Medicare Supplement Plan G: Coverage, Costs & My Review
Medicare Supplement Plan G covers nearly every Medicare-approved expense except the annual Part B deductible.
Medicare Supplement Plan G has become the most popular Medigap plan because it offers predictable healthcare costs and the freedom to see any Medicare provider nationwide.
After more than 15 years helping people compare Medicare options, it's also the plan I recommend most often.
In this guide, I'll walk through what Plan G covers, what it costs, how it compares to Plan N and Medicare Advantage, and where it isn't the right fit.
My goal here is to help you decide whether Plan G makes sense for your situation, not to talk you into it.
It's a strong option for many people, but not for everyone.
Quick Answer
Plan G pays nearly all of your Medicare-approved costs after you meet the annual Part B deductible ($283 in 2026).
Because Medigap plans are standardized under federal law, you can see any provider nationwide who accepts Medicare, with no referrals or networks involved.
Premiums typically run $110–$220 a month depending on your state, age, and tobacco status.
Plan G's biggest strength is predictability.
Its biggest drawback is that you'll pay more upfront than you would with Plan N or a Medicare Advantage plan.
Bottom line: If you value predictable healthcare costs and the freedom to see any Medicare provider nationwide, Plan G is often the option I recommend.
If minimizing your monthly premium is the higher priority, Plan N or High Deductible Plan G may be worth a closer look.
This guide is written for people who already have Original Medicare and are trying to decide whether a Medigap plan, and specifically Plan G, is the right fit.
| If you value... | Plan G |
|---|---|
| Predictable costs | ★★★★★ |
| Lowest possible premium | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Nationwide provider access | ★★★★★ |
| Frequent travel or snowbird living | ★★★★★ |
| Rarely visiting the doctor | ★★★☆☆ |
My Experience With Plan G
Plan G is the plan I recommend most often, but it's not automatically the right answer for everyone.
Here's my honest take, pros and cons included.
What I Like
- No prior authorizations, referrals, or network restrictions of any kind
- Costs are close to fully predictable once you've met the small annual deductible
- Benefits are federally standardized, so coverage is identical no matter which company sells you the plan
- Coverage works the same in every state, which matters a lot for people who travel or split time between homes
What I Don't Like
- Highest monthly premium of the popular Medigap plans
- Doesn't include prescription drug coverage — you'll need a separate Part D plan
- Doesn't cover routine dental, vision, or hearing care
- Premiums can increase over time, sometimes more than people expect when they first enroll
For beneficiaries who prioritize predictable costs and providers over the lowest possible premium, Plan G is usually the plan I steer people toward.
If keeping your monthly premium as low as possible matters more to you than predictability, I'd look closely at Plan N or High Deductible Plan G instead.
Why Plan G Is So Popular
My take above is one data point.
Here's the more objective picture behind it.
- Plan G has become the most widely selected Medigap plan among newly eligible Medicare beneficiaries since Plan F closed to most new enrollees in 2020.
- Its benefits are standardized under federal law, so coverage is identical no matter which company sells the plan.
- It covers all Medicare-approved gaps in Part A and Part B except the annual Part B deductible.
- Independent satisfaction surveys of Medigap policyholders, including research from AHIP, have consistently shown high satisfaction levels among enrollees.
The clients who end up happiest with Plan G are usually the ones who've already had a bad experience with an unexpected medical bill, whether their own or a family member's.
Once someone has lived through a surprise $1,200 hospital copay, the value of "no more surprises" tends to matter more to them than an extra $40 or $50 a month in premium.
Why So Many Beneficiaries Choose Plan G
Based on my experience, these are the reasons Plan G tends to come up first in most conversations with clients.
No Prior Authorization
With Plan G, the plan itself doesn't require you to get permission before a procedure.
Original Medicare's own rules still apply, but there's no separate insurance-company approval step layered on top.
I've worked with plenty of Medicare Advantage clients whose surgery got delayed while their plan reviewed a prior authorization request.
That layer simply doesn't exist with Plan G.
No Provider Networks
Plan G works with any provider who accepts Medicare, in any state, with no network to check first.
This nationwide access is a direct result of how Original Medicare and standardized Medigap plans are structured, not a feature of any one company's plan.
This tends to matter most for snowbirds and people who split time between two states.
