Medicare Supplement

Turning 65 in Columbus? How Medigap Letters Work

If you are turning 65 in Columbus or already have Original Medicare, you have probably heard about "Medigap" — the private insurance that helps pay some of what Medicare Part A and Part B leave behind. In Georgia, these policies are sold by letter (Plan A, Plan G, Plan N, and so on), and the letter tells you what the policy covers. The insurer's name on the front does not change that. Here is how the letters work in Muscogee County and how they fit with the rest of your Medicare coverage.

Medicare SupplementColumbus, GA

What Medigap does — and does not — do

Medigap sits next to Original Medicare. After Medicare pays its share of a covered hospital or doctor bill, your Medigap policy picks up some or all of the leftover coinsurance, copays, or deductibles, depending on the letter you buy.

Medigap does not work with a Medicare Advantage plan. You choose one path or the other: Original Medicare plus (optionally) Medigap and a Part D drug plan, or Medicare Advantage, which bundles things together. Medigap also does not cover prescriptions filled at the pharmacy, dental, vision, or hearing.

The standardized letters you can buy in Georgia

Because Medigap is standardized under federal rules, "Plan G is Plan G" no matter which company sells it. Georgia follows the federal standardization (unlike Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, which use their own system).

If you became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020, you can shop these letters:

• Plan A, Plan B, Plan D, Plan G, high-deductible Plan G, Plan K, Plan L, Plan M, and Plan N.

If you were eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020, you can also still buy Plan C and Plan F (including high-deductible F) if a carrier offers them.

Each letter covers a different mix of benefits, from the basic Plan A up through the more comprehensive Plan G. Plans K and L use cost-sharing percentages and have a yearly out-of-pocket limit. The high-deductible versions of G (and F, if you qualify) have a lower monthly premium but require you to meet a deductible before the policy pays.

Who sells Medigap in Muscogee County

Columbus sits in Muscogee County, and the insurers licensed to sell Medigap policies in Georgia are the same across the state. The table below lists every insurer and the letters each one offers in Georgia. A few names you may recognize include AARP - UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield - Georgia, Humana (Emphesys Insurance Company), Mutual of Omaha (Omaha Supplemental Insurance Company), and State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company. Not every carrier offers every letter, so if you have a specific letter in mind, check which companies sell it.

Because benefits are standardized, the things that actually differ between two "Plan G" policies are the premium, the company's rate history, customer service, and any household or payment discounts the insurer chooses to offer. Georgia's Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner publishes rate information you can use to compare.

How Medigap pairs with Part D in 2026

Medigap does not include drug coverage, so most people with Original Medicare also enroll in a stand-alone Medicare Part D plan. A few 2026 numbers to know:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026. Once you hit it, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The maximum Part D deductible any plan can charge is $615.
• The old "donut hole" coverage gap is gone — Part D now has three phases.
• If your drug costs are uneven month to month, you can ask to use the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which spreads your share into level monthly bills.
• Higher-income enrollees pay an IRMAA surcharge on Part B and Part D; for a single filer in 2026, that starts above $109,000 in income.

Timing: when you can buy, and when it is easiest

Your best federal window to buy a Medigap policy is the 6-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period. It begins the first month you are 65 or older and enrolled in Medicare Part B. During that window, insurers in Georgia must sell you any Medigap policy they offer, cannot charge more because of your health, and cannot make you wait for pre-existing conditions (beyond a limited look-back).

Outside that window, insurers in Georgia can generally use medical underwriting, which means they can ask health questions and decide whether to offer you a policy and at what price. There are some federal "guaranteed issue" situations (for example, if certain coverage ends through no fault of your own). Georgia may have additional protections; for the current rules that apply to you, contact GeorgiaCares (the state's SHIP program) or the Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner.

Note that the fall Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7) and the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (January 1 – March 31) are for Medicare Advantage and Part D — not Medigap. Medigap has its own timing.

How to decide which letter fits

A few questions can narrow the list quickly:

• How much predictability do you want? Plans that cover more up front (like G) mean fewer surprise bills but a higher monthly premium. Plans with cost sharing (like K, L, or N) trade a lower premium for more out-of-pocket exposure.
• Are you comfortable with a deductible? If so, a high-deductible option can lower the monthly cost.
• Were you eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020? If yes, Plans C and F are still on the table for you.
• Will you travel? Some letters include foreign travel emergency coverage; check the benefit chart on Medicare.gov.

Once you pick a letter, then compare insurers on price and service for that same letter — you are comparing apples to apples.