Medicare Supplement

What the Medigap alphabet means for Meriden households

If you're turning 65 in Meriden — or helping a parent sort through Medicare mail — you've probably run into a confusing alphabet: Plan A, Plan B, Plan G, Plan N, and more. These letters refer to Medicare Supplement Insurance, better known as Medigap. And while the letters look like a jumble, they actually follow a standard set of rules designed to make comparison easier, not harder.

Making sense of Medigap in Meriden

Here's a plain-English guide to what Medigap does, how the letters work, and the small mistakes that trip people up.

What Medigap actually does

Medigap is private insurance you can buy to help pay some of the costs that Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) leaves behind. Original Medicare covers a large share of hospital and doctor bills, but it doesn't cover everything — there are deductibles, coinsurance, and no annual cap on what you could owe out of pocket.

A Medigap policy sits alongside Original Medicare. When you get care, Medicare pays its share first, then your Medigap plan pays some or all of what's left, depending on the letter you chose.

A few important points:

• Medigap only works with Original Medicare, not with Medicare Advantage.
• Medigap does not include prescription drug coverage. For that, you'd add a separate Part D plan.
• You pay a monthly premium to the insurance company, in addition to your Part B premium.

Why the letters exist

In most states, Medigap plans are standardized by the federal government. That means Plan G from one insurance company covers the same core benefits as Plan G from another company. The price and customer service can differ, but the benefits inside each lettered plan are set by Medicare's rules.

The currently sold plans are A, B, D, G, K, L, M, and N. (Plans C and F are still held by some people who were eligible before 2020, but they're no longer sold to people newly eligible for Medicare.) Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin use their own standardized systems — Connecticut does not, so Meriden residents shop from the standard federal letters.

The takeaway: once you decide on a letter, you're really comparing price and company, not benefits.

How the letters differ, in plain terms

Each letter covers a different mix of the "gaps" in Original Medicare — things like the Part A hospital deductible, Part B coinsurance, skilled nursing coinsurance, and foreign travel emergency care.

• Some letters (like Plan G) cover most gaps and tend to have higher premiums.
• Others (like Plan K or L) cover a smaller share and generally have lower premiums but more cost-sharing when you use care.
• Plan N sits in the middle, with small copays for some office and ER visits.

Medicare.gov has a side-by-side chart that shows exactly which gaps each letter fills. That's the best place to compare, because it's the official source.

The enrollment mistake to avoid

This is the part many people learn the hard way.

You get a one-time Medigap Open Enrollment Period — a 6-month window that starts the month you're 65 and enrolled in Part B. During this window, insurance companies must sell you any Medigap policy they offer at their standard price. They can't turn you down or charge you more because of your health.

Miss that window, and in most states — including Connecticut — insurers can use medical underwriting. That means they can ask health questions and potentially deny coverage or charge more. Connecticut does offer some additional protections, but the safest move is to understand your 6-month window before it closes.

If you're considering switching from a Medicare Advantage plan back to Original Medicare later, this is where people get stuck. Talking to Connecticut's SHIP program (CHOICES) before you make a switch can save a lot of stress.

Where Meriden fits in

Meriden is in New Haven County. Medicare plan availability — including Medicare Advantage and Part D plans — is set at the county level, so your options are the same as your neighbors across New Haven County. Medigap, on the other hand, is sold by private insurers licensed in Connecticut, and the standardized letters make it easier to shop apples-to-apples no matter which company you look at.

A few 2026 numbers worth knowing

Even if you go with Original Medicare plus a Medigap plan, you'll likely also want a Part D drug plan. For 2026:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100.
• The maximum Part D deductible is $615.
• The coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone — Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly amounts, at no extra cost.
• IRMAA surcharges (higher Part B and Part D premiums for higher incomes) begin above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026.

Mark your calendar: the Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 – December 7, and the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 – March 31.