A Medigap plan, also called Medicare Supplement Insurance, helps pay your share of costs in Original Medicare, like the 20% Part B coinsurance, hospital coinsurance, and some deductibles. What it pays depends on the plan letter you have, and plans with the same letter offer the same basic benefits no matter which company sells them. Medigap generally doesn't pay for long-term care, dental, vision, hearing aids, glasses, or private-duty nursing.
How does a Medigap plan work with Medicare?
Medigap works only alongside Original Medicare. Medicare's "Choosing a Medigap Policy" guide says that when you get care, Medicare pays its share of the Medicare-approved amount first, and then your Medigap policy pays its share.
A few basics from that guide:
- You generally need both Part A and Part B to buy a Medigap policy.
- Insurance companies generally can't sell you a Medigap policy if you have a Medicare Advantage plan or Medicaid.
- Medigap is different from a Medicare Advantage plan. Medicare Advantage replaces how you get Medicare coverage; Medigap only helps pay costs Original Medicare leaves behind.
- Medicare doesn't pay any of the cost of buying a Medigap policy. You pay the premium to the insurance company.
Are all Medigap plans the same?
Plans are standardized. In most states, they're named by letters A–D, F, G, and K–N. Medicare's guide says all plans with the same letter offer the same basic benefits, and price is the only difference between policies with the same letter sold by different companies.
Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin standardize their plans in a different way. Some states also sell Medicare SELECT policies, which may require you to use certain hospitals (and sometimes doctors) to get full benefits.
What does each Medigap plan pay for in 2026?
Here's a summary of Medicare's 2026 chart. "Yes" means the plan covers 100% of that benefit.
| Benefit | A | B | C | D | F | G | K | L | M | N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part A coinsurance and hospital costs (up to 365 extra days) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Part B coinsurance or copayment | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 50% | 75% | Yes | Yes* |
| Blood (first 3 pints) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 50% | 75% | Yes | Yes |
| Part A hospice coinsurance | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 50% | 75% | Yes | Yes |
| Skilled nursing facility coinsurance | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 50% | 75% | Yes | Yes |
| Part A deductible | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 50% | 75% | 50% | Yes |
| Part B deductible | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| Part B excess charge | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Foreign travel emergency (up to plan limits) | No | No | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | No | No | 80% | 80% |
*Plan N pays the Part B coinsurance except for a copayment of up to $20 for some office visits and up to $50 for emergency room visits that don't result in an inpatient admission.
Other notes from Medicare's guide:
- Plans C and F aren't available to people new to Medicare on or after January 1, 2020, because plans sold to them can't cover the Part B deductible. People who were eligible earlier may still be able to buy them.
- High-deductible Plans F and G are offered in some states. You pay Medicare-covered costs up to $2,950 in 2026 before the policy pays anything.
- Plans K and L have a yearly out-of-pocket limit. After you reach it and pay your yearly Part B deductible, the plan pays 100% of covered services for the rest of the year.
What doesn't Medigap pay for?
Medicare's guide says Medigap policies generally don't cover:
- Long-term care, like non-skilled care in a nursing home.
- Vision or dental care.
- Hearing aids.
- Glasses.
- Private-duty nursing.
Medigap also follows Medicare's lead. If Medicare denies a service as not covered, your Medigap plan generally won't pay its share either, because there's no Medicare-approved amount to supplement. (Foreign travel emergency care is the main exception listed in the chart.)
Prescription drugs at the pharmacy are covered through a separate Medicare drug plan (Part D), which is not a Medigap policy. Medicare's guide lists Medicare drug plans among the types of insurance that aren't Medigap.
And if you see a doctor who has opted out of Medicare under a private contract, Medicare.gov says your Medigap policy won't pay anything for those services.