Best Medicare Supplement Plans in 2026: Plan G, Plan N, and How to Choose

Choosing a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plan in 2026 comes down to a short list. While there are technically 10 lettered plans available, the vast majority of new enrollees end up choosing between two: Plan G and Plan N. A third option — High Deductible Plan G — is gaining popularity among healthy, cost-conscious seniors. Everything else is either closed to new enrollees (Plan F), provides less coverage for little savings, or serves a very niche need.

This guide ranks the best Medigap plans for 2026 by actual value, explains the cost differences, and helps you determine which plan makes the most financial sense for your parent's specific situation.

The three plans worth considering

Plan G: the best overall value

Plan G is the most popular Medigap plan sold today, and it's the standard recommendation from most independent Medicare advisors. Here's why:

What it covers:

• Part A hospital deductible ($1,676 per benefit period)
• Part A hospital coinsurance for days 61-90 ($419/day) and lifetime reserve days ($838/day)
• 365 additional hospital days after Medicare benefits run out
• Part B coinsurance (the 20% your parent would otherwise pay — with no cap)
• Skilled nursing facility coinsurance (days 21-100, $204.50/day)
• Part B excess charges (when a doctor charges more than the Medicare-approved amount)
• Foreign travel emergency coverage (80% after $250 deductible)
• First 3 pints of blood per year

What it doesn't cover:

• The Part B annual deductible ($257 in 2026) — this is the one gap

After your parent pays the $257 Part B deductible once per year, Plan G covers everything else. No copays, no coinsurance, no surprise bills. If your parent is hospitalized for 30 days, has surgery, gets months of physical therapy, and sees six specialists — the total out-of-pocket cost is $257 for the year.

2026 premium range: $120 - $300/month depending on age, location, and insurer. National averages for a 65-year-old enrollee typically fall around $140-$180/month.

Plan N: the best budget option

Plan N covers nearly as much as Plan G but costs $30-$50 less per month. The trade-off is small copays and one coverage exclusion.

How Plan N differs from Plan G:

• Copays for doctor visits: Up to $20 for office visits, up to $50 for emergency room visits that don't result in admission
• No coverage for Part B excess charges: If a doctor doesn't accept Medicare assignment and charges more than the approved amount, your parent pays the excess

Everything else is the same as Plan G — hospital deductible, hospital coinsurance, skilled nursing, foreign travel emergency.

Is the excess charge risk real? Less than 5% of physicians nationwide charge excess fees, and several states (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont) prohibit excess charges by law. If your parent lives in one of these states or sees doctors who all accept Medicare assignment, the excess charge exclusion is a non-issue.

The math on Plan N vs. Plan G: If Plan N is $40/month cheaper than Plan G, your parent saves $480/year. They'd need to pay more than $480 in office visit copays (24+ doctor visits at $20 each) plus excess charges to lose money on Plan N. For most healthy seniors with fewer than 12 doctor visits per year, Plan N is the better financial deal.

2026 premium range: $80 - $230/month. National averages for a 65-year-old are typically $100-$140/month.

High Deductible Plan G: the best option for healthy seniors

High Deductible Plan G (HD Plan G) is Plan G with a high annual deductible ($2,870 in 2026). Your parent pays all Medicare cost-sharing out of pocket until they've spent $2,870 in a year. After that, the plan works identically to standard Plan G — covering everything.

Why it works for healthy people: The premium is dramatically lower — often $30-$75/month compared to $140-$180 for standard Plan G. That's a savings of roughly $1,200-$1,500 per year in premiums.

In a typical year where your parent has the Part B deductible ($257) and a few doctor visits, they might spend $500-$1,000 out of pocket — well under the $2,870 deductible. They pocket the premium savings.

In a bad year — a hospitalization, surgery, extensive treatment — they'd pay up to $2,870 before the plan kicks in. But $2,870 is still far less than the uncapped exposure of Original Medicare without any Medigap plan.

The breakeven calculation: If HD Plan G saves $1,200/year in premiums vs. standard Plan G, your parent comes out ahead unless they spend more than $1,200 per year in additional out-of-pocket costs. That means they'd need significant medical expenses — a hospital stay or multiple costly procedures — to lose the bet. Over a decade of mostly healthy years, the premium savings can add up to $10,000+.

The catch: Your parent needs the cash reserves to handle the deductible if something goes wrong. HD Plan G is not appropriate for someone living paycheck to paycheck on Social Security alone.

