Medicare Supplement

Before You Pick a Medigap Letter in Providence, Read This

PROVIDENCE — If you have Original Medicare and keep getting bills for deductibles, coinsurance, and hospital days that Medicare only partly covers, you are running into the gap that Medicare Supplement insurance — often called Medigap — was built to fill. The plans come with letter names like A, G, and N, and once you understand what the letters mean, choosing among them gets a lot less confusing.

Medicare Supplement insurance, explained: what Medigap does and doesn't cover

What Medigap actually does

Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) pays most of your hospital and doctor bills, but not all of them. You are still responsible for a Part A hospital deductible, daily coinsurance if a hospital stay runs long, and generally 20% of the cost of Part B services with no yearly cap.

A Medigap policy sits alongside Original Medicare and picks up some or all of those leftover costs, depending on which lettered plan you buy. It does not replace Medicare — it works with it. When you go to the doctor, Medicare pays its share first, and then your Medigap plan pays its share.

How the standardized letters work

In most states, Medigap plans are sold using standardized letters: A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M, and N. (Plans C and F are only available to people who became eligible for Medicare before Jan. 1, 2020.) The federal government sets what each letter has to cover, so a Plan G is a Plan G no matter which company sells it.

That standardization is meant to make comparing easier. If two insurers both offer Plan N, the benefits are the same. What can differ is the monthly premium, the company's customer service, and how the price may change over time. Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin use their own standardization systems, but Rhode Island follows the federal letter framework.

What Medigap does not cover

Medigap is focused on filling gaps in Original Medicare's hospital and medical coverage. It generally does not cover:

• Prescription drugs (you need a separate Part D plan)
• Routine dental, vision, or hearing care
• Long-term care in a nursing home
• Private-duty nursing
• Eyeglasses or hearing aids

Also important: Medigap only works with Original Medicare. If you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, you cannot use a Medigap policy to pay its copays, and it is against the rules for someone to sell you one for that purpose.

The Providence picture

Providence is in Providence County, where residents choose between staying with Original Medicare (often paired with a Medigap policy and a stand-alone Part D drug plan) or enrolling in a Medicare Advantage plan that bundles coverage together. Medigap availability and pricing are regulated at the state level in Rhode Island, so the specific plans and rates offered can differ from what a friend or relative in another state sees.

For personalized help comparing options in Rhode Island, the state's SHIP program — called SHIP-RI, run through the Office of Healthy Aging — offers free, unbiased counseling.

When you can buy without medical questions

The single most important date for Medigap is the start of your six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period. It begins the month you are 65 or older AND enrolled in Part B. During that window, insurers in Rhode Island must sell you any Medigap plan they offer at their best available rate, regardless of your health history.

Outside that window, in most cases insurers can use medical underwriting — meaning they can charge you more or turn you down because of pre-existing conditions. There are a few "guaranteed issue" situations that protect you later, such as losing certain other coverage, but the initial six months are the cleanest opportunity.

How Medigap fits with Part D

Because Medigap does not include drug coverage, most people who choose it also enroll in a stand-alone Part D prescription drug plan. In 2026, Part D has a maximum deductible of $615 and, for the first time at this level, a $2,100 annual cap on what you pay out of pocket for covered drugs. If those costs still feel hard to manage month to month, the new Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread them out across the year rather than paying the full amount at the pharmacy counter.

Higher-income enrollees may also owe an IRMAA surcharge on top of standard Part B and Part D premiums; in 2026 that begins above $109,000 in income for a single filer.