Original Medicare pays a large share of your hospital and medical bills, but not all of them. In 2026 you pay a $1,736 Part A deductible for each hospital benefit period and a $283 Part B deductible each year. After that, you usually owe 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for doctor visits and outpatient care, and Original Medicare puts no yearly cap on that 20%. A Medicare Supplement, also called Medigap, is a private insurance policy that pays some or all of those leftover costs.
Whether a Medicare Supplement makes sense for you depends on your health, your budget, how you use doctors, and when you buy. This guide walks through each one.
What a Medicare Supplement covers
Medicare Supplement plans are standardized by federal law and named with letters (A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M and N). A Plan G from one insurance company has the same benefits as a Plan G from another. What changes from company to company is the premium. Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin use their own standardized plans.
Depending on the plan letter, a Medicare Supplement can pay for:
- Part A hospital coinsurance, plus 365 more hospital days after Medicare benefits run out
- The Part A deductible
- Part B coinsurance (the 20%)
- Part B excess charges, when a doctor charges more than the Medicare-approved amount
- Skilled nursing facility coinsurance, which is $217 a day for days 21 through 100 in 2026
- Emergency care outside the U.S.
You can see which benefits each plan letter includes on our Understand Medigap page.
You can see any provider that accepts Medicare
A Medicare Supplement works alongside Original Medicare, so there is no plan network. You can use any doctor, hospital or specialist in the country that accepts Medicare, and you don’t need a referral to see a specialist. This matters if you spend part of the year in another state, travel to see family, or want care at a hospital outside your area.
Your policy can’t be cancelled because of your health
Medigap policies are guaranteed renewable. As long as you pay the premium, the insurance company can’t cancel your policy, even if your health changes. Your price isn’t locked in, though. Premiums vary by company, location and age, and they usually go up over time.
Coverage when you travel outside the U.S.
Original Medicare generally doesn’t pay for care outside the U.S. Plans C, D, F, G, M and N include a foreign travel emergency benefit. After a $250 yearly deductible, they pay 80% of billed charges for medically necessary emergency care that begins in the first 60 days of a trip, up to a $50,000 lifetime limit. One hospital stay abroad can use up much of that limit, so if you travel overseas often, it’s worth pricing a separate travel medical policy too.
Plan F, Plan G and Plan N
If you became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020, you can’t buy Plan F or Plan C. A federal law, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), stopped plans sold to people new to Medicare from covering the Part B deductible. If you were eligible for Medicare before 2020, you can keep or still buy Plan F or Plan C.
For people new to Medicare, Plan G and Plan N are the two plans most often compared.
- Plan G covers the same benefits as Plan F except the Part B deductible ($283 in 2026).
- Plan N also leaves the Part B deductible to you. You may also pay up to $20 for some office visits and up to $50 for an emergency room visit that doesn’t result in an inpatient admission, and Plan N doesn’t pay Part B excess charges.
Plan G and Plan N both come in versions from many companies, so the premium for the same plan letter can vary quite a bit. Comparing quotes for both plans from the same companies shows you what the difference costs you each month.
What a Medicare Supplement doesn’t cover
- Prescription drugs. Medigap policies sold today can’t include drug coverage, so most people pair a Medicare Supplement with a stand-alone Part D plan. Read more in Medicare Plan Drug Coverage: Do You Need It? and, if you’re delaying drug coverage, Medicare Deadlines and Penalties.
- Routine dental, vision and hearing. This includes eyeglasses and hearing aids. See Vision Coverage with Medicare and our Ancillary Coverage options.
- Long-term care in a nursing home, and private-duty nursing.
- Your spouse. Each policy covers one person, so spouses need their own policies.
Medicare Supplement vs. Medicare Advantage
You can’t use a Medicare Supplement with a Medicare Advantage plan because the two types of coverage work differently. A Medicare Supplement is designed to work alongside Original Medicare, helping pay deductibles, coinsurance and other costs that Medicare leaves behind.
Medicare Advantage, on the other hand, replaces Original Medicare as the way you receive your Medicare benefits. Instead of using a Supplement to cover those costs, you receive coverage through your Medicare Advantage plan, which has its own premiums, copays, coinsurance and provider network.
When deciding between the two, you’re choosing between keeping Original Medicare and adding a Supplement or receiving your coverage through a Medicare Advantage plan.
| Medicare Supplement + Part D | Medicare Advantage | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | Medigap premium, Part D premium and the Part B premium | Plan premium (often low or $0) and the Part B premium |
| Costs when you get care | Depends on the plan letter; Plan G leaves mainly the Part B deductible | Copays and coinsurance up to the plan’s yearly limit |
| Yearly out-of-pocket limit | None needed for most plans; Plans K and L have one | Required; in 2026 it can’t exceed $9,250 in network, or $13,900 in and out of network combined |
| Doctors and hospitals | Any provider in the U.S. that accepts Medicare | Usually a network; HMOs generally don’t cover out-of-network care except emergencies |
| Year-to-year changes | Benefits are standardized and don’t change; premiums can | Benefits, costs and networks can change each year |
| Drug, dental, vision, hearing | Not included; buy Part D and ancillary plans separately | Many plans include drug coverage and some dental, vision and hearing |
| Switching later | Outside your open enrollment period, usually requires health questions | You can switch during the Annual Enrollment Period each fall |
The trade-off is mostly about when you pay. With a Medicare Supplement, you pay a higher premium each month and your costs when you get care are small and predictable. With Medicare Advantage, you usually pay less each month and more as you use care, up to the plan’s limit. The average in-network limit was $5,421 in 2026, and some plans set it at the $9,250 maximum. If you want to compare Medicare Advantage plans in your area, visit EmpowerMedicareAdvantage.com.
When to buy a Medicare Supplement
Timing affects whether you can get a Medicare Supplement at all. Your Medigap Open Enrollment Period lasts six months and starts on the first day of the month you’re both 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During that window, a company must sell you any Medigap policy it offers in your state and can’t charge you more because of your health.
Even during open enrollment, a company can make you wait up to six months before it covers a pre-existing condition, if you didn’t have creditable coverage before. Prior coverage, such as an employer group health plan, can shorten or remove that wait.
After the six months end, in most states, companies can ask health questions, charge more, or turn you down, unless you have a guaranteed issue right (for example, because you lost other coverage). If you’re still working and delaying Part B, your Medigap window doesn’t start until Part B does. Our Medicare Basics page and How to Apply for Medicare guide cover the dates.
Is a Medicare Supplement for you?
A Medicare Supplement is often a fit if you:
- Want to know your medical costs ahead of time and prefer paying a set premium over paying as you go
- See specialists regularly or expect to need more care
- Spend part of the year in another state or travel within the U.S.
- Want to keep doctors who aren’t in the Medicare Advantage networks near you
It may be a harder fit if you’re on a tight monthly budget, want drug, dental and vision coverage in one plan, or are past your open enrollment period with health conditions that could keep you from qualifying.
Compare Medicare Supplement quotes
The same plan letter can cost very different amounts from one company to the next, so comparing a few quotes is worth doing before you buy. Call a licensed Empower agent at (888) 446-9157 or request a Medicare Supplement quote.
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