Medicare Supplement
Same Medigap letter, different price tags: how to compare insurers in Long Beach
For Long Beach residents shopping a Medicare Supplement policy, one fact does most of the heavy lifting: a Plan G from one insurer covers the exact same Medicare-approved costs as a Plan G from any other insurer. The letter is standardized by federal law. What changes from company to company is the price, the way that price is set, and whether you can get in without answering health questions. That is where the real comparing happens.
Compare Medicare Supplement options near you
Answer 3 quick questions to see Medicare Supplement listings from licensed insurance partners.
What’s your ZIP code?
Plan availability is set by your county, so we start here.
How old are you?
This helps match you with options you’re eligible for.
Do you have Medicare Parts A & B?
This affects which Medicare Supplement options you can choose.
These listings are provided by licensed insurance partners.
Your Medigap rate went up. Your benefits didn't.
Medicare supplement benefits are standardized — identical at any carrier. The only difference is what you pay. One call compares current rates in your area.
- Same plan letter = same benefits, by law
- No fall deadline — switch any month, if your health qualifies
Available now — current wait: 0 min
A real person answers. No phone menu, ever.
Advertising disclosure: MyMedicarePlans.org may be compensated when you contact a partner or licensed agent. Listings are not ranked or endorsed by us, and we do not recommend specific plans. You can also contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local SHIP.
Speak to a Licensed Insurance Agent
Click to call 855-729-3240
Key takeaways
- In California, Medigap letters A, B, D, G, G-HD, K, L, M and N are available to people newly eligible for Medicare today; Plans C and F are limited to those eligible before January 1, 2020.
- The same plan letter offers the same coverage at every insurer, so comparing insurers is really about pricing method, rate history, discounts and underwriting rules.
- California does not publish a single insurer list on this site, so use the Medicare.gov Medigap policy search by ZIP, the California Department of Insurance's Medigap rate guide, and your local SHIP (HICAP) to see who sells what in Long Beach.
- Outside your six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period, insurers in most cases can use medical underwriting to accept or decline you.
Why the insurer matters even when the plan letter does not
Long Beach sits in Los Angeles County, and Medigap plans are regulated at the state level. Every insurer that sells Plan G in California must offer the same federally standardized benefits under that letter. So if you are choosing between two Plan G policies, you are not comparing coverage — you are comparing the company behind it.
That comparison comes down to a handful of things: how the insurer prices the policy, how often it has raised rates in the past, what discounts it offers, and how it treats applicants who apply outside a guaranteed-issue window.
The three ways Medigap premiums are priced
Insurers use one of three pricing methods, and this is usually the first thing to check:
- Community-rated (no-age-rated). Everyone with the same plan in the same area pays the same base premium, regardless of age. Premiums can still go up over time due to inflation and claims, but not because you had a birthday.
- Issue-age-rated. Your premium is based on the age you were when you bought the policy. It does not go up just because you get older, though it can still rise with inflation.
- Attained-age-rated. Your premium is based on your current age and typically increases as you get older, in addition to any inflation increases.
Two Plan G policies with similar starting premiums can look very different ten years in if one is community-rated and the other is attained-age-rated. California's rate guide from the state Department of Insurance shows which method each insurer uses.
Rate history, household discounts and other fine print
Past rate increases are not a guarantee of future ones, but they are one of the few real signals you have. The California Department of Insurance publishes historical rate change information for Medigap carriers in its Medigap rate guide, which is a good place to look before you commit.
Also ask about:
- Household or spousal discounts. Some insurers reduce premiums when two people in the same home enroll, or when you live with another adult.
- Payment discounts. A few carriers discount for electronic funds transfer or annual payment.
- New-enrollee or nonsmoker discounts. Terms vary widely.
Discounts are set by each insurer and are not part of the standardized plan letter.
Underwriting: the window that changes everything
The single most important date in Medigap shopping is the start of your Medigap Open Enrollment Period — the six months that begin the first month you are 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During that window, insurers in California must sell you any Medigap plan they offer at their best available rate, regardless of your health.
Outside that window, and outside limited "guaranteed issue" situations, insurers can generally use medical underwriting. They can ask health questions, and they can decline you or charge more. That means the same Plan N from the same company can be available to your neighbor and unavailable to you, depending on when you apply.
California also has a "birthday rule" that lets existing Medigap enrollees switch to a plan with equal or lesser benefits from any insurer, without underwriting, during a set window around their birthday each year. Ask your SHIP counselor how the rule applies to your situation before you switch.
How to find the insurers selling in Long Beach
Because insurer lineups change, the most reliable places to see who currently sells Medigap in Long Beach are:
- Medicare.gov Medigap policy search. Enter a Long Beach ZIP code to see every insurer offering each plan letter in the area, along with sample premium ranges.
- California Department of Insurance Medigap rate guide. This state publication lists licensed Medigap insurers, their pricing methods and recent rate history.
- HICAP, California's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). Free, unbiased counseling by phone or in person, with no products to sell.