I've had clients move from Ohio to Florida for the winter and not have to think about their coverage at all, because there's no network to leave behind.
No Referrals
You don't need a referral from a primary care doctor to see a specialist.
If you want to see a cardiologist, you call and make the appointment.
Standardized Benefits
Because every company's Plan G is required by federal law to offer identical coverage, you're never choosing a "worse" version of the plan to save money.
You're only choosing a different premium and company.
Less Disruption Than Medicare Advantage
Medicare Advantage plans can change their networks, formularies, and cost-sharing every year during the Annual Enrollment Period.
Plan G's standardized benefits don't change from year to year the way an Advantage plan's Annual Notice of Change can.
The 2025–2026 period saw a number of major Medicare Advantage carriers narrow their networks or exit certain counties.
Plan G isn't affected by that kind of disruption, since its coverage isn't tied to a specific carrier's network decisions.
Most people ask about prior authorization and networks first, since those are the differences they've usually heard about.
In practice, the referral-free access tends to matter just as much day to day, especially for clients managing more than one chronic condition who see several specialists in a given year.
Common Misconceptions About Plan G
These are the mix-ups I hear most often on the phone, usually from people comparing Plan G to Medicare Advantage or to Original Medicare alone.
Plan G covers prescription drugs.
It doesn't. You'll need a separate Part D prescription drug plan alongside Plan G.
Coverage is different depending on which company sells you Plan G.
Coverage is identical across every carrier. Only the premium, discounts, and customer service differ.
Plan G works like a PPO, with in-network and out-of-network providers.
There's no network at all. Any provider who accepts Original Medicare accepts Plan G.
Once you enroll, your Plan G premium is locked in for life.
Your benefits stay the same, but premiums can increase over time based on your age and the carrier's claims experience.
Now that some of the common confusion is cleared up, here's exactly what Plan G covers.
What Medicare Supplement Plan G Covers
Plan G works alongside Original Medicare, not instead of it.
Medicare pays its share of your care first, and Plan G picks up nearly all of what's left.
Because Medigap plans are standardized by federal law, every insurance company's Plan G covers the exact same benefits.
Medicare.gov's Medigap basics page is a good place to see this confirmed directly from the source.
What changes between companies is the premium, not the coverage.
I'll get into how to think about that later in this guide.
What Plan G Covers
- Part A hospital costs and coinsurance, including an extra 365 hospital days after Medicare's benefits are used up
- Part B coinsurance, generally your 20% share of Medicare-approved outpatient costs
- The first three pints of blood used in a medical procedure
- Skilled nursing facility coinsurance
- Part A hospice care coinsurance
- Part B excess charges, if a provider doesn't accept Medicare assignment
- Foreign travel emergency care, up to plan limits
What Plan G Doesn't Cover
- The annual Part B deductible ($283 in 2026)
- Prescription drugs — you'll need a separate Part D plan
- Routine dental, vision, or hearing care
- Long-term custodial care
One thing I notice is that beneficiaries often focus on hospital coverage because it's the easiest benefit to understand.
In reality, many of my clients appreciate Plan G most for outpatient care.
After meeting the annual Part B deductible, they generally don't have to think about doctor bills, imaging, specialist visits, or outpatient procedures for the rest of the year.
How Much Does Plan G Cost?
Nationally, Plan G premiums typically run between $110 and $180 a month, though pricing in some states runs higher.
This guide focuses on whether Plan G is the right fit.
For the full pricing breakdown, see How Much Does Plan G Cost? and our state-by-state Plan G cost guide.
Sample Monthly Quotes — 65-Year-Old, Non-Smoking Applicant
| Provider | Alabama | Georgia | Texas | Florida | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cigna | $175 | $198 | $228 | $225 | $181 |
| Mutual of Omaha | $258 | $268 | $245 | $257 | $222 |
| Aflac | $189 | $231 | $232 | $262 | $206 |
| Aetna | $248 | $229 | $317 | $280 | $245 |
Quotes shown are examples for illustration only. Actual premiums vary by ZIP code, age, gender (where permitted), tobacco use, and household discounts.
What Affects Your Premium
- State. Some states run significantly higher than others due to local claims experience and regulation.
- Age at enrollment. Premiums are generally lower the younger you are when you enroll, though this depends on whether a carrier uses attained-age or issue-age pricing.
