Medicare Supplement

22 Medigap insurers in Birmingham: the rules for 2026

Birmingham, Ala. — If you have a Medigap policy in Jefferson County, or you are shopping for one heading into 2026, a few moving parts are worth understanding before the new plan year settles in. None of them are dramatic on their own, but together they shape what you can buy, what you pay, and what your policy covers first.

Medicare SupplementBirmingham, AL

Here is a plain-English look at what is changing — and what is not — for Medicare Supplement Insurance in Birmingham.

The plan-letter rules have not changed — but they still trip people up

Medigap policies are standardized by letter. That means a Plan G sold by one company covers the same Medicare-approved gaps as a Plan G sold by another. The federal rules on which letters you can buy today have been steady for several years, and they carry into 2026:

• If you became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020, you cannot buy Plan C or Plan F. These plans pay the Part B deductible, and the law now blocks new enrollees from getting them.
• If you were eligible before that date, you can still buy or keep C or F if a carrier sells them.
• Everyone else chooses from Plans A, B, D, G, G-HD, K, L, M, and N.

Plan G and Plan N are the letters most new enrollees compare, because both pay Part A and Part B coinsurance but leave the Part B deductible to you.

The Part B deductible resets every January 1

This is the piece that catches people off guard. Because Plans G and N do not cover the Part B deductible, you pay it out of pocket at the start of each calendar year before your Medigap picks up its share of Part B costs.

The deductible amount is set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and is published at medicare.gov each fall for the year ahead. The 2026 figure will be posted there — check it before you plan for January doctor visits so the first bill does not surprise you.

If you have Plan C or Plan F (available only to those eligible before 2020), your policy pays that deductible for you. Every other letter leaves it with the member.

Rate-adjustment season: how Alabama filings work

Medigap premiums are not fixed by Medicare. Each insurer files its rates with the Alabama Department of Insurance, and rate changes typically show up on your renewal date, not on January 1. Two people with the same plan letter and the same carrier can pay different premiums based on age at issue, tobacco use, and when they enrolled.

A few practical steps for Birmingham readers this season:

• Read your renewal letter carefully — it will state the new premium and effective date.
• If you want to compare, call other carriers directly for a quote on the same plan letter.
• Alabama does not require carriers to accept you outside your one-time Medigap Open Enrollment Period (the six months starting when you are 65 and enrolled in Part B), so switching later usually involves medical underwriting. Ask before you drop coverage.

You can review filings and consumer guides through the Alabama Department of Insurance at aldoi.gov.

Who is selling Medigap in Alabama

Medicare.gov's Medigap policy search shows 22 insurers offering Medigap coverage in the Birmingham area (ZIP 35203), spanning Plans A, B, C, D, F, F-HD, G, G-HD, K, L, M, and N. Names range from AARP – UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company and AFLAC to Mutual of Omaha, State Farm, and USAA Life Insurance Company.

Some carriers sell only a few letters. For example, BlueCross BlueShield of Alabama lists Plan A only, while United American Insurance Company lists a wider set. The table below on this page lists every carrier and the plan letters each one offers in Alabama, so you can see the full lineup at a glance.

What is not changing

A quick reminder about what Medigap is not:

• Medigap works only with Original Medicare, not Medicare Advantage.
• Medigap does not include Part D prescription drug coverage — that is a separate policy.
• The Annual Enrollment Period (Oct. 15–Dec. 7) and the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (Jan. 1–March 31) apply to Medicare Advantage and Part D, not to Medigap. Medigap has its own enrollment rules.

If you are also weighing Part D changes for 2026, note the program-level updates: the Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100, the Part D maximum deductible is $615, the coverage gap is gone, and the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year.