Medicare Supplement

Comparing the same Medigap plan letter across insurers in Houston

If you live in Houston and you're shopping for a Medigap policy, one fact makes the whole process easier: a standardized Medigap plan letter offers the same benefits no matter which insurance company sells it. A Plan G from one insurer covers the same gaps in Original Medicare as a Plan G from another. What changes from company to company is the price, how that price is set, how it changes over time, and the rules for signing you up.

Houston shoppers: the same Medigap letter is the same coverage — here's what actually differs

Houston sits in Harris County, and Texans who are newly eligible for Medicare today can choose from these standardized letters: A, B, D, G, high-deductible G, K, L, M and N. (Plans C and F are only available to people who were eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020.)

Start with the letter, then compare companies

Medigap plans are federally standardized. That means Plan N is Plan N whether it's sold by a national carrier or a smaller Texas insurer. Coverage rules — deductibles you still pay, copays for office visits under Plan N, the high-deductible option on Plan G — are set by Medicare, not the company.

Once you've narrowed down which letter fits how you use care, your comparison becomes about the insurer itself: what it charges, how that charge changes over time, what discounts it offers, and whether it will accept your application.

We don't publish an insurer list for Texas here. To see which companies sell Medigap in your Houston ZIP code, use the Medigap policy search on Medicare.gov, request the Texas Department of Insurance Medigap rate guide, or call the Texas SHIP for free one-on-one help.

The three pricing methods — and why they matter later

Texas allows insurers to price Medigap policies in different ways. When you compare two companies, ask which method each one uses:

• Attained-age rated. The premium is based on your current age and generally goes up each year as you get older. These plans often look lower-priced at age 65 but rise over time.
• Issue-age rated. The premium is based on the age you were when you first bought the policy. It doesn't go up just because you had a birthday, though it can still rise for other reasons.
• Community-rated (no-age-rated). Everyone in the state who buys the plan pays roughly the same premium, regardless of age.

None of these is automatically better. What matters is how the method fits your budget now and 10 or 15 years from now.

Ask for the rate history

Every pricing method still allows rate increases for inflation, medical costs, or claims experience. That's why rate history is one of the most useful things you can ask an agent or insurer directly: how often has this company raised rates on this plan in Texas, and by how much, over the past several years?

The Texas Department of Insurance publishes premium information and can help you spot patterns. A plan with a low starting premium but steep annual increases can end up costing more than a plan that started higher and stayed steady.

Household discounts and other savings

Many insurers in Texas offer a household discount — a percentage off the premium if a spouse, partner, or sometimes another adult in your home also has a policy with the same company, or in some cases simply lives with you. The rules vary a lot: some require both people to be enrolled, others don't. Ask each insurer exactly how their household discount works and whether it's applied at issue or renewed each year.

Underwriting: when you can be turned down

This is the piece that catches many people off guard. During your Medigap open enrollment period — the six months starting the month you're 65 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. This is a one-time window.

Outside that window (and outside a few "guaranteed issue" situations, such as losing certain other coverage), insurers can use medical underwriting. They can ask health questions, look at prescriptions, and decide whether to accept your application, charge more, or decline it. Underwriting rules differ from company to company — some are stricter than others.

If you're thinking about switching Medigap plans later, ask the new insurer up front what their underwriting looks like before you drop the coverage you already have.

How to actually compare in Houston

A practical order of steps:

1. Decide which plan letter fits your care and budget. 2. Use the Medicare.gov Medigap search by your Houston ZIP code to see the insurers offering that letter. 3. Request the Texas Department of Insurance rate guide for current premium ranges. 4. For each insurer, ask: What's your pricing method? What's your rate history the past five years? Do you offer a household discount, and how does it work? What are your underwriting rules if I'm applying outside open enrollment? 5. Call your local SHIP counselor for a free, unbiased second opinion.

The table below lists every plan letter available to new enrollees in Texas.