Medicare Supplement

Medigap Standardized Letters Explained for Dover, NH

DOVER, N.H. — If you've ever tried to shop for a Medicare Supplement policy, you know the alphabet soup can be dizzying. Plan A, Plan G, Plan N, Plan K — the letters look random, and the pitches from different insurance companies can sound almost identical. That's not an accident. It's how the program was designed.

Here in Dover, part of Strafford County, thousands of residents on Original Medicare pair their coverage with a Medigap policy to help handle the out-of-pocket costs Medicare doesn't pay. Understanding how these standardized plans work — and what they don't do — can save you from an expensive mistake.

What Medigap actually is

Medicare Supplement Insurance, better known as Medigap, is private insurance you can buy to sit alongside Original Medicare (Part A and Part B). It helps pay some of the costs Medicare leaves behind, like coinsurance, copayments, and deductibles.

A few things to keep in mind:

• Medigap only works with Original Medicare. You cannot use a Medigap policy with a Medicare Advantage (Part C) plan.
• Medigap does not include prescription drug coverage. For that, you'd add a stand-alone Part D plan.
• You pay a monthly premium to the insurance company, on top of your Part B premium.

Why the plans have letters

Since 1992, Medigap plans have been standardized by the federal government. That means Plan G from one carrier covers exactly the same core benefits as Plan G from any other carrier. The letter tells you what the plan covers. The company sets the price and the customer service.

In most states, including New Hampshire, ten standardized letter plans are available: A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M, and N. (Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin follow their own standardization rules.)

Two important notes on newer enrollees:

• If you became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020, you cannot buy Plans C or F. Those plans covered the Part B deductible, and a federal law closed them to new enrollees.
• Plans G and N are the most common picks for people newly eligible today, but the right choice depends on your health, budget, and how you like to pay for care.

What Medigap covers — and what it doesn't

Every lettered Medigap plan covers at least the basics, like Part A hospital coinsurance and an extra 365 days of hospital coverage after Medicare benefits end. From there, plans differ in whether they pick up things like:

• Part B coinsurance and copays
• The first three pints of blood
• Skilled nursing facility coinsurance
• The Part A deductible
• Foreign travel emergency care (up to plan limits)

What Medigap generally does not cover: prescription drugs, routine dental, vision, hearing aids, long-term custodial care, or private-duty nursing. Those need separate coverage or out-of-pocket payment.

The best time to buy — and why timing matters

The Medigap Open Enrollment Period is a six-month window that starts the month you're 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During this window, you have a guaranteed issue right: insurance companies must sell you any Medigap policy they offer at their best available rate, regardless of your health history.

Miss that window, and in most states — New Hampshire included — insurers can use medical underwriting. That means they can charge you more, or turn you down, based on your health. This is the single most common Medigap mistake we hear about: waiting too long, then discovering the policy you wanted is no longer affordable or available.

How Medigap fits with Part D in 2026

Because Medigap doesn't cover prescriptions, most people who choose Original Medicare + Medigap also enroll in a Part D drug plan. A few 2026 program facts worth knowing:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 for 2026. Once you hit that, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615.
• The old "donut hole" coverage gap was eliminated in 2025 — Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs across the year in monthly installments, at no extra charge.
• IRMAA income surcharges on Part B and Part D begin above $109,000 for single filers in 2026.

Annual Enrollment for Part D runs October 15 to December 7. Medigap, unlike Advantage and Part D, has no annual open enrollment — you can apply any time, but outside your initial six-month window, underwriting usually applies.