Medicare Supplement

Medigap in Fort Lauderdale: how Florida's standardized plan letters work with Original Medicare

Fort Lauderdale retirees who stick with Original Medicare often ask the same question at the kitchen table: what does a Medicare Supplement policy actually do, and which "letter" plan should they even be looking at? Fort Lauderdale sits in Broward County, and while Medicare Advantage availability is set county by county, Medigap is different — the plans are standardized by the federal government, and Florida follows those same federal letters. That makes shopping a matter of understanding what each letter covers, not decoding different benefits at every insurer.

Medicare SupplementFort Lauderdale, FL

What Medigap is — and what it is not

A Medicare Supplement policy, also called Medigap, is private insurance that pays some of the out-of-pocket costs Original Medicare leaves behind. Think of the Part A hospital deductible, Part B coinsurance, and the 20% share you'd otherwise owe for doctor visits and outpatient care. Medigap is not Medicare Advantage. It does not replace Parts A and B — it rides alongside them.

Two other things Medigap does not do: it does not cover prescription drugs, and it does not include extras like routine dental, vision or hearing benefits. That is why most people in Fort Lauderdale who buy a Medigap plan also enroll in a separate Part D drug plan.

The standardized letters available in Florida

Medigap is standardized by federal law. A Plan G is a Plan G, whether you buy it in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers or Fort Wayne. (Three states — Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin — standardize differently, but Florida uses the federal letters.)

For someone who becomes eligible for Medicare today, these are the letters you can buy in Florida:

• Plan A — the most basic set of benefits
• Plan B — Plan A plus the Part A hospital deductible
• Plan D — broader coverage, without the Part B deductible
• Plan G — the most comprehensive plan open to new enrollees; covers everything except the Part B deductible
• Plan G High-Deductible (G-HD) — same benefits as Plan G, but you pay a yearly deductible before it kicks in
• Plan K — cost-sharing plan with a yearly out-of-pocket limit
• Plan L — similar to K, with a different cost share
• Plan M — splits the Part A deductible
• Plan N — covers most costs, with small copays for some office and ER visits

Plans C and F are closed to anyone who became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020. If you were eligible before that date, you may still be able to buy them.

How Medigap pairs with Part D — and 2026 numbers to know

Because Medigap does not cover prescriptions, you'll usually add a Part D plan. A few program-level facts worth knowing for 2026:

• Part D has a $2,100 out-of-pocket cap in 2026 — once you hit it, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615.
• The old "donut hole" coverage gap was eliminated in 2025, so Part D now has three phases instead of four.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs over the year in monthly installments if you want.
• IRMAA income-based surcharges on Part B and Part D begin above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026.

Enrollment timing matters too. The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 – December 7 each year, and the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 – March 31. Those windows apply mainly to Part D and Medicare Advantage — Medigap has its own rules, which we'll cover next.

The state rules that shape your choice in Florida

Your strongest right to buy any Medigap plan sold in Florida is during your Medigap Open Enrollment Period — the six months that start the month you're 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During that window, an insurer must sell you a policy at its published rate, cannot use your health history against you, and cannot make you wait for pre-existing conditions (beyond limited federal rules).

Outside that window, an insurer in Florida can generally use medical underwriting when you apply — meaning your health history can affect whether you're approved and at what price. There are federal guaranteed issue situations (for example, if a plan you had is ending) where an insurer must sell you certain letter plans regardless of health. Some states have extra protections, such as "birthday rules," that let people switch Medigap plans without underwriting once a year. Whether and how those apply in Florida changes over time, so confirm current Florida rules with the Florida Department of Financial Services or SHINE, Florida's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP).

Who sells Medigap in Florida

Many insurers sell Medigap policies to Florida residents, and because the letters are standardized, the benefits inside a Plan G or Plan N are the same from one company to the next. What differs is the premium, how often the company raises rates, and the customer service experience.

The table below lists every insurer selling Medigap in Florida and which letter plans each one offers. Well-known names on that list include AARP - UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company, AFLAC, Bankers Life, Florida Blue, Humana, Mutual of Omaha, State Farm and USAA Life Insurance Company, among others. Not every insurer offers every letter — some sell only a handful.

How to decide, step by step

A simple way to work through the decision:

1. Confirm you want Original Medicare plus Medigap rather than Medicare Advantage. They work very differently. 2. Pick the letter first, not the insurer. Since benefits are federally set, decide what level of coverage fits your budget and how you use care. 3. Shop the same letter across insurers. A Plan G is a Plan G — compare premium and rate history. 4. Add a Part D plan during your Initial Enrollment Period or Annual Enrollment Period so you have drug coverage. 5. Ask SHINE for help. Florida's SHIP counselors are free, unbiased and trained on both federal rules and Florida-specific rights.