Medicare Supplement

Medigap in Savannah: What Those Plan Letters Really Mean

SAVANNAH, Ga. — If you've spent any time comparing Medicare choices around Chatham County, you've probably run into the term "Medigap." It sounds like jargon, but the idea is simple: Medigap is a private insurance policy that helps pay some of the costs Original Medicare leaves behind. Here's a plain-English look at what it does, what those standardized letters mean, and how it fits with the rest of your Medicare coverage.

What Medigap actually is

Medicare Supplement insurance — nicknamed Medigap — is sold by private insurance companies to work alongside Original Medicare (Part A and Part B). It doesn't replace Medicare. Instead, it picks up some of the "gaps," like coinsurance, copayments, and in some cases the Part A deductible.

A few key ground rules from Medicare.gov:

• You must already have Medicare Part A and Part B to buy a Medigap policy.
• Medigap covers one person per policy. Spouses each need their own.
• You pay a monthly premium to the insurance company, in addition to your Part B premium.
• Medigap does not include prescription drug coverage. For that, you'd add a separate Part D plan.
• Medigap does not work with Medicare Advantage. You choose one path or the other.

How the standardized letters work

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

"Standardized" means this: Plan G from one insurance company covers the same core benefits as Plan G from another. The company can't change what's inside the letter. What can differ is the price and the customer service.

Each letter covers a different mix of items, such as:

• Part A hospital coinsurance and hospital costs after Medicare benefits are used up
• Part B coinsurance or copayment
• The first three pints of blood
• Hospice coinsurance
• Skilled nursing facility coinsurance
• Part A deductible
• Foreign travel emergency care (up to plan limits)

Some letters, like K and L, cover a percentage of costs and include an annual out-of-pocket limit. Plan N has small copays for some office and ER visits. The Medicare.gov Medigap comparison chart lays out exactly what each letter includes.

When you can buy Medigap matters — a lot

The best window to buy a Medigap policy is your Medigap Open Enrollment Period: the six months that start the month you're 65 and enrolled in Part B. During this window, insurers can't turn you down or charge you more because of your health history.

Outside that window, in Georgia, insurers can generally use medical underwriting. That means your health could affect whether you're accepted and what you pay. There are some limited "guaranteed issue" rights (for example, if certain coverage ends through no fault of your own), but they're narrower than the initial window. This is why so many counselors urge people to think carefully before missing that first six-month opportunity.

How this looks locally

Savannah is in Chatham County, where Medicare beneficiaries choose between two broad paths: Original Medicare (often paired with a Medigap policy and a stand-alone Part D drug plan) or Medicare Advantage. Plan availability for Advantage and Part D is set at the county level, so what's offered in Chatham may differ from neighboring Effingham or Bryan counties.

Medigap works differently. Because policies are standardized and sold by private insurers licensed in Georgia, availability is generally statewide rather than county-by-county — though prices and the list of participating companies can vary. The Georgia Department of Insurance keeps a consumer guide with Medigap rates by carrier, which is worth a look before you commit.

How Medigap fits with 2026 Medicare costs

Medigap only helps with Part A and Part B costs. It does not touch your drug costs. For 2026, a few Part D figures are worth keeping in mind as you plan your overall budget:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 for 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 is gone as of 2025 — Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs across the year in monthly installments instead of paying big amounts at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA surcharges (extra amounts for higher-income enrollees) start above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

Also keep the calendar handy: Annual Enrollment runs October 15 – December 7, and Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment runs January 1 – March 31. Medigap has its own enrollment rules and isn't tied to those windows.