Medicare Supplement

Medigap Plan Letters, Explained Simply for Pottstown

POTTSTOWN, Pa. — If you've ever tried to compare Medicare Supplement policies, you've probably run into a wall of letters: Plan A, Plan G, Plan N, and more. It can feel like alphabet soup. The good news is that those letters aren't random — they're a federal shorthand that makes shopping for coverage a lot easier once you know how to read them.

Here's what Medigap does, how the standardized plan letters work, and where Pottstown readers can turn for straight answers.

What Medigap Is (and Isn't)

Medicare Supplement Insurance — usually called Medigap — is private insurance that works alongside Original Medicare (Part A and Part B). It helps pay some of the out-of-pocket costs Original Medicare leaves behind, like coinsurance, copayments, and some deductibles.

A few important points:

• Medigap only works with Original Medicare. It does not work with Medicare Advantage.
• Medigap generally does not include prescription drug coverage. For that, you'd add a separate Part D plan.
• You pay a monthly premium to the private insurer, on top of your Part B premium.

Medigap is meant to make your medical costs more predictable — not to replace Medicare.

Why the Letters Are Standardized

In most states, including Pennsylvania, Medigap policies are standardized by the federal government. That means a Plan G sold by one company covers the exact same set of benefits as a Plan G sold by any other company. The letter tells you what's covered.

What can differ between carriers:

• The monthly premium
• Customer service and how claims are handled
• Optional extras some companies bundle in (like wellness programs)

Because the core benefits are the same within a letter, you can compare plans more like apples to apples. That's the whole point of the letter system.

What the Different Letters Cover

As of now, Medigap plans are offered under these letters: A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M, and N. (Plans C and F are only available to people who were eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020.)

In general terms:

• Plans A and B cover a core set of basic benefits.
• Plans G and N are the most popular options for people newly eligible today, because they cover most gaps in Original Medicare.
• Plans K and L have lower premiums but ask you to share more of the cost through coinsurance, up to a yearly out-of-pocket limit.
• Plans C and F (for those who qualify) also cover the Part B deductible, which newer plans generally cannot.

For the full benefit chart, Medicare.gov has a side-by-side comparison you can print and bring to any conversation.

When You Can Buy Medigap

Timing matters more with Medigap than many people realize. Your best window is your Medigap Open Enrollment Period: the six months that begin the month you're 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During that window, insurers can't turn you down or charge you more because of health issues.

Outside that window, in most cases, insurers in Pennsylvania can use medical underwriting — which means your health history can affect whether you're accepted and what you pay.

This is different from the fall Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7), which applies to Medicare Advantage and Part D — not Medigap.

How This Fits With Pottstown-Area Coverage

Pottstown is in Montgomery County, where residents choose between staying with Original Medicare (often paired with a Medigap policy and a stand-alone Part D plan) or enrolling in a Medicare Advantage plan. Both paths are valid; they just work differently.

A few 2026 program figures worth keeping in mind as you weigh your options:

• Part D now has an annual out-of-pocket cap of $2,100.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615.
• The old coverage gap (the "donut hole") was eliminated in 2025.
• IRMAA income-based surcharges start above $109,000 for single filers in 2026.

These figures apply to Medicare itself — not to any specific Medigap plan.