Medicare Supplement

Newly eligible in Pembroke Pines? Your Medigap letters have limits

Pembroke Pines, Fla. — As 2027 approaches, Medigap shoppers in Broward County are heading into the part of the year when carriers refile rates, the Part B deductible resets, and the rules about which plan letters you can even buy come back into focus. Nothing about the standardized Medigap letters is being redesigned for 2027, but several moving pieces around them are worth watching before you sign anything.

What is (and isn't) changing about the plan letters

The standardized Medigap letters do not change from year to year the way Medicare Advantage lineups do. For 2027, people who are newly eligible for Medicare can still choose from Plans A, B, D, G, G-HD, K, L, M and N.

Plans C and F remain closed to new enrollees. Under federal law, those two letters can only be sold to people who became eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020. If you already have a Plan C or Plan F, you can generally keep it — the closure applies to new purchases, not existing policies.

This matters in Pembroke Pines because many of the Florida-licensed carriers still list C and F in their portfolios (see the table below). Those letters are there for the pre-2020 group; if you turned 65 more recently, your shortlist will center on G, G-HD, N, and the cost-sharing plans K, L and M.

The Part B deductible reset — why Plans G and N care

Plans G and N are designed around one specific number: the Part B deductible. With either plan, you generally pay that deductible yourself each year, and the Medigap policy picks up from there (Plan N also has small copays for some office and emergency-room visits).

Every January, Medicare resets the Part B deductible to a new federal amount. CMS typically announces the next year's figure in the fall. Once the 2027 number is posted on medicare.gov, that becomes the out-of-pocket amount a Plan G or Plan N holder in Pembroke Pines will meet before the Medigap coverage kicks in for Part B services.

If you are comparing G versus G-HD, remember the "HD" (high-deductible) version has a much larger separate deductible built into the plan itself, in addition to the Part B deductible reset.

Rate-adjustment season in Florida

Medigap premiums are not set by Medicare. In Florida, insurers file proposed rates with the state's Office of Insurance Regulation, which reviews them. Filings and approved rates are public.

A few practical points for Pembroke Pines shoppers heading into 2027:

• The same plan letter can be priced very differently by different carriers. Two Plan G policies cover the same federally standardized benefits, but the monthly premium is up to each insurer.
• Rate changes usually take effect on your policy anniversary or on January 1, depending on the carrier.
• You can check current filings on the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation website (floir.com) or ask your local SHINE counselor (Florida's SHIP program) to walk you through them.

Do not rely on last year's quote. If you are shopping or renewing, get a fresh premium in writing for the exact plan letter, carrier and ZIP code.

Insurers entering or leaving

Medigap licensure is a state-level decision. Pembroke Pines residents choose from the carriers approved to sell in Florida, and that roster can shift when an insurer files to enter the state, exit it, or close a specific plan letter to new applicants.

The Florida-licensed Medigap carriers currently on record — in alphabetical order — include AARP - UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company, AFLAC, American Benefit Life Insurance Company, Bankers Life (Underwritten by Washington National Insurance Company), Continental Life Insurance Company of Brentwood, Tennessee (Aetna), Everence Association Inc., Florida Blue, GPM Health and Life Insurance Company, HealthSpring National Health Insurance Company, Humana (Humana Insurance Company), Humana Achieve (CompBenefits Insurance Company), Insurance Company of North America, LifeShield National Insurance Company, Lumos Insurance, Medico Insurance Company, Mutual of Omaha (United World Life Insurance Company), New Era Life Insurance Company, Physicians Life Insurance Company, SilverScript Insurance Company, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, United American Insurance Company, USAA Life Insurance Company, Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation, and WoodmenLife.

The table below lists every plan letter each carrier is approved to sell. If a carrier you already have coverage with drops a plan letter for new applicants, that generally does not cancel your existing policy — but you would not be able to buy that same letter fresh with them.

Your enrollment rights still matter most

The single most important Medigap rule for Pembroke Pines readers has not changed for 2027: your best enrollment protections come from the six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period that begins the month you are 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During that window, you can buy any Medigap policy sold in Florida without medical underwriting.

Outside that window (and outside a handful of guaranteed-issue situations), Florida insurers can generally use medical underwriting when you apply — meaning your health history can affect whether you are accepted and at what price. This is why switching Medigap plans later, even to chase a lower rate, is not always as simple as it looks on paper.