Medicare Supplement

Medicare Supplement in Portland: how Oregon's standardized letter plans work

Portland shoppers looking at a Medicare Supplement policy — often called Medigap — sometimes assume every insurer sells something different. The opposite is true. Medigap plans are standardized by the federal government, so a Plan G from one company covers the same core benefits as a Plan G from another. What changes is the price and the pricing method behind it. Here is how the letter plans work for people on Original Medicare in Portland, and where Oregon rules fit in.

What Medigap is — and what it isn't

Medigap is private insurance that helps pay some of the out-of-pocket costs Original Medicare leaves behind, such as coinsurance, copays and the Part A hospital deductible. It does not replace Medicare; it sits alongside it.

Medigap is not the same as a Medicare Advantage (Part C) plan. You cannot have both at once. If you enroll in Medicare Advantage, you generally cannot use a Medigap policy to fill in cost-sharing.

And Medigap does not include prescription drug coverage. For that, you add a separate Part D plan.

The letter plans available in Oregon

Portland is in Multnomah County, and Oregon follows the standard federal Medigap framework (unlike Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin, which standardize differently). If you become eligible for Medicare today, these are the letter plans you can buy:

• Plan A
• Plan B
• Plan D
• Plan G
• High-deductible Plan G (Plan G-HD)
• Plan K
• Plan L
• Plan M
• Plan N

Plans C and F are still around, but only for people who were eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020. If that applies to you, they remain an option.

Each letter has a fixed benefits chart set by federal law. Two plans with the same letter cover the same things. What differs across insurers is the monthly premium, how that premium is calculated, and customer service.

How Medigap pairs with Original Medicare and Part D

The typical Portland setup looks like this:

• Part A and Part B (Original Medicare) pay the bulk of hospital and medical claims.
• A Medigap letter plan picks up much of what Original Medicare doesn't, depending on which letter you choose.
• A stand-alone Part D plan covers prescriptions filled at the pharmacy.

For 2026, Part D has some notable program-level features worth knowing as you plan: the annual out-of-pocket cap is $2,100, the maximum plan deductible is $615, and the old coverage gap (the "donut hole") is gone — there are now three payment phases. If prescription costs land unevenly through the year, the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread them into monthly installments. Higher-income enrollees may pay IRMAA surcharges on Part B and Part D; those begin above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026.

Oregon rules that shape your choice

Two things matter most when you shop.

Your Medigap Open Enrollment Period. Under federal law, you get a one-time, six-month window that starts the month you are 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During that window, insurers must sell you any Medigap plan they offer at their best available rate, regardless of health history. Miss it, and outside of certain guaranteed-issue situations, insurers in Oregon can use medical underwriting.

How the premium is priced. Insurers can use community-rated, issue-age-rated or attained-age-rated pricing, and the method affects how your premium changes over time. The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation publishes a Medigap rate guide that shows pricing method alongside sample rates — a helpful starting point before you call any company.

Oregon also has consumer protections that may go beyond the federal floor in specific situations. For questions about switching plans, guaranteed-issue rights, or any "birthday rule"-style opportunities, check with the Oregon Division of Financial Regulation or your local SHIP counselor rather than relying on a sales call.

How to compare Portland options without getting lost

Because we can't list insurers here, use these free, unbiased tools:

1. Medicare.gov Medigap policy search. Enter your Portland ZIP code to see every insurer licensed to sell each letter plan in your area. 2. Oregon's Medigap rate guide. Published by the state, it shows pricing method and sample rates side by side. 3. Oregon SHIBA (the state's SHIP). Trained counselors offer free, one-on-one help — no sales pitch. Reach them through the Oregon Division of Financial Regulation. 4. 1-800-MEDICARE. Available 24/7 for general Medicare questions.

The table on this page lists the letter plans in Oregon's standardized set for reference.