Medicare 2026

Medigap Plan G vs. Plan N: How the Two Plans Differ

If you're exploring Medicare Supplement Insurance — commonly called Medigap — two plans you'll see named most often are Plan G and Plan N. They're both popular, both standardized by federal rules, and both designed to pick up many of the out-of-pocket costs that Original Medicare leaves behind. But they aren't identical, and the differences are worth understanding before you choose.

What Medigap does, in brief

Original Medicare (Part A for hospital care and Part B for doctor and outpatient care) pays a large share of covered services but leaves deductibles, coinsurance, and some other costs to you. A Medigap policy, sold by private insurers, helps pay those remaining costs. Medigap works only alongside Original Medicare — not with a Medicare Advantage plan — and it does not include prescription drug coverage, which is handled separately through Part D.

Medigap plans are labeled by letter (A, B, D, G, K, L, M, N, and others). A key feature: within each letter, benefits are standardized by federal rules. A Plan G from one insurer covers the same medical gaps as a Plan G from another. What differs is price — premiums vary by insurer, by your age, and by where you live — and extras like customer service or wellness perks.

How Plan G works

Plan G is the most comprehensive Medigap plan available to people who become eligible for Medicare today. It covers virtually all the gaps in Original Medicare except the Part B deductible. Once you've paid that annual Part B deductible, Plan G generally picks up the coinsurance and copays for Medicare-approved services — including the Part A hospital deductible, skilled nursing facility coinsurance, hospice coinsurance, and the 20 percent of Part B costs you'd otherwise owe.

Plan G also covers Part B excess charges. These can occur when a provider doesn't accept Medicare's approved amount as full payment and is allowed to bill a limited additional amount above it. With Plan G, that extra charge is covered.

Plan G also pays 80 percent of emergency care during foreign travel, up to the plan's limits — useful for people who travel internationally.

How Plan N works

Plan N covers many of the same gaps as Plan G, but with a few more cost-sharing responsibilities for the policyholder.

Like Plan G, Plan N does not cover the Part B deductible. In addition, Plan N includes:

• A copay of up to $20 for some office visits.
• A copay of up to $50 for emergency room visits that don't result in an inpatient admission.
• No coverage for Part B excess charges. If your provider doesn't accept Medicare assignment and is allowed to bill above the Medicare-approved amount, that cost falls on you.

Plan N also covers 80 percent of emergency foreign-travel care, up to plan limits, matching Plan G in that area.

In exchange for taking on those copays and the excess-charge risk, Plan N's monthly premium is typically lower than Plan G's — but how much lower depends on the insurer, your age, and your area, so comparing quotes is important.

The side-by-side difference

To summarize the practical differences:

• Part B deductible: both leave it to you.
• Office visit copays: none with Plan G; up to $20 with Plan N.
• ER copay (if not admitted): none with Plan G; up to $50 with Plan N.
• Part B excess charges: covered by Plan G; not covered by Plan N.
• Foreign travel emergency: 80 percent covered by both, up to plan limits.

Which plan fits better depends on how often you expect to see doctors, whether providers in your area routinely accept Medicare assignment, and how you weigh a predictable higher premium against variable copays.

Don't forget Part D

Neither Plan G nor Plan N includes prescription drug coverage. If you want help with drug costs, you'd enroll in a stand-alone Part D plan. A couple of national numbers to know: in 2027, the Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,400 (it's $2,100 in 2026), the most any Part D plan may charge as a deductible is $700, and the Part D base beneficiary premium — used to calculate the late-enrollment penalty — is $41.33. Actual plan premiums vary.

Timing and enrollment

Medigap has its own enrollment rules, distinct from Medicare Advantage and Part D. The best time to buy a Medigap policy is typically during your Medigap Open Enrollment Period, when insurers generally can't deny you coverage or charge more based on health. Outside that window, protections vary. Medicare.gov explains the specific rules.

For Part D, the Annual Enrollment Period for 2027 coverage runs October 15 – December 7, 2026, with coverage starting January 1, 2027. People with Medicaid or Extra Help have, since 2025, a monthly Special Enrollment Period to move to Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D plan or switch stand-alone plans; full-benefit dual-eligible individuals can also join an integrated D-SNP in any month.

A note on 2027 figures still pending: the Part B standard premium and deductible, and the IRMAA income brackets, had not been announced at the time of writing. CMS typically announces them in the fall. The Social Security Administration announced a 3.6 percent COLA for benefits payable beginning January 2027.

Where to learn more

For the official standardized benefit charts, enrollment rules, and plan-finder tools, visit Medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048). Comparing Plan G and Plan N quotes from several insurers — using the same letter — is a straightforward way to see how the trade-offs line up for you.