Medicare Supplement

In Port St. Lucie, Medigap and Part D are separate buys

Medicare Supplement Insurance — usually called Medigap — is private insurance that pairs with Original Medicare. It helps pay some of the costs Parts A and B leave behind, like coinsurance and hospital deductibles. It is not a replacement for Medicare, and it is not the same as Medicare Advantage.

What Medigap is, and what it is not

In Port St. Lucie, as everywhere else in Florida, a Medigap policy sits on top of Original Medicare. You keep your red, white and blue Medicare card, and you show your Medigap card too when you get care. The plan pays its share after Medicare pays first.

One important thing to know upfront: Medigap does not cover prescription drugs. If you want drug coverage, you sign up for a stand-alone Medicare Part D plan.

The standardized letters you can buy in Florida

Medigap plans are standardized by the federal government. That means Plan G is Plan G whether you buy it from a national carrier or a Florida-based one — the covered benefits are set by law, not by the insurer. (Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin standardize differently, but Florida follows the federal letters.)

If you are newly eligible for Medicare today, these are the letters available to you: A, B, D, G, G-HD, K, L, M and N. The "HD" in Plan G-HD stands for high-deductible — you pay more out of pocket before the plan starts paying, and premiums tend to reflect that trade-off.

Plans C and F are still sold, but only to people who became eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020. If that is you, they remain an option. If you turned 65 after that date, they are off the table.

The table below lists every insurer selling Medigap in Florida and the letters each one offers. It is a long list — well over 20 carriers, from AARP – UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company and AFLAC through Florida Blue, Humana, Mutual of Omaha, State Farm, USAA Life and WoodmenLife.

How Medigap pairs with Original Medicare and Part D

Think of your Medicare setup as three pieces working together:

1. Original Medicare (Parts A and B) pays first for hospital and medical care. 2. A Medigap policy picks up some or all of what Medicare does not pay, depending on the letter you choose. 3. A Part D plan covers prescription drugs.

For 2026, Part D has a $2,100 out-of-pocket cap on covered drug costs and a maximum deductible of $615. The old coverage gap — the "donut hole" — has been eliminated as of 2025, so there are now three payment phases instead of four. If drug costs land unevenly across the year, the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread them into level monthly payments.

You cannot combine Medigap with a Medicare Advantage plan. If you are on Advantage now and want to switch to Original Medicare with Medigap, timing and medical underwriting can matter — which brings us to state rules.

Florida rules that shape your choice

Federal law gives you a Medigap Open Enrollment Period: a six-month window that starts the month you are 65 or older AND enrolled in Part B. During that window, insurers must sell you any Medigap plan they offer at their published rate, no health questions asked. This is the strongest protection you get.

Outside that window, insurers in Florida can generally ask about your health and decide whether to accept you, unless you qualify for a guaranteed issue right — for example, if your current coverage is ending through no fault of your own.

Florida also regulates how insurers price these policies. Carriers may use different pricing methods (community-rated, issue-age or attained-age), and premiums can change over time based on things like age, inflation and claims. Because of that, two policies with the exact same letter can be priced very differently. That is a question to ask before you buy — not something we can price for you.

For the current Florida rules, contact:

• The Florida Department of Financial Services for consumer help and rate guides.
• SHINE — Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders — Florida's free SHIP counseling program.

Choosing a letter, without anyone selling to you

There is no single "best" Medigap letter, and no single best insurer. The right pick depends on how often you expect to use care, how much predictable cost you want, and what monthly premium fits your budget.

A few honest reminders:

• Because benefits are standardized, the same letter covers the same things everywhere. What differs is price, customer service, and how the insurer handles rate increases over time.
• High-deductible options (like G-HD) shift more cost onto you upfront in exchange for a lower premium.
• Plans K and L have out-of-pocket limits but pay a smaller share of some costs until you hit that limit.
• Plan N has some copays for office and emergency room visits, and does not cover Part B excess charges.

If you want a walk-through with someone who is not selling anything, SHINE counselors do exactly that at no cost.