Medicare Supplement

How Texas prices Plan G differently at each insurer

Garland shoppers looking at Medicare Supplement Insurance — Medigap — often run into the same puzzle: two insurers offer "Plan G," the brochures look identical, and yet the companies behind them are very different. That is not a coincidence. Medigap letters are standardized by federal law, so the coverage inside Plan G (or Plan N, or any other letter) is the same no matter whose name is on the envelope. What changes from company to company is how they set their price, how often they raise it, whether they offer a household discount, and how strictly they look at your health if you apply outside a protected window.

Medicare SupplementGarland, TX

Garland is in Dallas County, and Texas residents can choose from a long list of licensed Medigap insurers. Below is a plain guide to comparing them apples-to-apples.

The letter is the coverage; the company is everything else

Medigap plans sold today to people newly eligible for Medicare come in these standardized letters: A, B, D, G, G-HD, K, L, M, and N. (Plans C and F are still sold, but only to people who were eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020.) By law, the benefits inside each letter are identical from insurer to insurer.

So when you compare "Plan G" across companies, you are not comparing coverage — you are comparing the company. That means you're looking at:

• how they set the starting price,
• how they raise prices over time,
• whether they offer household or spousal discounts,
• how they handle medical questions if you apply late, and
• their customer service and claims reputation.

The table below lists every insurer selling Medigap in Texas and which letters each one offers. Use it as your starting shortlist.

The three pricing methods, in plain English

Texas allows insurers to price Medigap policies in three ways. The method matters, because it changes how your premium behaves over the years.

Attained-age rated. The premium is based on your current age and generally goes up as you get older, in addition to any across-the-board rate increases. Starting premiums are often lower, but they climb.

Issue-age rated. The premium is based on your age when you first bought the policy. It won't go up simply because you had a birthday, though it can still rise due to inflation or company-wide increases.

Community-rated (also called no-age-rated). Everyone in the same area pays the same base premium regardless of age. It may start higher but doesn't rise with age.

None of these is automatically "better." A 66-year-old and an 80-year-old may reasonably prefer different methods. When you call an insurer or agent, ask directly: Which pricing method does this policy use in Texas?

Rate history: the number the brochure won't tell you

A low starting premium is not much of a bargain if the insurer raises rates sharply every year. Before you buy, ask for the company's Texas rate-increase history for the plan letter you're considering — ideally the last five years.

The Texas Department of Insurance publishes a Medigap rate guide that shows premium ranges by company and plan. Cross-checking against that guide gives you a sense of whether a quote is in line with the market and how the insurer has behaved historically.

Household discounts and other extras

Several insurers selling in Texas offer a household discount — often around 5% to 12% — if you live with another adult, sometimes even if that person isn't also a policyholder. Rules vary widely: some require the second adult to also buy a policy, some accept a spouse only, and some accept any adult in the household.

There is no central list of who offers what, and terms change. Ask each insurer on your shortlist:

• Do you offer a household or spousal discount in Texas?
• What are the rules to qualify?
• Is the discount permanent or does it phase out?

Underwriting: when insurers can ask about your health

This is the part that surprises people most. During your Medigap Open Enrollment Period — the six months that starts the month you're 65 or older and enrolled in Part B — insurers in Texas must sell you any Medigap policy they offer, at their best available rate, regardless of your health. You also have "guaranteed-issue" rights in certain situations, such as losing other coverage.

Outside those windows, insurers can use medical underwriting. That means they can ask health questions and decide whether to accept you, charge you more, or turn you down. Two insurers may treat the same health history very differently — one might decline you while another approves you at standard rates.

If you're thinking about switching Medigap policies later, always apply to the new one before dropping the old one, and ask up front whether underwriting applies.

A step-by-step way to compare in Garland

1. Decide which plan letter fits your situation. Plans G and N are the most popular choices for people new to Medicare today; a SHIP counselor can walk you through the trade-offs. 2. Pull the list of Texas insurers that sell that letter from the table below. 3. Use the Medigap policy search at Medicare.gov to see who sells in your ZIP code. 4. Check the Texas Department of Insurance Medigap rate guide for rate ranges and recent increase history. 5. Call two or three insurers (or an independent broker who represents several) and ask each: pricing method, five-year rate history, household discount rules, and whether you'll be underwritten. 6. Confirm the answers in writing before you sign anything.