Medicare Supplement

Medigap in Houston: which standardized plan letters Texans can still buy

HOUSTON — If you have Original Medicare and you are trying to make sense of a Medicare Supplement policy, the good news is that the choices are simpler than the marketing mail makes them look. Every Medigap policy sold in Texas follows the same federal template, which means a Plan G is a Plan G no matter whose name is on the envelope.

Medicare SupplementHouston, TX

What changes from one company to another in Harris County is the price, the customer service, and sometimes small extras — not the core benefits. Here is how the standardized letters work, which ones a new Medicare enrollee in Houston can actually buy today, and where to look for insurer names and rates you can trust.

How Medigap fits with the rest of Medicare

Medicare Supplement Insurance — Medigap for short — is private insurance that pays some of the out-of-pocket costs Original Medicare leaves behind, like the Part A hospital deductible or the 20% coinsurance under Part B. It is not the same thing as a Medicare Advantage plan, and you cannot have both at the same time.

A typical Houston setup looks like this: Original Medicare (Parts A and B) pays first, your Medigap policy pays its share of what is left, and a separate Part D plan handles your prescriptions. That last piece matters because Medigap policies sold today do not include drug coverage.

The standardized letters you can buy in Texas

The federal government sets the benefits for each Medigap plan letter. Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin do this differently, but Texas follows the federal standard, so the letters mean the same thing here as they do in most other states.

If you became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020, these are the plan letters available to you:

• Plan A
• Plan B
• Plan D
• Plan G
• High-deductible Plan G
• Plan K
• Plan L
• Plan M
• Plan N

Plans C and F are still around, but only for people who were eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020. That is a federal rule, not a Texas one.

Because the benefits inside each letter are locked in by law, two Plan G policies from two different Houston-area insurers cover the exact same services. What varies is the monthly premium, how the insurer sets rate increases over time, and the company's service reputation.

How Medigap pairs with a Part D drug plan

Since Medigap does not include prescription coverage, most people in Houston add a stand-alone Part D plan. A few 2026 program facts worth knowing while you shop:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026.
• The maximum Part D deductible is $615.
• The old coverage gap (the "donut hole") is gone as of 2025 — Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly installments if you choose.
• IRMAA surcharges — extra amounts higher-income enrollees pay for Part B and Part D — begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

You can compare Part D plans on Medicare.gov using your ZIP code and a list of your prescriptions.

Texas rules that shape the choice

Federal law guarantees you a six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period that starts the month your Part B becomes effective and you are 65 or older. During that window, insurers in Texas cannot turn you down or charge you more because of your health.

Outside that window, protections vary. Texas does not follow California's or Oregon's "birthday rule," and any additional guaranteed-issue rights beyond federal law are set by the Texas Department of Insurance. Before you switch policies later in life, it is worth confirming your rights with the department or a SHIP counselor, because in most cases a new insurer can use medical underwriting.

Texas also allows insurers to price Medigap in different ways — for example, based on your age at purchase versus your current age — and those pricing methods affect how your premium changes over time. The Texas Department of Insurance publishes a Medigap rate guide that spells this out.

How to find insurers and rates in Houston

Houston sits in Harris County, and Medigap availability is set at the state level rather than the county level, so any policy sold in Texas is generally sold here. To see which companies offer which letters at what price in your ZIP code:

• Use the Medigap policy search on Medicare.gov and enter your Houston ZIP.
• Ask the Texas Department of Insurance for its current Medigap rate guide.
• Call the Texas SHIP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program, or HICAP) for free one-on-one help — counselors do not sell policies.
• Call 1-800-MEDICARE with questions about how a plan letter works.

The table below lists every plan letter available to new enrollees, side by side, so you can compare what each one covers before you start pricing.