Medicare Supplement

What each Medigap plan letter covers in Zephyrhills, Florida

ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. — If you've ever tried to make sense of Medicare Supplement insurance, you've probably run into a wall of letters: Plan A, Plan G, Plan N, Plan K. They can look like alphabet soup, but there's actually a clear system behind them — and understanding it can help you decide whether a Medigap policy fits your needs.

Medicare Supplement insurance, often called Medigap, is private insurance that works alongside Original Medicare (Part A and Part B). It helps pay for some of the out-of-pocket costs that Medicare leaves behind, like coinsurance, copayments, and certain deductibles. It does not replace Medicare, and it does not work with Medicare Advantage plans.

What Medigap actually does

Original Medicare pays a large share of your hospital and doctor bills, but not all of it. You're still on the hook for things like the Part A hospital deductible, Part B's 20% coinsurance, and certain other charges. There's also no yearly out-of-pocket limit built into Original Medicare.

A Medigap policy steps in to pay some or all of those remaining costs, depending on which lettered plan you choose. In exchange, you pay a monthly premium to the private insurance company that sells the policy.

Medigap does not cover prescription drugs, dental, vision, hearing aids, or long-term care. For drug coverage, you'd add a stand-alone Part D plan.

How the standardized letters work

Here's the part that trips people up. In most states, including Florida, Medigap plans are standardized by the federal government and labeled with letters: A, B, D, G, K, L, M, and N. (Plans C and F are still available, but only to people who became eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020.)

Standardized means this: a Plan G sold by one company covers the exact same core benefits as a Plan G sold by another company. The letter tells you what's covered. What differs between companies is the price, the customer service, and sometimes extra perks.

That's an important point for Zephyrhills shoppers. If two insurers both offer Plan N, the benefits are the same by law. So comparison shopping really comes down to premium, the company's track record for rate increases, and how easy the insurer is to work with.

Where you live matters — a little

Zephyrhills is in Pasco County, where Medicare beneficiaries have access to the same federally standardized Medigap letters available across most of the country. Unlike Medicare Advantage, which is built around county-level provider networks, Medigap generally lets you see any doctor or hospital in the U.S. that accepts Medicare. There's no network to worry about.

That nationwide flexibility is one of the reasons some snowbirds and frequent travelers lean toward Medigap.

The enrollment window you don't want to miss

The single most important thing to know about buying Medigap is timing. You get a one-time, six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period that starts the month you're both 65 or older and enrolled in Medicare Part B.

During that window, insurance companies must sell you any Medigap policy they offer at the best available price, regardless of your health history. Miss it, and in most cases insurers can use medical underwriting — meaning they can charge you more, or turn you down, based on preexisting conditions. Some states have extra protections, but Florida largely follows the federal rules.

Medigap vs. Medicare Advantage — they're not the same

This is worth saying plainly: you cannot have both Medigap and Medicare Advantage. Medigap works only with Original Medicare. Medicare Advantage (Part C) is a different way of getting your Medicare benefits, through a private plan that bundles Parts A, B, and usually D.

If you're weighing the two, think about tradeoffs. Medigap tends to have higher monthly premiums but more predictable out-of-pocket costs and broader provider access. Medicare Advantage often has lower premiums and extra benefits, but uses networks and prior authorization.

There's no universally right answer — it depends on your doctors, your health, your budget, and how you like to handle surprises.

Don't forget Part D

Because Medigap doesn't cover prescriptions, most people with a Medigap policy also enroll in a stand-alone Part D drug plan. A few 2026 numbers to keep in mind:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615.
• The old coverage gap or "donut hole" has been eliminated as of 2025; Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs into monthly payments over the year.
• Higher-income beneficiaries may pay IRMAA surcharges, which in 2026 start above $109,000 in income for a single filer.