Medicare Supplement

Spokane Valley Medigap: what the standardized letters mean

SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — If you've started shopping for Medicare coverage, you've probably run into a wall of letters: Plan A, Plan G, Plan N, and more. Those letters belong to Medicare Supplement Insurance, also called Medigap. It's a type of policy that works alongside Original Medicare to help pay some of the costs Medicare doesn't cover on its own. Here's a plain-language walk-through of what Medigap does, what it doesn't, and how those standardized letter plans work.

What Medigap actually does

Medigap is private insurance you can buy to fill gaps in Original Medicare (Part A hospital and Part B medical). After Medicare pays its share of a covered service, your Medigap policy can pick up some or all of what's left — things like coinsurance, copayments, and deductibles.

A few key points to remember:

• Medigap only works with Original Medicare. It does not work with Medicare Advantage.
• You pay a monthly premium to the insurance company for the Medigap policy, on top of your Part B premium.
• Medigap policies cover one person. Spouses need their own policies.

How the standardized letters work

Medigap plans are standardized by the federal government. That means Plan G from one insurance company must offer the same core benefits as Plan G from another company. The letters currently sold to new enrollees include A, B, D, G, K, L, M, and N. (Plans C and F are still held by people who were eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020, but are no longer sold to new enrollees.)

Each letter represents a different mix of benefits. Some plans cover nearly everything Medicare leaves behind. Others cover less and cost less. Because the benefits are standardized, the main things that vary between companies are the monthly premium, customer service, and how the company handles rate increases over time.

You can compare the benefit charts side by side at medicare.gov.

What Medigap does not cover

Medigap is helpful, but it isn't a catch-all. In general, Medigap does not cover:

• Prescription drugs (you'd need a separate Part D plan)
• Routine dental, vision, or hearing care
• Long-term care (like a nursing home stay beyond what Medicare covers)
• Private-duty nursing
• Hearing aids or eyeglasses

For 2026, Part D drug coverage has its own rules to know: an out-of-pocket cap of $2,100, a maximum deductible of $615, and the option to spread drug costs across the year through the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan.

The Spokane Valley picture

Spokane Valley is in Spokane County, where residents can choose between staying with Original Medicare (often paired with a Medigap policy and a stand-alone Part D drug plan) or enrolling in a Medicare Advantage plan. Medigap availability in Washington is regulated at the state level, and multiple insurance companies sell standardized letter plans to Spokane County residents.

Washington also has some consumer-friendly rules that differ from many other states — including broader rights to switch Medigap plans after your initial enrollment. Because those rules can affect your choices, it's worth confirming details with a neutral source before you sign anything.

When you can buy a Medigap policy

The best window to buy Medigap is your Medigap Open Enrollment Period — the six months that begin the month you're 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During that window, companies must sell you any policy they offer at their best available rate, regardless of your health history.

Outside that window, insurers in most states can use medical underwriting, which means they can charge more or turn you down based on health conditions. Washington's rules are more generous than most, but timing still matters. If you're weighing Medigap versus Medicare Advantage, keep the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7) and the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (January 1 – March 31) in mind — those affect Advantage and Part D, not Medigap.

How to decide if Medigap fits you

There's no one-size-fits-all answer. When thinking it through, many people weigh:

• Predictability. Medigap tends to trade a higher monthly premium for fewer surprise bills.
• Provider choice. Original Medicare with a Medigap policy lets you see any provider in the U.S. who accepts Medicare, without network rules.
• Travel. Some Medigap plans include limited foreign travel emergency coverage.
• Drug coverage. Medigap doesn't include drugs, so factor in a Part D plan.
• Budget. Premiums differ between companies even for the same lettered plan.