Medicare Supplement

Before you buy Medigap in Fremont, check these resets

FREMONT, Calif. — If you are shopping for a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy in Alameda County this fall, a few moving pieces are worth understanding before you sign anything. The plan letters available to newly eligible enrollees have not expanded, the Part B deductible that Plans G and N are built around resets every January, and Medigap premiums in California are refiled with the state on their own schedule — not on the October-to-December Medicare calendar most people know.

Here is a plain-language look at what actually changes for Fremont residents heading into 2026, and where to check the numbers when they are posted.

What is (and isn't) changing about plan letters

The menu of standardized Medigap plan letters is the same one that has been in place since 2020. If you are newly eligible for Medicare today, you can choose from Plans A, B, D, G, G-HD, K, L, M and N. Plans C and F remain available only to people who were eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020, because those plans pay the Part B deductible and federal law no longer allows that design for new enrollees.

This is a federal rule, not a California rule, and it is not changing for 2026. What can change year to year is which of these letters a given insurer chooses to sell in the state — the table below lists every carrier and the letters each one currently offers in California.

The Part B deductible reset — why Plan G and Plan N shoppers care

Plans G and N are built on top of the Part B deductible. That means you pay the Part B deductible yourself each year, and then the Medigap plan picks up the Part B coinsurance from there (Plan N also has small copays for some office and emergency-room visits).

The Part B deductible is set by the federal government and resets every January 1. When people say Plan G "covers everything except the Part B deductible," that deductible amount is what changes at the start of each year. Medicare posts the new figure each fall on medicare.gov; that is the right place to confirm the 2026 number rather than relying on last year's.

The high-deductible version of Plan G (Plan G-HD) works the same way but has its own separate, higher annual deductible before the plan pays anything.

Rate-adjustment season in California

Medigap premiums are not standardized — only the benefits are. Each insurer files its own rates, and in California those filings go to the California Department of Insurance (CDI). Rate changes can take effect at different times of year depending on the carrier, so a Medigap renewal notice may arrive in a month that has nothing to do with the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period.

If your renewal shows a change you want to understand, two useful steps:

• Ask the carrier in writing for the reason and the effective date.
• Look up the filing on the CDI website (insurance.ca.gov) to see what was submitted and approved.

California also has some of the strongest Medigap consumer protections in the country, including a "birthday rule" that lets existing Medigap policyholders switch to certain equal-or-lesser plans without new medical underwriting during a window around their birthday each year. Rules and windows can be updated, so confirm current details with CDI or your local SHIP counselor (HICAP in California) before you act.

Carriers selling Medigap in California

The insurers currently offering Medigap policies to California residents are shown in the full table on this page. Names you will see include AARP - UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company, AFLAC, American Retirement Life Insurance Company (CIGNA), Anthem BlueCross - California, Bankers Life (Underwritten by Washington National Insurance Company), Blue Shield of California Life & Health Insurance Company, Continental Life Insurance Company of Brentwood, Tennessee (Aetna), Everence Association Inc., Humana (Humana Insurance Company), Insurance Company of North America, Lumos Insurance, Mutual of Omaha (United World Life Insurance Company), State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, United American Insurance Company, and USAA Life Insurance Company.

Not every carrier sells every plan letter — the table shows which letters each one offers. Because Medigap benefits are standardized by letter, a Plan G from one insurer covers the same Medicare-approved services as a Plan G from another; what differs is price, customer service and how the company handles rate changes over time.

How to shop for Medigap from Fremont

A few practical steps for Alameda County residents:

• Use the Medigap policy search at medicare.gov to see plans available by ZIP code.
• Call your local HICAP office for free, unbiased counseling — this is California's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP).
• If you are within your six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period (the six months starting the month you are 65 or older and enrolled in Part B), you have guaranteed-issue rights and cannot be turned down or charged more for health reasons.
• If you are past that window, ask whether California's birthday rule or another guaranteed-issue right applies to your situation before you apply.