Medicare Supplement

Medigap in Philadelphia: which lettered plans pair with Original Medicare and Part D

Philadelphia sits in Philadelphia County, where anyone on Original Medicare can shop for a Medicare Supplement policy — better known as Medigap. These policies are standardized by the federal government, which means a Plan G sold on South Broad Street covers the same gaps as a Plan G sold in Pittsburgh or Peoria. What differs is who sells it, how they price it, and the rules Pennsylvania sets around switching. Here is how the letters work, and how they fit with the rest of your Medicare coverage.

Medicare SupplementPhiladelphia, PA

What Medigap actually does

Original Medicare — Part A (hospital) and Part B (medical) — pays most of your care, but it leaves behind deductibles, coinsurance, and copays with no yearly out-of-pocket cap. A Medigap policy is private insurance that fills in some or all of those leftover costs.

Medigap does not replace Medicare. It sits on top of it. And it does not include prescription drug coverage, dental, vision, or hearing. If you want those, you buy them separately.

The lettered plans you can buy in Pennsylvania

Medigap plans are labeled by letter, and each letter is the same across most of the country. In Pennsylvania, people newly eligible for Medicare today can choose from:

• Plan A and Plan B — the more basic options
• Plan D, Plan G, and Plan N — broader coverage
• Plan G High-Deductible (G-HD) — a lower-premium version of G with a yearly deductible you pay first
• Plan K and Plan L — cost-sharing plans that pay a percentage of covered gaps until you hit a yearly limit
• Plan M — a middle-ground option

Plans C and F are closed 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 Pennsylvania uses the federal letters, so the coverage in each plan is set by federal rules.

How Medigap pairs with Part D

Medigap works only with Original Medicare. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, you cannot also use a Medigap policy — the two are separate paths.

Because Medigap does not cover prescriptions, most people who choose it also enroll in a stand-alone Part D drug plan. A few Part D facts to keep in mind for 2026:

• The annual out-of-pocket cap for covered drugs is $2,100.
• The maximum Part D deductible is $615.
• The old coverage gap (the "donut hole") is gone as of 2025 — Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs across the year in monthly installments if that helps your budget.
• If your income is above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026, an IRMAA surcharge is added to your Part B and Part D premiums.

The state rules that shape your choice

Federal law gives everyone a six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period that begins the month you are 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During that window, insurers must sell you any Medigap policy they offer at the same price they charge healthy people your age — no health questions.

Outside that window, in most cases, insurers in Pennsylvania can use medical underwriting when you apply. That means your health history can affect whether you are accepted and what you pay. Some states have extra protections, like "birthday rules" or broader guaranteed-issue rights, so it is worth confirming what applies to you before you shop. The Pennsylvania Insurance Department and APPRISE (the state SHIP) can walk you through your specific rights.

Pricing also varies by method — community-rated, issue-age, or attained-age — and two policies with the exact same letter can be priced very differently. Always ask how a policy is rated before you sign.

How to find the policies sold in Philadelphia

There is no single "official" ranking, and this article does not name insurers. To see what is available where you live:

1. Use the Medigap policy search on Medicare.gov and enter your ZIP code. 2. Ask the Pennsylvania Insurance Department for its Medigap rate guide. 3. Call APPRISE, Pennsylvania's State Health Insurance Assistance Program, for free, unbiased counseling.

The table on this page lists the standardized plans available. Every insurer that sells Medigap in Pennsylvania must offer at least Plan A, and if they sell any others, they must offer Plan C or Plan F (for those still eligible) or Plan G.