Medicare Supplement

Baton Rouge Medigap: which letters are on the shelf

Medigap looks confusing until you see the pattern: the federal government sets the plans by letter, and insurers in Louisiana pick which letters to sell. If you live in Baton Rouge and you have Original Medicare, that is the box you are shopping inside. This guide walks through which letters are on the shelf in Louisiana, how a Medigap policy fits with Part D, and where state rules come in.

How Medigap fits with Original Medicare

Medigap, also called Medicare Supplement Insurance, is a private policy that pays some of the out‑of‑pocket costs Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) leaves behind — things like coinsurance and hospital costs after Medicare pays its share. You keep your red, white and blue Medicare card and add the Medigap policy on top.

A few ground rules to keep in mind:

• You need both Part A and Part B to buy a Medigap policy.
• Medigap does not work with a Medicare Advantage plan. You choose one lane or the other.
• Each Medigap policy covers one person. Spouses each need their own.
• Medigap policies sold today do not include prescription drug coverage.

The plan letters you can buy in Louisiana

Medigap is standardized by the federal government in most states, including Louisiana. That means a Plan G at one company covers the same medical costs as a Plan G at another company. (Three states — Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin — standardize their plans differently. Louisiana uses the federal letters.)

If you are newly eligible for Medicare today, these letters are available in Louisiana:

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

Plans C and F are closed to new enrollees. Under federal law, anyone who became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020 cannot buy Plan C or Plan F. If you were eligible before that date, you may still be able to enroll in them.

The table below lists every insurer offering Medigap in Louisiana and which letters each one sells, so you can see at a glance who offers, say, Plan G versus Plan N.

How the letters differ

Every Medigap plan pays your Part A hospital coinsurance and gives you an extra year of hospital coverage after Medicare benefits end. From there, the letters differ mostly in how much of the Part B share they pick up and whether you share a little of the cost.

A few points that trip people up:

• Plans K and L pay a percentage of covered services rather than the full amount, and they include a yearly out‑of‑pocket limit.
• Plan N generally pays the Part B coinsurance but may leave a small copay for some office and emergency visits.
• High‑deductible Plan G has a lower monthly premium but you pay a set deductible before it starts paying.
• Plan G and Plan N are the two most‑bought options for people new to Medicare, largely because Plan F is closed to them.

None of that means one letter is the “right” one — it depends on how you use care and how you feel about paying more up front versus more when you get a bill.

Adding a Part D drug plan

Because today’s Medigap policies do not include drug coverage, most people pair Medigap with a stand‑alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. A few things to know for 2026:

• Part D has a new $2,100 annual out‑of‑pocket cap on covered drugs.
• The maximum Part D deductible is $615 (plans can charge less).
• The old coverage gap (“donut hole”) is gone; Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs across the year in monthly payments instead of paying a big amount at the pharmacy counter.
• If your income is above $109,000 (single filer, 2026), an IRMAA surcharge is added to your Part B and Part D premiums.

If you go too long without creditable drug coverage after you first become eligible, a late enrollment penalty can be added to your Part D premium for as long as you have it.

The Louisiana rules that shape your choice

Federal law gives you one very strong right: a six‑month Medigap Open Enrollment Period that starts the month you are 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During that window, an insurer in Baton Rouge cannot turn you down or charge you more because of your health.

You may also have a guaranteed issue right in certain situations — for example, if a plan you had is ending, or if you tried Medicare Advantage for the first time and want to switch back within 12 months.

Outside those windows, Louisiana insurers can generally use medical underwriting when you apply, which means your health history may affect whether you get the policy and what you pay. Baton Rouge is in East Baton Rouge Parish, and the same statewide rules apply here as elsewhere in Louisiana.

For state‑specific questions — including any special enrollment rights beyond federal law — the best sources are the Louisiana Department of Insurance and the Louisiana Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP), the state’s SHIP counseling service. SHIP counseling is free and unbiased.

How to shop, step by step

1. Pick a letter first. Decide how you want to share costs — more per month vs. more per visit. 2. Compare companies on that letter. Because benefits are identical within a letter, you are comparing price, rate history, customer service and how each company sets rates. 3. Ask how the premium is priced. Insurers use different pricing methods (community‑rated, issue‑age or attained‑age), which affects how the premium changes as you get older. 4. Add a Part D plan using the Plan Finder at medicare.gov, entering your prescriptions and preferred pharmacy. 5. Confirm your enrollment window so you know whether you have guaranteed issue rights or will go through underwriting.

Where to get personal help

Medigap is one of the more permanent decisions in Medicare, so it pays to slow down and ask questions before you sign.

• Medicare.gov — the official Medigap policy search shows every policy sold in your ZIP code.
• 1‑800‑MEDICARE (1‑800‑633‑4227) — 24/7 help from Medicare.
• Louisiana SHIIP — free one‑on‑one counseling for Louisiana residents.
• Louisiana Department of Insurance — for complaints, rate guides and consumer rights.