Medicare Supplement

What Medigap Plan G and Plan N Cover in Hempstead

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — If you've ever squinted at a Medicare mailer trying to figure out the difference between Plan G and Plan N, you're not alone. Medicare Supplement insurance — often called Medigap — uses a set of standardized letter plans, and once you understand how the letters work, the choices get a lot less confusing.

Here's a plain-English look at what Medigap does, what it doesn't, and the small details that trip people up.

What Medigap actually is

Medigap is private insurance you can buy to sit alongside Original Medicare (Part A and Part B). It helps pay some of the out-of-pocket costs Original Medicare leaves behind — things like coinsurance, copayments, and, in some cases, the Part A hospital deductible.

Medigap is not Medicare Advantage. Advantage plans (Part C) replace the way you get your Medicare benefits. Medigap works with Original Medicare, not instead of it. You cannot have both a Medicare Advantage plan and a Medigap policy at the same time.

Hempstead is in Nassau County, where residents on Original Medicare can shop Medigap policies offered by private insurers licensed in New York. New York also has some of the strongest consumer protections in the country for Medigap buyers, which we'll get to below.

How the standardized letters work

In most states, Medigap plans are sold with letter names: A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M, and N. The letters are standardized by federal law. That means Plan G from one company covers the same medical benefits as Plan G from any other company — the difference is the price and the customer service, not the coverage.

A few quick notes on the letters, per CMS (medicare.gov):

• Plan F and Plan C are only available to people who became eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020. If you turned 65 after that date, you can't buy them.
• Plan G is the most comprehensive plan available to newer enrollees. It covers everything Plan F covered except the Part B deductible.
• Plan N has lower premiums than G in most markets but leaves you with some copays for office and ER visits.
• Plans K and L have lower premiums but include yearly out-of-pocket limits and cost-sharing.

Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin standardize their Medigap plans differently, but New York follows the federal letter system.

What Medigap does not cover

This is where people get burned. Medigap policies generally do not cover:

• Prescription drugs (you need a separate Part D plan for that)
• Routine dental, vision, or hearing care
• Long-term care (like a nursing home stay beyond what Medicare allows)
• Private-duty nursing
• Eyeglasses or hearing aids

If you want drug coverage alongside your Medigap plan, you'll enroll in a stand-alone Part D plan. In 2026, Part D has an out-of-pocket cap of $2,100, a maximum deductible of $615, and the old "donut hole" coverage gap is gone — there are now just three phases. There's also an optional Medicare Prescription Payment Plan that lets you smooth your drug costs across the year in monthly installments instead of paying big bills up front.

The enrollment window most people don't know about

Here's the mistake we see most often: waiting too long to buy Medigap.

You get a one-time, six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period that starts the month you're both 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During this window, insurers must sell you any Medigap policy they offer at their best available rate, regardless of your health history. This is called "guaranteed issue."

Miss that window, and in most states insurers can look at your medical history — and either charge you more or turn you down. New York is one of the more generous states here: it requires guaranteed-issue and community-rated Medigap policies year-round, meaning insurers can't use your health to deny coverage or raise your price. Even so, it's still smart to enroll during your initial window, because premiums and plan options vary.

Medigap vs. Medicare Advantage: a real choice

You'll want to think of Medigap and Medicare Advantage as two different paths, not two flavors of the same thing.

• Original Medicare + Part D + Medigap usually means higher monthly premiums but more predictable out-of-pocket costs and the freedom to see any provider that accepts Medicare.
• Medicare Advantage bundles everything (often including drug coverage) into one plan, typically with lower premiums but network rules and prior authorization for many services.

Switching from Advantage back to Original Medicare with a Medigap policy later in life is possible, but outside of New York's protections, insurers in most states can medically underwrite you at that point. Something to think about before you decide.

Key dates to keep in mind

• October 15 – December 7: Medicare's Annual Enrollment Period, when you can join, switch, or drop Advantage and Part D plans.
• January 1 – March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment, for people already in an Advantage plan who want to switch or return to Original Medicare.
• Your personal Medigap Open Enrollment Period: the six months starting when you're 65 and enrolled in Part B.

Also worth knowing: IRMAA, the income-related surcharge for Part B and Part D, kicks in above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026. It doesn't affect Medigap premiums, but it does affect the Part B and Part D premiums you pay alongside them.