Medicare Supplement

Before you accept that Medigap renewal in Tacoma

TACOMA, Wash. — If you have a Medigap policy in Pierce County, or you are shopping for one, a handful of moving pieces reset every year. Some are federal rules that decide which plan letters you can even buy. Others are state-level rate filings that determine what your renewal notice will say. Here is a plain-language guide to what is changing for 2026 and what stays the same.

Which plan letters you can still buy

The Medigap "menu" is set by federal law and lettered A through N. The biggest eligibility rule to remember: if you first became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020, Plans C and F are off the table for you. Those two plans covered the Part B deductible, and Congress closed them to newly eligible enrollees.

If you were eligible for Medicare before that date, you can still buy or keep Plan C or Plan F where an insurer offers it. Everyone else newly coming onto Medicare in Tacoma chooses from Plans A, B, D, G, G-HD (high-deductible G), K, L, M and N.

Plan G and Plan N are the two most talked about for new enrollees because they are the most comprehensive letters still open. Both are built around the Part B deductible — meaning you pay that deductible first each calendar year, and the Medigap plan picks up its share after.

The yearly Part B deductible reset

Every January 1, the Part B deductible starts over. For Plan G and Plan N enrollees, that is the first out-of-pocket cost you will see on outpatient care — a doctor visit, lab work, imaging — before your Medigap plan begins paying its portion.

The dollar amount is set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and posted at medicare.gov each fall. If you had a big December visit and a big January visit, the January one may cost you more out of pocket simply because the deductible clock restarted. That is normal, not a plan change.

Rate-adjustment season in Washington

Medigap premiums are not set by Medicare. Each insurer files proposed rates with the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC), and those filings are public. If your renewal notice shows a change you did not expect, you can:

• Look up your insurer's filing at insurance.wa.gov.
• Call the OIC consumer hotline for help reading it.
• Contact Washington's SHIBA program (Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors) for free, unbiased counseling.

Because Washington law standardizes each plan letter, a Plan G from one carrier covers the same Medicare-approved services as a Plan G from another carrier. What differs is the premium, the company's rating method, and its customer service.

Insurers selling Medigap in Washington

The table below lists every insurer offering standardized Medigap policies in Washington and the plan letters each one sells. Names that Tacoma shoppers will recognize include AARP - UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company, Premera Blue Cross, Regence BlueShield, Mutual of Omaha (United World Life Insurance Company), Humana (HumanaDental Insurance Company) and State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, among others.

Carriers can enter or leave the state, and any given carrier can add or drop a plan letter, from year to year. The current, official list is what appears in the table — always cross-check with Medicare.gov's Medigap policy search before you apply.

Washington's "birthday rule" advantage

One rule that makes Washington unusual: state law gives most Medigap enrollees a yearly window, tied to their birthday, to move to another Medigap plan of equal or lesser benefits — with the same or a different insurer — without answering new health questions. That matters when rate season arrives and your renewal jumps.

Outside that window, and outside your one-time Medigap Open Enrollment Period when you first turn 65 and enroll in Part B, insurers in most states can use medical underwriting. Washington's protections are broader than the federal minimum, but the details matter, so confirm your window with SHIBA or your insurer before you switch.

What to do before your renewal notice arrives

• Note the date the Part B deductible resets (January 1) so early-year bills do not surprise you.
• Read your Medigap renewal carefully; compare it to your current premium.
• Check the OIC filings if the change seems large.
• If you want to switch, ask about Washington's birthday-rule window and any guaranteed-issue rights that apply to your situation.