- Tobacco use. Nearly every carrier charges more for tobacco users.
- Household discounts. Many carriers discount your premium if a spouse or another household member also holds a Medigap policy, even with a different company.
- Gender. In states that allow it, premiums can differ slightly between men and women.
Clients are often surprised that two neighbors with identical health can be quoted very differently, purely based on which company they ask.
Since coverage is identical across carriers, I always recommend comparing current quotes rather than assuming last year's cheapest company is still the cheapest today.
Once you've settled on Plan G as the right coverage, the next question is which company to buy it from.
See Which Insurer Should You Buy Plan G From? for how we compare carriers.
Is Plan G Worth the Cost?
This is one of the most common questions I hear, and the honest answer is that it depends on how much you value predictability.
One of the most common situations I see is a beneficiary managing a chronic condition, like diabetes, who sees a specialist several times a year in addition to an annual physical.
Once they've met the Part B deductible for the year, Medicare and Plan G together typically cover 100% of their Medicare-approved costs for the rest of the year.
That's one of the biggest reasons people tell me they value Plan G.
There's very little math to do after the deductible is met.
For a healthy retiree who rarely sees a doctor, the math looks different.
A lower-premium option like Plan N or a Medicare Advantage plan may end up costing less in a typical year.
For someone managing an ongoing condition, or someone who simply wants to stop thinking about medical bills, Plan G's predictability is usually worth the higher premium.
Industry satisfaction surveys, including AHIP's research on Medigap enrollees, have consistently shown high satisfaction among Medigap policyholders overall, which lines up with what I hear directly from clients.
If you've decided Plan G sounds like a good fit, the next question is whether another Medicare option might fit your situation even better.
Plan G vs. Other Options
Plan G vs. Plan N
Plan N has a lower premium but adds small copays, generally up to $20 for a doctor visit and up to $50 for an ER visit that doesn't result in admission.
It also doesn't cover Part B excess charges the way Plan G does.
Read our full Plan G vs. Plan N: Which Plan Is Better for You?
Plan G vs. High Deductible Plan G
High Deductible Plan G offers identical coverage once you've met a much larger annual deductible, in exchange for a significantly lower monthly premium.
Recent premium increases on standard Plan G have narrowed this gap enough that I bring HDG up in conversation far more often than I used to.
See Is High Deductible Plan G Worth Considering? for the numbers.
Plan G vs. Medicare Advantage
Medicare Advantage plans often carry a $0 premium but include copays, prior authorization requirements, and provider networks.
Plan G costs more upfront but removes nearly all of that unpredictability.
See our full Medicare Advantage vs. Medigap guide for a complete, balanced comparison.
How Enrollment Works
Most people enroll in Plan G during their six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period, which starts the month you're both 65 and enrolled in Part B.
During this window, you can't be denied coverage or charged more due to health conditions.
Outside that window, you may need to answer health questions, and approval isn't guaranteed unless you qualify for a Guaranteed Issue Right, such as losing other coverage involuntarily (see Medicare's official Medigap guide for the federal rules).
For the full step-by-step process, see our Medigap Open Enrollment guide.
If you're outside your enrollment window, our guide on enrolling anytime and our attained-age vs. issue-age breakdown cover what to expect.
The mistake I see most often isn't picking the wrong plan.
It's waiting too long to enroll and running into medical underwriting outside the Open Enrollment window, when a decision made a few months earlier would have avoided health questions entirely.
Final Thoughts
After helping Medicare beneficiaries for more than 15 years, I've found that the people happiest with their coverage generally value predictable costs, provider choice, and long-term stability.
For many of those people, Plan G continues to be an excellent fit.
That said, no Medicare plan is right for everyone.
No article, including this one, can tell you exactly which option is best for your individual situation.
If keeping your monthly premium as low as possible is your top priority, Plan N or High Deductible Plan G may be worth a closer look.
If you've decided Plan G might be the right fit, the next step is comparing companies and prices available in your ZIP code.
Our licensed agents can help you compare plans from multiple insurers at no cost or obligation.
FAQs
- Is Plan G accepted everywhere?
- Does Plan G cover Part B excess charges?
- Can my Plan G premium increase?
- Can I switch Plan G companies later?
- Is Plan G worth it after age 70?
