Medicare Supplement

Reading the Medigap letter chart: what Plans G, N, K, L and high-deductible G actually cover

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — If you have ever sat at a kitchen table in Allentown comparing Medicare Supplement quotes, you have probably noticed something odd: the same "Plan G" from three different companies looks like three different products on paper. It isn't. Under federal rules, a Medigap plan letter means the same coverage no matter which insurer sells it. What changes is the price and the service — not the benefits.

Medicare SupplementAllentown, PA

Here is how to read the standardized Medigap chart with confidence, and what each of the most-shopped letters — G, N, K, L and high-deductible G — is designed to do.

Why the letters mean the same thing everywhere

Medigap plans sold in most states are "standardized" — a federal rule that sets exactly what each letter must cover. That means the benefits inside Plan G at Insurer A are identical to Plan G at Insurer B. According to CMS, insurers must offer the same basic benefits for each letter, so shoppers can compare apples to apples.

What insurers can change:

• The monthly premium.
• Discounts (for example, household discounts) and how rates are calculated.
• Customer service, billing and extras like fitness memberships.

What they cannot change:

• The core benefits attached to the letter.

Three states — Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin — use their own Medigap standardization systems, so the letter grid below does not describe plans sold there.

Plan G, in plain English

Plan G is one of the most widely purchased Medigap letters for people newly eligible today. It is designed to fill most of the gaps in Original Medicare after you pay the Part B deductible each year.

Plan G generally covers:

• The Part A hospital deductible and coinsurance.
• Part B coinsurance and copays.
• The first three pints of blood.
• Skilled nursing facility coinsurance.
• Part A hospice coinsurance.
• Part B "excess charges" (when a provider bills above the Medicare-approved amount).
• Foreign travel emergency care, up to plan limits.

What Plan G does not cover:

• The Part B deductible (you pay that yourself before Plan G kicks in).
• Prescription drugs — those come from a separate Part D plan.
• Dental, vision, hearing aids or long-term care.

Plan N: similar shape, different copays

Plan N covers most of what Plan G covers, with a few trade-offs:

• You may owe a copay of up to $20 for some office visits and up to $50 for emergency room visits that don't lead to admission.
• Plan N does not cover Part B excess charges.
• Like Plan G, it does not cover the Part B deductible.

The idea behind Plan N is a lower premium in exchange for small point-of-service costs.

High-deductible Plan G

High-deductible Plan G (sometimes called HD-G) covers the same benefits as regular Plan G — but only after you meet a high annual deductible set by Medicare. Until you reach that deductible, you pay Medicare-covered costs out of pocket.

The trade: a much lower monthly premium in exchange for a higher share of costs if you use a lot of care in a given year.

Plans K and L: cost-sharing plans with a safety net

Plans K and L work differently from G and N. Instead of covering a benefit in full, they pay a percentage of certain costs:

• Plan K generally pays 50% of Part A hospital coinsurance and deductible, Part B coinsurance, blood, skilled nursing coinsurance and Part A hospice coinsurance, until you reach an annual out-of-pocket limit. After that, it pays 100% of covered Part A and B costs for the rest of the calendar year.
• Plan L works the same way, but at 75% cost-sharing with a lower annual out-of-pocket limit.

Neither K nor L covers the Part B deductible or Part B excess charges. Both are aimed at people who want a lower premium and are willing to share costs up front, with a hard cap for the year.

Plans C and F: closed to newer enrollees

Plans C and F used to be popular because they covered the Part B deductible. Federal law closed them to people who became newly eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020. If you were eligible before that date, you may still be able to buy or keep them, depending on the insurer. If you became eligible after, they are off the menu.

What this means for shoppers in Allentown

Allentown is in Lehigh County, where residents choose Medigap coverage under Pennsylvania's standardized rules. Because the letters are federally defined, a Plan G quote from one company can be directly compared to a Plan G quote from another. The right question is not "which company's Plan G is better?" — the benefits are the same — but rather:

• What is the premium today?
• How has the company raised premiums in the past?
• How is customer service and claims handling?
• Do I qualify for a household or other discount?

Medigap also does not include prescription drug coverage. For 2026, Part D has a $2,100 out-of-pocket cap, a maximum deductible of $615, and the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs over the calendar year if you choose.