Medicare Supplement

Forsyth County Medigap: The Yearly Reset Explained

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — If you carry a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy in Forsyth County, or you are shopping for one, a few things reset every year that are worth understanding before you renew or switch. The plan letters you can buy depend on when you first became eligible for Medicare, the Part B deductible that Plans G and N are built around resets each January, and North Carolina insurers file any premium changes with the state. Here is what that means for a Winston-Salem reader heading into 2026.

Medicare SupplementWinston-Salem, NC

Which plan letters you can actually buy

Medigap policies are standardized by letter, which means a Plan G from one insurer covers the same core benefits as a Plan G from another. What differs is the price and the company behind it.

For anyone newly eligible for Medicare today, the letters on the menu in North Carolina are A, B, D, G, high-deductible G, K, L, M and N. Plans C and F are closed to people who became eligible on or after January 1, 2020, because those plans paid the Part B deductible — and federal law no longer allows new "first-dollar" Part B coverage for newer enrollees. If you were eligible before that date, you may still buy C or F if a carrier offers them.

The table below lists every insurer selling Medigap in North Carolina and the letters each one offers, so you can see which companies carry the plan you're considering.

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

Plans G and N are the two most common choices for people newly eligible for Medicare, and both are built around one detail: you pay the annual Part B deductible yourself before the Medigap policy fills in the rest of your Part B coinsurance.

CMS sets that deductible each year. When it resets on January 1, everyone on Plan G or Plan N starts a new deductible clock. That is not a change to your policy — it is a normal yearly reset — but it is the reason your first doctor visits of the year may feel more expensive than the rest.

Plan N works a little differently on top of that: it can include small copays for office and emergency-room visits, and it does not cover Part B "excess charges" (the extra amount a provider can bill if they do not accept Medicare assignment). If you see a provider who accepts assignment, that second point rarely comes up.

For the current-year deductible figure, check Medicare.gov's "Medicare costs at a glance" page.

Rate-adjustment season in North Carolina

Medigap premiums are not set by Medicare. Each insurer files its rates with the North Carolina Department of Insurance, and adjustments typically take effect on the policy's anniversary or at the start of a new calendar year.

A few things to know as filings hit:

• A rate change from one carrier does not mean every carrier changed. Filings are company-by-company.
• North Carolina generally uses "issue-age" or "attained-age" rating for Medigap, meaning your age can factor into how your premium moves over time. Your renewal notice will spell out what changed and when.
• You can look up a carrier's filings on the NC Department of Insurance website or call the department's Seniors' Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP), the state's SHIP, for help reading them.

If your renewal comes in higher than you expected, that is the moment to compare — not the moment to panic.

Insurers entering or leaving the state

The insurer roster can shift from year to year as companies enter North Carolina, exit, or add and drop specific plan letters. The current list of Medigap insurers active in North Carolina — from AARP – UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company through WoodmenLife — is in the table below, with the letters each company offers next to its name.

If your current carrier stops selling in the state, your existing policy generally stays in force under its guaranteed-renewable terms; you cannot be dropped just because you got older or used it. But if you want to switch to a different company, be aware that outside your original six-month Medigap open enrollment period (the six months starting when you are 65 and enrolled in Part B), insurers in North Carolina can use medical underwriting. That means health questions, and possibly a decision not to offer you a policy, unless a specific guaranteed-issue right applies.

How to decide what to do this year

A short checklist as 2026 approaches:

1. Read your renewal notice. Note the new premium, the effective date and whether your plan letter is unchanged. 2. Confirm which plan letters you are eligible to buy today — that depends on your Medicare eligibility date, not your age. 3. If you are considering a switch, ask each carrier whether you would need to answer health questions. In most cases outside your original open enrollment, the answer is yes. 4. Compare quotes for the same letter across several carriers. Because the benefits are standardized, price and company service are the real variables. 5. If Part D drug coverage is part of your picture, remember 2026 brings a $2,100 out-of-pocket cap on Part D, a maximum Part D deductible of $615, and the optional Medicare Prescription Payment Plan for smoothing drug costs across the year. IRMAA surcharges begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

For personalized help, SHIIP counselors in Forsyth County can walk through your specific situation for free.