Medicare Supplement

Medigap Coinsurance and Deductible Coverage in Rock Hill

ROCK HILL, S.C. — If you have Original Medicare and you've started reading about "Plan G" or "Plan N," you've bumped into Medicare Supplement Insurance — better known as Medigap. These policies help pay some of the costs Original Medicare leaves behind, like coinsurance and deductibles. And thanks to federal rules, the plans are standardized by letter, which makes shopping easier once you know how the letters work.

Making sense of Medigap in Rock Hill

Rock Hill is in York County, where retirees weighing Original Medicare plus a Medigap policy have the same standardized letter choices as anyone else in South Carolina. What differs from carrier to carrier is the price and the customer service — not the core benefits inside each lettered plan.

What Medigap actually does

Medigap is private insurance you buy on top of Original Medicare (Part A and Part B). It doesn't replace Medicare. Instead, it fills in gaps such as the Part A hospital deductible, coinsurance for hospital stays, and the 20% coinsurance most Part B services leave you to pay.

A few things Medigap does not do:

• It doesn't cover prescription drugs. For that, you'd add a stand-alone Part D plan.
• It doesn't work with Medicare Advantage. You choose one path or the other.
• It generally doesn't cover dental, vision, hearing, or long-term care.

Why the letters matter

Medigap plans sold today are labeled with 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 January 1, 2020.) Every plan with the same letter must cover the same set of basic benefits, no matter which company sells it. That's the federal standardization piece.

So a Plan G from one insurer covers the same core benefits as a Plan G from another insurer. What can differ:

• The monthly premium
• The company's customer service and billing
• Optional extras like household discounts

That's why comparing Medigap is really about comparing price and company reputation for the letter you've chosen.

The most talked-about letters

You'll hear Plan G and Plan N mentioned most often for people newly eligible for Medicare. Plan G tends to cover nearly everything after the Part B deductible. Plan N works similarly but may leave you with small copays for some office and emergency room visits. Plans K and L use a cost-sharing structure with an annual out-of-pocket limit. Which letter fits best depends on how much predictability you want versus how much premium you're willing to pay.

There's no single "right" letter — just the one that matches your health needs, your budget, and how you like to handle bills.

Timing: the window that matters most

The best time to buy a Medigap policy is during your Medigap Open Enrollment Period — the six months that start the month you're 65 and enrolled in Part B. During that window, insurers can't turn you down or charge you more because of health history.

Outside that window, in most states, insurers can use medical underwriting. South Carolina follows that general rule, so waiting can limit your options later. If you already have a Medigap plan and want to switch, it's worth asking about underwriting before you make a move.

How Medigap fits with Part D and 2026 costs

Because Medigap doesn't include drug coverage, most people pair it with a stand-alone Part D plan. A few 2026 program facts worth knowing:

• Part D now has a $2,100 annual out-of-pocket cap on covered drugs.
• The maximum Part D deductible is $615.
• The old "donut hole" coverage gap is gone; Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the calendar year in monthly installments.
• IRMAA surcharges on Part B and Part D begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

Key dates to remember: Medicare's Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 – December 7, and Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment runs January 1 – March 31. Medigap itself doesn't follow those windows — it has its own enrollment rules — but Part D changes are made during AEP.