2026 premium range: $30 - $75/month.

Plans you should probably skip

Plan F

Plan F is the "Cadillac" plan that covers everything, including the Part B deductible. But it's been closed to new enrollees since January 1, 2020 (per the MACRA law). Only people who became eligible for Medicare before that date can still have it.

The problem for existing Plan F holders: since no healthy new members can join, the risk pool is aging. Premiums for Plan F are rising faster than Plan G premiums — often 5-10% more per year. The only benefit Plan F has over Plan G is covering the $257 Part B deductible, but the premium difference is typically $500-$1,000+/year. Your parent is paying $500+ more in premiums to avoid a $257 deductible.

If your parent currently has Plan F, they can keep it. But they should compare their Plan F premium to a Plan G premium from the same or a different company. Switching to Plan G saves money almost every time. Note: switching plans after the Medigap Open Enrollment Period may require medical underwriting, so your parent should check with insurers before canceling Plan F.

Plans A, B, C, D, K, L, M

These plans exist but serve narrow niches. Plan A covers the minimum benefits with no frills. Plans K and L cover a percentage of cost-sharing (50% and 75% respectively) with an annual out-of-pocket limit — a middle ground that appeals to almost no one when Plan N exists. Plans C and D are similar to F and G but Plan C is also closed to new enrollees.

For the vast majority of families, the choice is Plan G, Plan N, or High Deductible Plan G.

How to compare prices from different companies

Since all Plan G's cover the same benefits, the comparison between companies is straightforward:

Check multiple insurers

Get quotes from at least 4-5 companies. Major national Medigap insurers include:

• Mutual of Omaha — one of the largest Medigap sellers, competitive pricing in many states
• AARP/UnitedHealthcare — AARP-branded plans underwritten by UHC, very large market share
• Cigna
• Aetna
• Blue Cross Blue Shield (varies by state — different BCBS companies in different regions)
• State-specific insurers that may offer better local rates

Ask about the pricing method

This is the question most people forget to ask, and it has the biggest long-term impact:

• Attained-age pricing — premium increases as your parent ages. Cheapest at 65, most expensive at 85+. This is the most common method.
• Issue-age pricing — premium is based on the age at purchase and doesn't increase due to aging (only for inflation). More predictable over time.
• Community-rated — everyone pays the same regardless of age. Higher starting premium but most stable over time.

A company offering a low attained-age premium at 65 may charge significantly more than a competitor with issue-age pricing by the time your parent is 78.

Check the company's rate increase history

Ask the insurer or check with your state's insurance department for the company's historical rate increases on Medigap plans. Some companies have a pattern of low introductory rates followed by aggressive increases in years 3-5 once they've captured the customer. A.M. Best financial strength ratings also indicate whether the company is on solid financial footing.

Use your SHIP counselor

Your state's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) can provide free, unbiased premium comparisons and help you understand local pricing patterns. They know which companies in your state have the best track records.

Timing: when to buy

The Medigap Open Enrollment Period — 6 months starting the month your parent turns 65 and is enrolled in Part B — is the single most important window. During this period, insurers must sell your parent any Medigap plan at the standard premium, regardless of health conditions.

After this window, medical underwriting applies. If your parent develops diabetes, cancer, or heart disease before they try to buy Medigap, they may be denied coverage entirely or charged significantly higher premiums.

The best strategy: buy Medigap during the open enrollment period, even if your parent is healthy. The premium at 65 is the lowest it will ever be (for attained-age plans), and guaranteed issue means no health screening. Waiting until a health condition develops makes Medigap either expensive or unavailable.

Making the decision

For most families, the decision tree is simple:

1. Does your parent want maximum protection with minimal paperwork? Plan G.
2. Is your parent healthy, visits the doctor infrequently, and wants to save on premiums? Plan N.
3. Is your parent very healthy, has cash reserves, and wants the lowest possible premiums? High Deductible Plan G.
4. Is your parent on a very limited income? Consider Medicare Extra Help and Medicare Advantage (which has $0 premium options and an out-of-pocket cap).

Our Medicare Enrollment Guide includes a Medigap premium comparison worksheet, a rate increase tracker, and a step-by-step enrollment checklist for the Medigap Open Enrollment Period — so you can walk your parent through the decision and lock in coverage before the guaranteed-issue window closes.