Medicare Supplement

Before January hits: Medigap facts for Long Beach

LONG BEACH, Calif. — As 2026 approaches, Medicare Supplement Insurance — better known as Medigap — is going through its usual year-end housekeeping in California. The plan letters you can buy, the deductible that sits inside Plans G and N, and the premiums insurers charge in Los Angeles County all reset or refile on their own calendars. Here is what Long Beach readers should keep an eye on before the new year begins.

Medicare SupplementLong Beach, CA

The plan letters you can actually buy

Medigap is standardized by the federal government, which means a Plan G sold by one insurer covers the same core benefits as a Plan G sold by another. What differs is the price and the company behind it.

If you are newly eligible for Medicare today, you can shop these standardized letters: A, B, D, G, G-High Deductible, K, L, M and N. Plans C and F are still in force for people who were eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020, but they are closed to newer enrollees because federal law no longer allows first-dollar coverage of the Part B deductible for that group.

Nothing about that lineup is changing for 2026. What can change year to year is which insurers offer which letters in Long Beach, and at what price.

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

Every January, the Part B deductible resets. That reset is a normal part of Medicare, but it matters more for Medigap shoppers than most people realize.

Plan G pays your Part B costs after you meet that deductible yourself. Plan N works similarly, with some copays for office and emergency visits. Plan G-High Deductible requires you to meet a separate, higher plan deductible before it starts paying.

CMS publishes the new Part B deductible each fall. Once it is announced, you will know exactly what you would pay out of pocket before your Medigap coverage kicks in for the year. You can confirm the current figure at medicare.gov.

Rate-filing season in California

California insurers file their Medigap rates with the California Department of Insurance. Increases are not uniform — one company might refile in the spring, another in the fall — so two neighbors in Long Beach with the "same" Plan G can pay very different premiums depending on which insurer they chose and when that insurer last adjusted rates.

A few things to know as you review any renewal notice:

• California uses a "birthday rule" that lets Medigap enrollees switch to an equal or lesser plan with another insurer during a set window around their birthday each year, generally without medical underwriting. This is a California-specific protection worth knowing about.
• Outside a guaranteed-issue window, insurers can use medical underwriting when you apply, which can affect whether you are accepted or what you pay.
• Rate history and current filings for California are available through the state insurance department's Medigap rate guide.

Insurers entering or leaving the state

We are not publishing a list of Medigap carriers for California here. The most reliable, up-to-date source is the Medicare.gov Medigap policy search, which lets you enter your Long Beach ZIP code and see every insurer currently offering Medigap policies in Los Angeles County, along with the plan letters each one sells.

If a company you have heard about does not appear in that search, it may not be licensed to sell Medigap in California, or it may have exited the market. The California Department of Insurance and California's SHIP — known locally as HICAP — can both confirm current status.

How to check your own situation before January

A short checklist for Long Beach readers this fall:

1. Look up your ZIP code on the Medicare.gov Medigap policy search to see which insurers and plan letters are available. 2. Compare your current premium to the state's Medigap rate guide to see if a lower-priced policy with the same letter exists. 3. Mark your birthday on the calendar — California's birthday rule window is one of the few times you can switch without underwriting. 4. If you also take prescription drugs, remember Medigap does not include Part D; that is a separate decision during the Annual Enrollment Period, October 15 through December 7.