What are the Medicare Supplement plan benefits and how will they change in 2026?

Medicare Supplements (also called Medigap policies) work together with your original Medicare coverage, filling the “gaps” (deductibles, coinsurance, and co-payments) in your Medicare Part A (in-patient or hospital insurance) and Medicare Part B (out-patient or physician insurance) coverage.  In short, Medicare Supplements offered by private insurance companies provide additional coverage to your original Medicare coverage.

The following is a chart showing the different Medicare Supplement or Medigap policies and the coverage benefits associated with each plan.

Please note that Medicare Supplements are regulated on a state basis (not a federal basis) and not all Medicare Supplements are available in each state.

Remember that all Medicare Supplements are "standardized", offering the same coverage benefits for a particular plan (such as Plan G), but the monthly premiums for a Medicare Supplement can vary depending on the insurance company - and premiums can increase over time, with approval from your state.

For more information about the Medigap offerings in your area, please either contact a Medicare representative (1-800-Medicare) or a local insurance agent representing a Medicare Supplement carrier (insurance company).

Here is a key to the chart below:
Yes = the plan covers 100% of this benefit
No = the policy doesn't cover that benefit
% = the plan covers that percentage of this benefit

Reminder:  Since 2020, no Medicare Part C, F, and high-deductible F are no longer being offered.

As part of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), starting in 2020, Medigap plans that cover the Medicare Part B deductible (Plan C, Plan F, and high-deductible Plan F) will no longer be sold.  Medigap members who purchased their plans before 2020 can keep their Plan C or Plan F policies, but can expect increasing monthly premiums as plan healthcare costs rise without the addition of new, healthier plan members.

With the outlook of increasing premiums, some current Medigap plan members are expected to move to more affordable Medicare Supplement plans.  For example, you might expect people currently enrolled in Medigap Plan F to move to the similar Plan G (that does not cover the Medicare Part B deductible, but has a slightly lower premium as compared to a Plan F) and if the person stays with the same Medicare Supplement carrier, there should be no medical underwriting as Plan G offers less coverage (the Part B deductible) than the Plan F.

If you live in Massachusetts, Minnesota, or Wisconsin...

If you live in one of these 3 states, Medigap policies are standardized in a different way.

• You live in Massachusetts
• You live in Minnesota
• You live in Wisconsin

source: