Medicare Supplement

Why Medigap letters confuse Eugene Medicare enrollees

EUGENE, Ore. — If you've ever tried to make sense of Medicare Supplement insurance, you're not alone. The plans go by letters — A, B, D, G, K, L, M, N — and they don't line up with the "parts" of Medicare (Part A, Part B, Part D). That naming overlap trips people up every year. Here's a plain-English walk-through of what Medigap actually does, how the standardized letters work, and the small choices that can cost you later if you're not paying attention.

What Medigap is — and isn't

Medigap is private insurance you can buy to help pay some of the out-of-pocket costs that Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) leaves behind. Things like coinsurance, copayments, and — depending on the letter you pick — the Part A hospital deductible.

A few things Medigap is not:

• It's not Medicare Advantage (Part C). Medigap works alongside Original Medicare; Medicare Advantage replaces the way Original Medicare pays.
• It doesn't include prescription drug coverage. If you want drug coverage, you'd add a separate Part D plan.
• It doesn't cover long-term care, most dental, vision, hearing aids, or private-duty nursing.

You can't have a Medigap policy and a Medicare Advantage plan at the same time. It's one lane or the other.

How the standardized letters work

Here's the part that surprises most people: in most states, Medigap policies are standardized by the federal government. That means Plan G from one company covers the exact same set of benefits as Plan G from another company. The letter defines the benefits — not the brand.

What can differ between carriers offering the same letter:

• The monthly premium
• How they price policies as you age (community-rated, issue-age-rated, or attained-age-rated)
• Customer service, billing, and extras like discounts or wellness perks

So when you're comparing two "Plan G" policies, you're really comparing price and company, not benefits.

Also worth knowing: Plans C and F are no longer sold 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. Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin standardize their Medigap plans differently — but Oregon follows the standard federal letters.

The enrollment window that matters most

The single biggest Medigap mistake is missing your Medigap Open Enrollment Period. This is a one-time, six-month window that starts the month you're 65 and enrolled in Part B. During that window, insurers must sell you any Medigap policy they offer at their best available rate, regardless of your health history.

Miss it, and in most cases insurers can use medical underwriting — meaning they can charge you more, or turn you down, based on your health. There are limited "guaranteed issue" situations later on, but they're narrow. If you're approaching 65, mark this window on your calendar.

Note this is different from the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7) and the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (January 1 – March 31). Those affect Advantage and Part D plans, not Medigap.

What Medigap does for people in Eugene

Eugene is in Lane County, where residents have access to Original Medicare (available anywhere in the U.S.) plus Medicare Advantage and Part D plans sold in the county. Medigap availability isn't limited by county the way Advantage plans are — if a carrier sells a Medigap policy in Oregon, it's generally available statewide, though pricing can vary by ZIP code.

For a Eugene resident weighing Medigap vs. Medicare Advantage, the trade-offs usually come down to:

• Provider access. Original Medicare + Medigap lets you see any provider nationwide that accepts Medicare. Advantage plans use networks.
• Predictability. Medigap tends to mean a higher monthly premium but fewer surprise bills. Advantage plans often have lower premiums but more variable out-of-pocket costs.
• Drug coverage. With Medigap, you buy a separate Part D plan. Many Advantage plans include drugs.

Neither path is "better" — they suit different people.

A few 2026 numbers worth knowing

Even though these aren't Medigap rules, they affect your total picture:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 for 2026. Once you hit that in covered drug costs, you pay nothing more for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D maximum deductible: $615.
• The old "donut hole" coverage gap is gone as of 2025 — Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly installments, if that helps your budget.
• IRMAA (higher-income surcharges on Part B and Part D) begins above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.