the 20% of costs that Original Medicare doesn’t pay.
Since Plan F isn’t available to those who turn 65 after January 1, 2020, Plan G is the most popular plan among new Medicare beneficiaries.
Medigap Plan G covers slightly less than Plan F. As such, the premiums for Plan Gs are generally lower.
Plan pricing can differ based on several factors, including where you live, your age, and your smoking status.
Medicare Supplement plans (also called Medigap plans) sit on top of your Original Medicare coverage to help cover the gaps in coverage. Because Original Medicare doesn’t cover about 20% of costs, Medigap plans cover many out-of-pocket expenses you’d otherwise be responsible for if you only had Original Medicare.
In all but three states (Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin), there are ten types of Medigap plans, labeled by letters A-N. Plan F and Plan G both also have high-deductible variations. These plans are all standardized, which means that all Plan Gs have identical coverage, even though prices will vary by insurance carrier.
Medigap plans help cover the gaps in costs not covered by Original Medicare. While their premiums are higher than those for Medicare Advantage plans, they pay for out-of-pocket costs like your deductibles and coinsurance—leading to more fixed costs and better financial predictability.
Like Original Medicare, Medigap plans allow you to see any doctor who accepts Medicare. They also don’t require prior authorization for covered services—a common complaint against Medicare Advantage plans.
Also like Original Medicare, they do not cover prescription drugs. You would need a stand-alone Medicare Part D plan to cover prescriptions. Finally, they don’t provide extra benefits for dental, vision, and hearing services, which are often offered by Medicare Advantage plans.
Plans G and F are the most popular Medigap plans, with Plan G being the likely choice for new Medicare beneficiaries.
Plan F has been considered the Cadillac of Medigap plans and used to be the most popular Medigap plan. In an attempt to fix some Medicare funding issues, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, known as MACRA, eliminated access to Plan F for anyone who turns 65 after January 1, 2020. The thinking behind this was that seniors would be less likely to seek unnecessary services if they had “skin in the game.”
In 2023, 38.82% of Medigap beneficiaries chose Plan G, 35.96% chose Plan F, and 10.04% chose Plan.
As more people age into Medicare and Medicare-eligible individuals don’t have access to Plan F, Plan G will naturally rise as the most popular Medigap plan.
The coverage on both plans includes:
Part A coinsurance and hospital costs up to an additional 365 days after Medicare benefits are used up
Part A deductible
Part B coinsurance or copayment
Part B excess charge, which is a charge by your provider beyond the Medicare-approved amount
Pints of blood (first three pints)
Skilled nursing facility care coinsurance, as well as hospice care coinsurance or copayment
80% of the cost of health care costs for a foreign travel emergency incurred while traveling out of the country, up to your plan’s limits
Both Plan F and Plan G cover almost all of your out-of-pocket expenses. What’s different? The only thing Plan F covers that Plan G doesn’t is the Medicare Part B deductible.
Want to see how other Medicare supplement insurance plans compare to F and G? Take a look at this chart for full details on what each Medigap plan covers.
Medigap Plan F premiums are higher than Plan G premiums because Plan F covers the annual deductible for Medicare Part B. Furthermore, Medigap Plan F premiums are rising as the average planholder age increases (due to ineligibility of younger retirees).
The exact price you pay depends on various factors, that can include:
Where you live
Your smoking status
Your age
Your gender
The insurance carrier
Household discounts (offered by some Medigap plans)
For example, if you’re a 65-year-old individual who doesn’t use tobacco:
Premiums for enrollees based in Ohio for Plan G range from $105 to $647.
In Montana, Plan G premiums range from $0 to $932.
Both of these Medigap plans are popular for a reason. For many new Medicare beneficiaries, your decision is made for you because Medigap Plan F is unavailable for those who turn 65 after January 1, 2020. It’s worth noting that Medigap Plan N is another close alternative to Plan G or Plan F. You can learn more about how Plan N compares to Plan G here.
Technically, you can enroll in a Medigap plan any time—as long as you have Medicare Part A & Part B and are not enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan. That said, you are only guaranteed to be issued a Medigap policy during specific times called guaranteed issue periods.
The most common time to enroll in a Medigap plan is during your Medigap Open Enrollment Period. This is a six-month period that starts during your first month of Medicare Part B coverage. There are a handful of other guaranteed issue periods, outlined in our Medigap enrollment guide. Outside of these guaranteed issue periods, insurance companies may ask you medical underwriting questions and deny you coverage based on your answers.
In Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, and New York, prospective enrollees are guaranteed acceptance into a Medigap plan at all times. Some other states have a Medigap birthday or anniversary rule. These give you an annual opportunity to change from one Medigap plan to another without going through medical underwriting. These rules generally allow you to change from a higher-coverage plan to a lower-coverage plan (e.g., from Plan F to a Plan G) but not from a lower-coverage plan to a higher-coverage plan (e.g., from Plan N to Plan G).
The following states have a birthday or anniversary rule:
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