Medicare Supplement

Before You Renew Medigap in Reno: 2026 Checkpoints

RENO, Nev. — If you have a Medigap policy in Washoe County — or you are shopping for one as you age into Medicare — a handful of moving parts reset every year, and 2026 is no exception. The plan letters you can buy, the Part B deductible that Plans G and N are built around, and the rates insurers file with the state all follow their own calendars. Here is what Reno readers should keep an eye on this season.

Medicare SupplementReno, NV

What Medigap actually is, in plain terms

Medigap — also called Medicare Supplement Insurance — is a private policy that pays some of the costs Original Medicare leaves behind, like coinsurance and hospital deductibles. It only works alongside Original Medicare (Parts A and B), not with a Medicare Advantage plan.

The letters (A, B, D, G and so on) are standardized by federal rule. That means a Plan G sold by one insurer covers the same core benefits as a Plan G sold by another. What differs is the price, the company's customer service, and sometimes small extras.

The plan letters you can buy in Nevada in 2026

For anyone newly eligible for Medicare, the menu in Nevada is: Plans A, B, D, G, G-HD, K, L, M and N. Plans C and F are still sold, but only to people who became eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020 — that federal rule has not changed.

Plan G and Plan N remain the most widely offered letters across Nevada carriers. The table below lists every insurer that sells Medigap in the state, along with the plan letters each one offers. Names like AARP - UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield - Nevada, Humana (Humana Benefit Plan of Illinois, Inc.), Mutual of Omaha (Omaha Insurance Company) and State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company all appear, alongside smaller carriers a Reno shopper might not have heard of.

The Part B deductible reset — why it matters for Plans G and N

Plans G and N are structured around the Part B deductible. In practical terms, you pay that deductible out of pocket at the start of the year, and the Medigap plan picks up covered costs after that.

The deductible amount is set by CMS and resets every January. The 2026 figure is posted on medicare.gov under Medicare costs. If you have Plan G or N, budgeting for that first-of-the-year expense is the single most useful planning step you can make.

The high-deductible version of Plan G (Plan G-HD) works differently — you pay more out of pocket before coverage kicks in, in exchange for a lower premium. Several Nevada carriers offer it; see the table.

Rate-filing season: how to check what your insurer is doing

Medigap premiums are not fixed by Medicare. Each insurer files proposed rates with the Nevada Division of Insurance, and those filings are public. If your renewal notice shows a change you didn't expect, the filing behind it is on record.

A few things to know:

• Nevada uses different rating methods (issue-age, attained-age, community-rated), and how your premium grows over time depends on which one your policy uses.
• Outside your six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period — the window that starts when you are 65 and enrolled in Part B — insurers in Nevada can generally use medical underwriting to decide whether to accept you or what to charge. That makes switching later in life harder than many people expect.
• Nevada does offer a "birthday rule" that lets some Medigap policyholders switch to an equal or lesser plan within a set window each year without underwriting. Details and current rules are on the Nevada Division of Insurance website.

Insurers entering or leaving Nevada

Carrier participation shifts from year to year. For 2026, refer to the Medigap policy search on medicare.gov, which lists every insurer currently selling in your ZIP code, or call the Nevada SHIP for a walkthrough. The insurers listed in the table on this page are the ones on file for Nevada.

How to decide, step by step

1. Confirm you are on Original Medicare (Parts A and B). Medigap does not pair with Medicare Advantage. 2. Decide which plan letter fits your budget and risk tolerance — for example, Plan G covers more up front, while Plan N has lower premiums but some office and ER copays. 3. Compare quotes across insurers for the same letter. Because benefits are standardized, this is a real apples-to-apples comparison. 4. Check the rate history. A low first-year premium is less useful if the plan raises rates aggressively over time. 5. Ask your local SHIP counselor before you switch — especially if you are past your Medigap Open Enrollment window.