Medicare Supplement

Elk Grove Medigap shopping: what the standardized letters mean in California

If you live in Elk Grove and you are looking at a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy, the first thing to know is that these plans are federally standardized. That means a Plan G sold by one company covers the same medical costs as a Plan G sold by another. What can differ is the price, the customer service and the extras a company chooses to add — but the core benefits are set by law.

Elk Grove is in Sacramento County, and California residents can shop from the same set of standardized plan letters the rest of the country uses (with the exception of Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin, which standardize their plans differently). Below is a plain-language guide to which letters you can buy today, how Medigap pairs with Original Medicare and Part D, and where to go for personal help.

How Medigap fits with the rest of Medicare

Medigap is designed to fill in some of what Original Medicare does not pay — things like the Part A hospital deductible, coinsurance and copays. It only works alongside Original Medicare. If you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, you cannot use a Medigap policy at the same time.

Medigap also does not cover prescription drugs. That is why most people who choose Original Medicare plus a Medigap policy also enroll in a stand-alone Part D drug plan. For 2026, Part D has a $2,100 annual out-of-pocket cap, a maximum deductible of $615, and the old "donut hole" coverage gap is gone — Part D now has three phases instead of four. If your drug costs run high in any single month, you can also opt into the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan to spread those costs across the calendar year.

The plan letters you can buy in California

If you became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020, these are the standardized Medigap letters available to you: A, B, D, G, high-deductible G, K, L, M and N. Plans C and F are closed to anyone newly eligible after that date, but people who qualified before then can still enroll in them.

Each letter represents a fixed package of benefits. For example:

• Plan A is the most basic and covers a core set of benefits every Medigap policy must include.
• Plan G and high-deductible Plan G are popular with people who want broad coverage after they meet the Part B deductible.
• Plan N generally has lower premiums than Plan G but leaves some office and emergency-room copays with you.
• Plans K and L cap your out-of-pocket costs each year but cover a smaller share of your Part B coinsurance.

Which letter is right for you depends on how much monthly premium you want to trade for lower costs when you actually see a doctor. There is no single "best" letter — only the one that fits your budget and how you use care.

Which insurers sell Medigap here

California has more than a dozen insurance companies licensed to sell Medigap policies, and not every company sells every letter. The table below lists every insurer along with the plan letters each one offers. Familiar names include AARP - UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company, Anthem BlueCross - California, Blue Shield of California Life & Health Insurance Company, Humana, Mutual of Omaha and State Farm, among others.

Because the benefits inside any given letter are identical from company to company, shopping is largely about price, customer service, financial stability and any small extras (like a fitness benefit) an insurer chooses to add.

California rules that shape your choice

Two California-specific rules are worth knowing:

The birthday rule. California gives Medigap policyholders an annual window around their birthday to switch to another Medigap policy with equal or lesser benefits, without medical underwriting. That means a company generally cannot deny you or charge more based on health during that window. The exact length of the window and the details are set by state law, so confirm the current rules with the California Department of Insurance or HICAP before you switch.

Guaranteed issue rights. Federal law gives you a one-time, six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period that starts when you are 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During that window, insurers cannot use your health history against you. California also recognizes other guaranteed-issue situations. Outside those windows, an insurer can generally use medical underwriting when you apply.

When to shop and switch

Your best window to buy a Medigap policy for the first time is the six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period that begins the month you are 65 and enrolled in Part B. If you already have Medigap and want to change plans, California's birthday rule may open a yearly door.

Keep in mind: the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7) and the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (January 1 – March 31) apply to Medicare Advantage and Part D plans — not directly to Medigap. Medigap has its own timing rules.

Also worth noting: if your income is above $109,000 as a single filer in 2026, IRMAA surcharges may apply to your Part B and Part D premiums. That is separate from your Medigap premium, but it affects your total monthly Medicare cost.