Use the Medicare.gov tool to build your shortlist, then use the state rate guide to see how each insurer prices and has adjusted premiums over time.
By the numbers
Medicare Part B premium, 2006–2026
The standard monthly Part B premium has climbed from $88.50 in 2006 to $202.90 in 2026. Hover any point for that year’s premium.
Source: CMS. Standard premium shown; in some hold-harmless years many existing enrollees paid less. Confirm at Medicare.gov.
By the numbers
How people get Medicare in Los Angeles County
(MA penetration in Los Angeles County)
MA penetration from CMS enrollment data; Medigap share is an estimate. U.S. average is about 54% Medicare Advantage. These are area-level figures, not plan-specific.
Who sells Medigap here
Medigap insurers in California
Insurers offering Medigap policies in California, listed alphabetically. Prices vary by insurer for the same letter and are not shown here.
- AARP - UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company Plans A, B, C, F, G, K, L, N
- AFLAC Plans A, F, G, N
- American Retirement Life Insurance Company (CIGNA) Plans A, F, G, G-HD, N
- Anthem BlueCross - California Plans A, F, G, N
- Bankers Life (Underwritten by Washington National Insurance Company) Plans A, F, G, G-HD, N
- Blue Shield of California Life & Health Insurance Company Plans A, F, G, N
- Continental Life Insurance Company of Brentwood, Tennessee (Aetna) Plans A, B, F, F-HD, G, N
- Everence Association Inc. Plans A, F, G, N
- Humana (Humana Insurance Company) Plans A, B, C, F, F-HD, G, G-HD, K, L, N
- Insurance Company of North America Plans A, F, G, G-HD, N
- Lumos Insurance Plans A, F, G, N
- Mutual of Omaha (United World Life Insurance Company) Plans A, F, G, G-HD, N
- State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company Plans A, C, D, F, G, N
- United American Insurance Company Plans A, B, C, D, F, F-HD, G, G-HD, K, L, N
- USAA Life Insurance Company Plans A, F, G, N
Source: Medicare.gov Medigap policy search. No insurer is ranked or recommended.
Medicare Supplement (Medigap)
The Medigap plans you can buy in California
Medigap plans are standardized by federal law: a Plan G from one insurer covers the same things as a Plan G from any other. Insurers set their own prices, which are not shown here.
| Plan | What it covers | Open to new enrollees |
|---|---|---|
| Plan A | The basic benefits every Medigap plan includes: Part A hospital coinsurance and up to 365 extra hospital days, Part B coinsurance, the first three pints of blood, Part A hospice coinsurance. | Yes |
| Plan B | Plan A plus the Part A hospital deductible. | Yes |
| Plan C | Plan B plus skilled-nursing coinsurance, the Part B deductible and foreign-travel emergency care. Closed to people newly eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020. | Only if you were eligible before 2020 |
| Plan D | Plan B plus skilled-nursing coinsurance and foreign-travel emergency care (not the Part B deductible). | Yes |
| Plan F | Every standardized benefit, including the Part B deductible and Part B excess charges. Closed to people newly eligible on or after January 1, 2020. A high-deductible version exists. | Only if you were eligible before 2020 |
| Plan G | Every standardized benefit except the Part B deductible (which you pay yourself each year). A high-deductible version (G-HD) pays after you meet a yearly deductible. | Yes |
| Plan K | Pays a share of most cost-sharing (50 percent for several benefits) with a yearly out-of-pocket limit set by federal rules. | Yes |
| Plan L | Like Plan K with a larger share (75 percent) and a lower yearly out-of-pocket limit. | Yes |
| Plan M | Like Plan D but covers half of the Part A hospital deductible. | Yes |
| Plan N | Like Plan G, except a small copayment for some office and emergency-room visits, and it does not cover Part B excess charges. | Yes |
Source: CMS, Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) rules; medicare.gov.
Explore
The parts of Medicare
Explore
When can you enroll? An interactive year
Enrollment windows are federal and the same nationwide. Confirm your personal dates at Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is a Plan G from a big-name insurer better than a Plan G from a smaller one?
Can I switch Medigap insurers later if I find a cheaper one?
Do Medigap plans include prescription drug coverage?
When can I enroll or make changes?
- Medicare.gov Medigap policy search and state insurance-department rate guides
- CMS — Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) rules (medicare.gov)
For personalized answers, contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local SHIP.
Also for Long Beach
Content Integrity Standards
- No invented figures. Program-level numbers come from CMS / Medicare.gov; we never use placeholder data.
- No plan rankings or recommendations. This is educational content. We don't rank, score, or recommend specific plans.
- AI-assisted, human-reviewed. Articles are produced with AI-assisted tools and reviewed by the responsible desk before publishing.
- Inline sourcing. Facts and figures are cited to primary sources — CMS, SSA, and Medicare.gov.
- Correction transparency. We fix errors openly and note when a page was last updated.
- Not a government site. MyMedicarePlans.org is privately owned and not affiliated with or endorsed by Medicare or any government agency.
This page was last updated: September 2026.