Medicare Supplement

Medigap in New Orleans for 2026: plan letters, the Part B reset, and rate filings to check

NEW ORLEANS — If you are shopping a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy in Orleans Parish this fall, a few things are worth understanding before you sign anything. The lineup of standardized plan letters you can buy has not changed, but the Part B deductible that Plans G and N are built around resets every January, insurers file new rates with the state each year, and companies can come and go from the Louisiana market. Here is a plain-English guide to what actually shifts season to season — and how to check it for your ZIP code.

Medicare SupplementNew Orleans, LA

What Medigap is (and what it is not)

Medigap is private insurance that sits next to Original Medicare (Parts A and B). It helps pay some of the out-of-pocket costs Medicare leaves behind — things like coinsurance and copays. It is not Medicare Advantage, and it does not include drug coverage; for prescriptions you would add a separate Part D plan.

Every Medigap plan is standardized by letter. That means a Plan G from one company covers the same medical costs as a Plan G from another. What differs between companies is the premium, customer service, and how the price changes as you age.

The plan letters you can buy in Louisiana

For people newly eligible for Medicare today, these standardized letters are available: A, B, D, G, G-HD (high-deductible G), K, L, M, and N.

Plans C and F are closed to anyone who became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020. If you were eligible before that date, you may still be able to buy them, but the pool of people in those plans is shrinking, which is one thing to keep in mind when you compare premiums.

New Orleans sits in Orleans Parish, and Medigap availability in Louisiana is generally set at the state level, not the parish level — but which insurers actually sell in your ZIP code can vary, so it is worth checking your address specifically.

The Part B deductible reset — why Plans G and N feel different in January

Plans G and N are designed around the Part B deductible. In plain terms: you pay the Part B deductible yourself each calendar year, and then your Medigap picks up its share of what comes next.

That deductible is set by CMS and resets every January 1. So the same Plan G you had in December starts a fresh deductible year in January. Nothing about your policy changed — the calendar did. If you are new to Medigap, that reset is worth budgeting for.

The high-deductible version of Plan G (G-HD) works on a similar idea but with a much larger annual amount you pay before the plan kicks in. For the exact 2026 Part B deductible amount, check medicare.gov.

Rate-filing season — how Louisiana premiums change

Medigap premiums are not set by Medicare. Each insurer files its rates with the Louisiana Department of Insurance, and those rates can change from year to year. Increases are typically tied to medical inflation, the age mix of people in the plan, and how the insurer prices by age (some use "attained-age" pricing that goes up as you get older; others use "issue-age" or "community" pricing).

Two practical steps:

• Ask your insurer, in writing, what pricing method it uses and what your renewal premium will be.
• Look up the Louisiana Department of Insurance's Medigap rate guide, which shows filed premiums across companies for comparison.

If your renewal notice arrives with a higher number than you expected, that is the moment to shop — not after you have already paid.

Insurers entering or leaving the state

Companies do occasionally add or drop Medigap products in Louisiana. The cleanest way to see the current list for your area is the Medicare.gov Medigap policy search: enter your ZIP code and it returns the insurers licensed to sell each plan letter to you today.

One important rule to know: outside of your one-time Medigap Open Enrollment Period (the six months starting when you are 65 and enrolled in Part B), insurers in most cases can use medical underwriting to decide whether to accept you and what to charge. That means switching Medigap plans later in life is not always as simple as switching Advantage plans during the fall Annual Enrollment Period. Louisiana's SHIP counselors can walk you through your specific situation before you cancel anything.

How to check your options for 2026

• Medicare.gov Medigap policy search: enter your New Orleans ZIP code to see which insurers offer which plan letters.
• Louisiana Department of Insurance: publishes an annual Medigap rate comparison guide.
• Louisiana SHIP (Senior Health Insurance Information Program): free, unbiased one-on-one counseling.
• 1-800-MEDICARE: for federal rules, enrollment questions, and to confirm what you are eligible to buy.