Medicare Supplement

Medigap Explained for Jonesboro Medicare Enrollees

JONESBORO, Ark. — If you're new to Medicare, or helping a parent sort through the mail piling up on the kitchen table, you've probably run into the phrase "Medicare Supplement" — also called Medigap. And you've likely seen it paired with letters: Plan G, Plan N, Plan K, and more.

Here's a plain-language guide to what Medigap actually does, how the letters work, and where it fits alongside Original Medicare.

What Medigap is — and what it isn't

Medigap is private insurance that helps pay some of the out-of-pocket costs that Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) leaves behind. Think coinsurance, copayments, and in some cases the Part A hospital deductible.

A few things Medigap is not:

• It is not Medicare Advantage (Part C). Advantage plans replace how you get your Medicare benefits; Medigap works alongside Original Medicare.
• It does not include prescription drug coverage. If you want drug coverage, you generally add a separate Part D plan.
• It does not typically cover dental, vision, hearing aids, or long-term care.

You pay a monthly premium for a Medigap policy on top of your Part B premium. In return, more of your Medicare-covered costs are picked up for you.

Why the plans are labeled with letters

Medigap plans sold today are standardized by the federal government. That means Plan G from one insurance company covers the same core benefits as Plan G from another company. The price can differ, and customer service can differ, but the benefits inside each lettered plan are set by law in most states. (Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin standardize their plans a little differently.)

The letters currently sold to new enrollees include A, B, D, G, K, L, M, and N. Plans C and F are still held by people who had them before, but they're no longer sold to people who became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020, because those plans covered the Part B deductible — and Congress changed the rules.

Plan G and Plan N tend to be the most talked-about options for newer enrollees, but the "right" letter depends entirely on your health, budget, and how you like to pay for care. That is a conversation for you, a licensed agent, or your local SHIP counselor — not a headline.

What the letters generally help with

Every standardized Medigap plan covers a core set of benefits, including:

• Part A hospital coinsurance and an extra 365 days of hospital coverage after Medicare benefits are used up
• Part B coinsurance or copayment (some plans cover a percentage)
• The first three pints of blood
• Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment

From there, the higher-letter plans add more — such as skilled nursing facility coinsurance, the Part A deductible, and limited foreign travel emergency coverage. Plans K and L work differently: they cover a percentage of certain costs and include an annual out-of-pocket limit.

For the official side-by-side benefit chart, the best source is Medicare.gov.

Timing matters: your Medigap Open Enrollment window

Here's the piece many people wish they'd known sooner: you get one Medigap Open Enrollment Period that starts the first month you're 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. It lasts six months.

During that window, insurers generally can't turn you down or charge you more because of your health. Outside of it, in most states, they can use medical underwriting — which means a health condition could raise your premium or block you from switching plans. A few states have stronger consumer protections; Arkansas largely follows the federal rules.

If you're approaching 65 in Jonesboro, that six-month window is worth putting on the calendar.

How Jonesboro fits in

Jonesboro is in Craighead County, where Medicare beneficiaries have access to Original Medicare plus a range of private options — including Medigap policies from multiple insurers licensed in Arkansas, stand-alone Part D drug plans, and Medicare Advantage plans. Availability of Medigap carriers is set at the state level, while Advantage and Part D plan availability is set at the county level.

For local, unbiased help, Arkansas SHIIP (the State Health Insurance Assistance Program) offers free counseling to Medicare beneficiaries and their families.

A few 2026 numbers to keep in mind

Medigap doesn't cover prescriptions, but many of the same people shopping Medigap are also picking a Part D plan. For 2026:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615.
• The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") is gone as of 2025 — Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly amounts, if that helps with cash flow.
• IRMAA income surcharges start above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026.
• Annual Enrollment Period: Oct. 15 – Dec. 7. Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: Jan. 1 – March 31.