Medicare Supplement

Before January renewal: Medigap facts for Glendale

GLENDALE, Calif. — If you have a Medigap policy in Los Angeles County, or you are shopping for one this fall, a few moving pieces are worth understanding before the calendar turns. Medigap itself is not being redesigned for 2026, but the pieces around it — the Part B deductible that Plans G and N sit on top of, insurer rate filings with the California Department of Insurance, and the plan letters you are allowed to buy — all reset or refresh at the start of the year.

Medicare SupplementGlendale, CA

Here is what Glendale readers should keep an eye on, and where to check the numbers when they are posted.

The plan letters you can actually buy

Medigap plans are standardized by letter, which means a Plan G from one company covers the same medical items as a Plan G from another. What differs is the premium, the company's rate history, and customer service.

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 are only sold to people who were eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020, because those plans paid the Part B deductible and federal law closed them to newer enrollees. That rule is not changing in 2026 — it is simply the framework you will still be shopping inside.

The Part B deductible reset that Plans G and N sit on

Two of the most commonly discussed Medigap options, Plan G and Plan N, are built to pay after you meet the Part B deductible each year. That deductible is a federal figure set by CMS, and it resets every January 1. The 2026 amount is published on medicare.gov's Medicare costs page; once you have met it for the year, your Plan G or Plan N picks up its share of covered services as the plan spells out.

Plan N works a little differently at the doctor's office and emergency room — it allows small copays and does not cover Part B excess charges — so if you are comparing G to N, that is the trade-off to weigh, not any brand promise.

Rate-adjustment season in California

Medigap premiums are not fixed by Medicare. Insurers file proposed rates with the California Department of Insurance, and approved changes take effect on the schedule the filing sets. If your carrier is adjusting your premium for 2026, you should receive a written notice.

Two practical steps:

1. When your renewal notice arrives, read it against last year's — the change is stated in the letter. 2. You can also look up filings and consumer rate guides on the California Department of Insurance website (insurance.ca.gov) and check plan-by-plan pricing in your ZIP code using the Medigap policy search at medicare.gov.

Because Medigap is medically underwritten in California outside of protected windows, switching carriers to chase a lower premium is not always possible — that is why the initial six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period around your Part B start date matters so much.

Which insurers sell Medigap in California

Los Angeles County residents have a broad set of carriers to choose from. The table below lists every insurer currently selling Medigap in California and the plan letters each one offers. Not every company sells every letter — for example, some offer high-deductible Plan G (Plan G-HD) and some do not, and only a subset still sell the closed-to-newcomers Plans C and F to people who remain eligible for them.

Availability can shift when a carrier files to enter or exit the state, so if you are comparing, confirm the current lineup on medicare.gov's Medigap search before you apply.

What to do this fall

• Watch your mail for a renewal or rate-change notice from your Medigap insurer.
• Look up the 2026 Part B deductible on medicare.gov so you know when Plan G or Plan N coverage kicks in for the year.
• If you also have a Part D drug plan, remember the Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 – December 7 — that window is for Part D and Medicare Advantage, not Medigap, but many people review both at once.
• For free, unbiased help in Los Angeles County, contact California's SHIP program, HICAP, at 1-800-434-0222.