Medicare Supplement

Which Medigap plans can you still buy in Memphis in 2026?

MEMPHIS — If you have Original Medicare and you live in Shelby County, a Medigap policy is the piece that helps pay the out-of-pocket share Parts A and B leave behind. In Tennessee, those policies come in standardized letters set by federal law, so what you are really choosing is which letter fits your budget and which insurer sells it in your ZIP code.

Medicare SupplementMemphis, TN

What Medigap is (and what it isn't)

Medigap is private insurance that sits next to Original Medicare (Part A and Part B). After Medicare pays its share of a covered service, your Medigap policy picks up some or all of what is left — things like coinsurance, copays, and in some letters the Part A deductible.

Medigap does not replace Medicare, and it is not the same thing as Medicare Advantage. You cannot have both a Medigap policy and a Medicare Advantage plan at the same time. Medigap also does not cover prescription drugs, so most people pair it with a separate Part D drug plan.

The plan letters sold in Tennessee

Medigap is standardized across most of the country, and Tennessee follows the federal design. (Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin use their own systems.) Every "Plan G," for example, covers the same set of benefits no matter which insurer sells it — the difference is the premium and the company's service.

For people newly eligible for Medicare today, Tennessee offers Plans A, B, D, G, G-HD, K, L, M and N. Plans C and F are still available, but only if you became eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020.

A quick sense of how they differ:

• A and B are the most basic.
• G and its high-deductible version G-HD are two of the most common choices among newer enrollees.
• K and L have lower premiums with higher cost-sharing until you hit an out-of-pocket limit.
• M and N share some costs (Plan N, for example, uses copays for office and ER visits).

The table below lists every plan letter side by side so you can see exactly what each one covers.

How Medigap pairs with Original Medicare and Part D

Think of it as three pieces working together:

1. Original Medicare (Parts A and B) pays first for hospital and medical care. 2. Your Medigap policy pays its share of what Medicare leaves behind, based on the letter you chose. 3. A stand-alone Part D plan covers your prescriptions.

For 2026, Part D has a $2,100 annual out-of-pocket cap on covered drugs, and the maximum Part D deductible is $615. The old coverage gap ("donut hole") was eliminated in 2025, so Part D now has three phases instead of four. If your drug costs are uneven month to month, the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread them across the year at no added cost.

Higher-income enrollees pay IRMAA surcharges on Part B and Part D; for 2026 those begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer.

Tennessee rules that shape your choice

Two rules matter most when you shop:

Your Medigap Open Enrollment Period. This is a 6-month federal window that starts the month you are 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During it, insurers must sell you any Medigap policy they offer, at their best available rate, regardless of your health. This is the single strongest time to buy.

Guaranteed issue rights. Outside that window, federal law still gives you the right to buy certain Medigap policies in specific situations — for example, if a Medicare Advantage plan leaves your area, or if you move out of your plan's service area.

Tennessee does not have a state "birthday rule" like a few other states, so if you want to switch policies after your open enrollment period ends, insurers can generally use medical underwriting unless a guaranteed issue right applies. For the current state-specific rules and any updates, check with the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance or Tennessee SHIP.

How to compare insurers in Shelby County

Because Medigap letters are standardized, the smart comparison is price and pricing method for the same letter across insurers. Three free tools help:

• Medicare.gov Medigap policy search. Enter your Memphis ZIP code to see every insurer licensed to sell Medigap in your area, with premium ranges.
• Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance rate guide. The state publishes a Medigap rate comparison for Tennessee residents.
• Tennessee SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program). Free, unbiased counseling from trained volunteers who can walk you through your options.

Also ask each insurer how the policy is priced — attained-age, issue-age, or community-rated — because that changes how the premium moves as you get older.