Medicare Supplement

Does Plan C or F still work for you in Fayetteville?

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — If you have a Medigap policy in Cumberland County, or you are thinking about buying one for 2026, a few things shift at the turn of the year that are worth knowing before you make any calls.

Medicare SupplementFayetteville, NC

Medigap — also called Medicare Supplement Insurance — is the coverage that pairs with Original Medicare to help pay the out-of-pocket costs Parts A and B leave behind. The plans themselves are standardized by the federal government, but who can buy which one, what those plans pay toward, and what they cost are governed by three separate calendars: federal eligibility rules, the annual Part B deductible reset, and North Carolina's rate-filing process. Here is where each stands going into 2026.

Which plan letters you can still buy

The letter on a Medigap plan tells you what it covers; every "Plan G" pays the same list of costs no matter which insurer sells it. What changes is who is allowed to buy which letter.

If you became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020, you cannot buy Plan C or Plan F — the two plans that used to cover the Part B deductible in full. That rule is unchanged for 2026. The plan letters available to newly eligible North Carolinians are A, B, D, G, G-HD, K, L, M, and N. If you were eligible before that 2020 cutoff and already have Plan C or F, you can keep it, and a small number of carriers in the table below still sell those letters to people who qualify.

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

Plans G and N, the two most commonly purchased letters for new enrollees, are designed to cover almost everything Original Medicare charges you except the Part B deductible. That deductible resets on January 1 each year. Once you meet it, your Medigap plan takes over its share of the Part B coinsurance.

For 2026, check the current Part B deductible directly at Medicare.gov before you budget — it is a single national figure set by CMS, not something that varies by carrier or by county.

Plan N works a little differently: it can leave you with small copays for some office and emergency-room visits, and it does not cover Part B "excess charges." If your Fayetteville-area doctors accept Medicare assignment, that second point may not affect you, but it is worth asking.

Rate-adjustment season in North Carolina

Medigap premiums are not fixed by Medicare. Each insurer files its rates with the North Carolina Department of Insurance, and those rates can be adjusted — usually once a year. That is why two neighbors on the exact same Plan G can pay very different premiums.

If a renewal letter arrives this fall or winter showing a higher premium for 2026, you have options. Because the plan letters are standardized, the Plan G (or N, or any other letter) sold by a different carrier covers the same things. What differs is price, customer service, and whether the insurer uses "attained-age," "issue-age," or "community" rating — which affects how your premium changes as you get older.

You can look up filed rates and consumer guides through the North Carolina Department of Insurance's Seniors' Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP), which is North Carolina's SHIP. SHIIP counselors offer free, unbiased help by phone and in person.

Insurers selling Medigap in North Carolina

The table below lists every insurer currently offering Medigap coverage in North Carolina and the plan letters each one sells. Names range alphabetically from AARP - UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company through WoodmenLife, and include familiar names such as Aetna Health Insurance Company, AFLAC, BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina, Humana (Humana Benefit Plan of Illinois, Inc.), Mutual of Omaha (Omaha Insurance Company), State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, and USAA Life Insurance Company.

A quick reminder about switching: Medigap does not share Medicare Advantage's Annual Enrollment Period. Your strongest guarantee is the six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period that starts when you are both 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During that one-time window, insurers cannot use your health history against you. After it ends, North Carolina insurers can require medical underwriting on most applications, which means an application can be denied or priced higher based on your health.

How to decide what to do this year

A few practical steps for Fayetteville readers heading into 2026:

• If you are new to Medicare, look at the plan letters (A, B, D, G, G-HD, K, L, M, N) side by side on Medicare.gov's Medigap policy search before you compare prices.
• If you already have a policy, open the renewal notice when it arrives and note both the new premium and your rating method.
• If your premium jumped, ask a SHIIP counselor about underwriting rules in North Carolina before you cancel anything — dropping a policy without a replacement can leave you unprotected.
• Remember that Medigap does not include Part D. Drug plans are chosen separately during the October 15 – December 7 Annual Enrollment Period, and the 2026 Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100.