Medicare Supplement

Medigap Letter Plans Explained for Olathe Medicare Shoppers

OLATHE, Kan. — If you've ever tried to shop for a Medicare Supplement policy, you've probably seen a lineup of letters — Plan A, Plan G, Plan N — and wondered why insurance companies talk in code. The good news: those letters aren't random. They're standardized by federal rules, and once you understand what they mean, comparing coverage gets a lot easier.

Here's a plain-English guide to how Medigap works and why the letters matter.

What Medigap actually does

Medicare Supplement Insurance — better known as Medigap — is private insurance that works alongside Original Medicare (Part A and Part B). It doesn't replace Medicare. Instead, it helps pay some of the out-of-pocket costs Original Medicare leaves behind, like coinsurance, copayments, and certain deductibles.

If you have Original Medicare and a Medigap policy, Medicare pays its share of an approved medical bill first. Your Medigap plan then pays its share of what's left, based on the letter plan you chose.

A few important ground rules from Medicare:

• Medigap only works with Original Medicare. You cannot use a Medigap policy to pay costs under a Medicare Advantage plan.
• You generally need to be enrolled in both Part A and Part B.
• Medigap policies don't include prescription drug coverage. For that, you'd add a stand-alone Part D plan.
• Each Medigap policy covers only one person. Spouses need their own policies.

Why the letters exist

Before the federal government stepped in, Medigap shopping was chaotic — every insurer sold different benefit combinations. So Congress required Medigap plans to be standardized. Today, in most states, Medigap plans come in ten lettered versions: A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M, and N. (Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin standardize their plans a little differently.)

Here's the key point: the benefits inside each lettered plan are the same, no matter which company sells it. A Plan G from one carrier covers the same core items as a Plan G from another carrier. What can differ is the premium, customer service, and extras like household discounts.

That standardization is why the letters matter so much. Once you know which letter fits your needs, comparing companies becomes an apples-to-apples exercise focused mostly on price and service.

How to think about the letter choices

Each lettered plan offers a different mix of benefits. Some cover almost everything Original Medicare leaves behind; others cover less in exchange for lower premiums. Medicare's official plan finder at medicare.gov shows the full benefit grid, including which plans help with:

• Part A hospital coinsurance and hospice care
• Part B coinsurance or copayments
• The first three pints of blood
• Skilled nursing facility coinsurance
• Part A and Part B deductibles (varies by plan)
• Foreign travel emergency care (varies by plan)

One rule to know: Plans C and F — which cover the Part B deductible — are only available to people who became eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020. If you aged into Medicare after that date, those two letters are off the table.

When you can buy — and why timing matters

The best window to buy Medigap is your Medigap Open Enrollment Period: the six months that begin the month you turn 65 and are enrolled in Part B. During this window, insurers cannot deny you coverage or charge you more because of health conditions. This is called guaranteed issue.

Outside that window, in most states, insurers can use medical underwriting — meaning your health history can affect whether you're accepted and what you pay. A few states have broader rules, so it's worth checking with your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP).

How this fits with the rest of Medicare in 2026

Medigap only helps with Original Medicare's cost-sharing, but it's worth knowing what else is changing around it:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: In 2026, your annual out-of-pocket spending on covered prescription drugs is capped at $2,100.
• Part D deductible: The maximum allowed deductible for 2026 is $615.
• The "donut hole" is gone. Since 2025, Part D uses three phases instead of four.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan: Optional program that spreads your drug costs across monthly payments instead of large one-time bills.
• IRMAA surcharges: Higher-income beneficiaries pay more for Parts B and D. For single filers in 2026, the surcharge starts above $109,000 in income.
• Key dates: Annual Enrollment runs October 15 – December 7, and Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment runs January 1 – March 31.

What's available around Olathe

Olathe is in Johnson County, where Medigap policies are sold by multiple private insurers licensed in Kansas. Because the plan letters are standardized, your job as a shopper is usually to pick the letter that fits your needs, then compare the companies offering that letter in Johnson County on price, stability, and service.

The Kansas SHICK program (the Kansas SHIP) offers free, unbiased counseling to help you sort through options.