Medicare Supplement

Medigap A through N: How the letter system actually works

Medigap A through N: How the letter system actually works — plain-language Medicare information for Camden, New Jersey.

CAMDEN, N.J. — If you've ever looked at a Medicare Supplement brochure and felt lost in a sea of letters — Plan A, Plan G, Plan N — you're not alone. Those letters aren't marketing labels. They're a federal shorthand that tells you exactly what a Medigap policy has to cover, no matter which company sells it.

For readers in Camden weighing how to fill the gaps in Original Medicare, understanding that letter system is the first step to shopping with confidence.

What Medigap is — and what it isn't

Medicare Supplement Insurance, better known as Medigap, is private insurance you can buy to help pay costs Original Medicare leaves behind. Think coinsurance, copayments, and hospital deductibles.

It is not the same thing as Medicare Advantage (Part C). Medigap works only with Original Medicare. You cannot have both a Medigap plan and a Medicare Advantage plan at the same time.

Medigap also does not include prescription drug coverage. For that, you'd add a separate Part D plan.

Why the letters exist

Before the federal government stepped in, Medigap policies were a confusing patchwork. Two plans with similar names could cover very different things. So Congress required insurers to standardize.

Today, most states — including New Jersey — use ten standardized Medigap plans, each labeled with a letter: A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M, and N. (Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin follow their own standardized systems.)

Here's the key point: within each letter, benefits are identical from one insurer to the next. A Plan G from one carrier covers the same items as a Plan G from another. What can differ is the premium, customer service, and how the company handles rate increases over time.

What the letters generally cover

Every lettered plan covers a base set of benefits, including Part A hospital coinsurance and an extra 365 days of hospital coverage after Medicare benefits end. From there, each letter adds — or leaves out — specific items like the Part B deductible, skilled nursing coinsurance, or foreign travel emergency care.

Two important notes for people new to Medicare:

• Plans C and F are no longer available to people 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.
• Plans K and L have out-of-pocket limits and cover a percentage of certain costs instead of 100%.

For a side-by-side benefit chart, medicare.gov keeps an up-to-date grid showing exactly what each letter covers.

How this looks locally

Camden is in Camden County, where residents shop for Medigap through insurers licensed to sell in New Jersey. Because the benefits within each letter are standardized, the shopping comparison usually comes down to price and the company behind the plan.

New Jersey has its own rules about when insurers must sell you a policy and how they can price it based on age. Those rules can affect what you pay, so it's worth checking your specific situation.

When you can buy a Medigap plan

The best window to buy Medigap is your Medigap Open Enrollment Period — a six-month stretch that starts the month you're 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During this window, insurers can't turn you down or charge you more because of health conditions.

Outside that window, you may still be able to buy a policy, but insurers in most states can use medical underwriting. That means your health history could affect whether you're approved and what you'll pay.

This is different from the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7), which is for Part D and Medicare Advantage — not Medigap.