Medicare Supplement

Medicare Supplement basics for Nampa: A, B, D, G, K, L, M, N

NAMPA, Idaho — If you've ever tried to make sense of Medicare Supplement insurance, you're not alone. The plans come with letter names — A, B, D, G, K, L, M, N — and they don't sound like anything a normal person would say out loud. But once you understand what Medigap is built to do, the letters start to make sense.

Here's a plain-English look at how Medicare Supplement insurance works, what it covers, and what it doesn't.

What Medigap actually is

Medicare Supplement insurance — often called Medigap — is private insurance you can buy to help pay some of the out-of-pocket costs that Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) leaves behind. Think deductibles, coinsurance, and copays.

Medigap does not replace Original Medicare. It works alongside it. Medicare pays its share of a covered service first, and then your Medigap policy pays its share of what's left, based on the letter plan you chose.

One important point: Medigap is different from Medicare Advantage (Part C). You can't have both at the same time. Medigap is designed to sit next to Original Medicare, not on top of a Medicare Advantage plan.

Why the plans use letters

To keep things simpler for consumers, the federal government standardized Medigap plans. That means a Plan G sold by one company covers the same core benefits as a Plan G sold by another company. The price can differ, but the benefits inside each letter are set by law.

According to Medicare.gov, ten standardized letter plans are available in most states: 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.)

Each letter offers a different mix of benefits. Some cover nearly everything Original Medicare doesn't. Others cover less and cost less. That's the trade-off shoppers are weighing.

What Medigap generally helps with

Depending on the letter you pick, a Medigap policy can help pay for things like:

• Part A hospital coinsurance and extra hospital days after Medicare's coverage ends
• Part B coinsurance or copays for doctor visits and outpatient care
• The first three pints of blood in a medical procedure
• Hospice care coinsurance
• Skilled nursing facility coinsurance
• Part A deductible
• In some plans, limited coverage for emergency care during foreign travel

Plans K and L work a little differently — they pay a set percentage of certain costs and have a yearly out-of-pocket limit. Plan N has small copays for some office and emergency room visits.

What Medigap does NOT cover

This is where a lot of people get tripped up. Medigap is not a catch-all. It generally does not cover:

• Prescription drugs. For that, you need a separate Medicare Part D plan.
• Dental, vision, or hearing care and devices.
• Long-term care in a nursing home.
• Private-duty nursing.

If drug coverage matters to you — and for most people it does — you'll want to look at a stand-alone Part D plan alongside Medigap. In 2026, Part D has an annual out-of-pocket cap of $2,100 and a maximum deductible of $615, per CMS. The old "donut hole" coverage gap is gone as of 2025, replaced by a simpler three-phase structure. There's also an optional Medicare Prescription Payment Plan that lets you spread drug costs out over the year in monthly amounts.

Timing matters — a lot

The best window to buy a Medigap policy is your Medigap Open Enrollment Period, a six-month window that starts the month you're both 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During that window, insurance companies can't turn you down or charge you more because of your health.

Outside that window, in most states, insurers can use medical underwriting. That means your health history can affect whether you can get a policy — or what you'll pay. Idaho has some of its own rules around Medigap, so it's worth checking with the Idaho Department of Insurance or your local SHIP counselor before making a move.

Nampa is in Canyon County, where Medigap is sold by private insurance companies licensed in Idaho. Medigap availability isn't tied to county the way Medicare Advantage is, but pricing and the specific carriers offering each letter plan can vary by ZIP code.

How Medigap fits with the calendar

A quick note on enrollment periods, because they get mixed up:

• The Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7) is for Medicare Advantage and Part D — not Medigap.
• The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (January 1 – March 31) is for people already on Advantage plans who want to switch.
• Medigap has its own six-month open enrollment window tied to your Part B start date.

If you're leaving a Medicare Advantage plan and returning to Original Medicare, you may have "guaranteed issue" rights to buy certain Medigap plans without underwriting — but the timing rules are strict.