Medicare Supplement

Medigap lettered plans explained for Grants Pass

GRANTS PASS, Ore. — If you have Original Medicare and you're trying to figure out what a "Plan G" or "Plan N" actually means, you're not alone. Medicare Supplement Insurance — better known as Medigap — uses a lettered system that can feel like alphabet soup at first. Once you know how the letters work, though, comparing options becomes much easier.

Making sense of Medigap in Grants Pass

Here's a plain-language guide to what Medigap does, how the standardized letters are set up, and where to get local help in Josephine County.

What Medigap actually does

Medigap is private insurance that works alongside Original Medicare (Part A and Part B). It doesn't replace Medicare — it helps pay some of the out-of-pocket costs Medicare leaves behind, like coinsurance, copayments, and in some cases the Part A deductible.

A few key things to know:

• Medigap only works with Original Medicare. If you're enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can't also use a Medigap policy.
• Medigap does not include prescription drug coverage. For that, you'd add a separate Part D plan.
• You pay a monthly premium to the insurance company on top of your Part B premium.

How the standardized letters work

Here's the part that trips people up. In most states, Medigap policies are standardized by the federal government. That means Plan G sold by one company covers the exact same core benefits as Plan G sold by another company. The letters — A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M, and N — each represent a specific package of benefits set by Medicare.

What can differ between carriers:

• The monthly premium
• Customer service and how claims are handled
• Extras some companies bundle in, like fitness perks

So when you compare, say, two Plan G policies, you're really comparing price and the company behind it — not the core benefits.

A couple of important notes:

• Plans C and F are no longer sold to people who became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020.
• Plans K and L have out-of-pocket limits and cover a smaller share of certain costs.
• Three states — Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin — standardize Medigap differently. Oregon follows the standard federal lettering.

Your best window to enroll

The single most important date in Medigap isn't during Fall Open Enrollment — it's 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 this window, insurance companies can't turn you down or charge you more because of your health. Once it ends, in most cases they can use medical underwriting, which may make it harder or more expensive to switch plans later.

Oregon does offer some additional protections, so if you missed your initial window, it's worth asking a counselor about your specific options before assuming a switch isn't possible.

How Medigap fits with the rest of Medicare

Medigap is one piece of a bigger picture. Here's how the main parts work together for someone choosing Original Medicare plus a supplement:

• Part A covers hospital care.
• Part B covers doctor visits and outpatient care.
• Medigap helps with the leftover costs from A and B.
• Part D covers prescriptions — and in 2026, out-of-pocket drug costs are capped at $2,100 per year, with a maximum Part D deductible of $615. The old "donut hole" coverage gap was eliminated in 2025.

If your income is above $109,000 (single filer, 2026), you may pay an IRMAA surcharge on your Part B and Part D premiums.

What Grants Pass residents should know locally

Grants Pass is in Josephine County, where seniors have both Medicare Advantage plans and Medigap policies available. Availability of Medicare Advantage plans is set at the county level, and the number of carriers offering Medigap in Oregon can vary year to year.

For personalized help — free and unbiased — Oregon runs a SHIP program called SHIBA (Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance). Trained counselors can walk you through the letter plans side by side without trying to sell you anything.