Average Cost of Medicare Supplement Insurance

Most people shopping for Medigap Plan G or Plan N — the two most popular Medicare Supplement plans — pay somewhere between $120 and $280 a month.

Where you land in that range depends mostly on your ZIP code, your age, and which company you buy from, since the benefits themselves are federally standardized.

If you want a much lower premium and don't mind a higher deductible, High-Deductible Plan G and Plan K often run $45 to $100 a month instead.

After helping Medicare clients compare Medigap plans for more than 15 years, here's what I've learned.

Below, I'll walk through what drives those numbers, show you real sample quotes by company and state, and tell you which plans tend to be the best value — not just the cheapest.

If you want a number tailored to your own ZIP code and age, our Medigap cost calculator is a faster starting point than the tables below.

What's the Cheapest Medicare Supplement Plan?

If keeping your monthly premium as low as possible is the priority, High-Deductible Plan G and Plan K are usually your two cheapest options.

Both tend to run 50% to 75% less than a standard Plan G.

The trade-off with both K and HDG is the same: lower premium, more of the bill in your hands until you hit the deductible or out-of-pocket cap.

If you're generally healthy and can comfortably cover a few thousand dollars in a bad year, that trade often makes sense.

If you'd rather not think about it, Plan N or standard Plan G is usually a better fit.

The recent Medicare Supplement premium increases we've been seeing are making High-Deductible Plan G even more attractive.

Add the HDG premium to its deductible, and the annual total is now edging closer to what a standard Plan G premium costs on its own.

That's why more people are actually running the math on High-Deductible Plan G these days, rather than dismissing it outright.

Compare Medigap Plans by Cost

Here's how the most common plans stack up against each other before you get into individual company quotes.

Or, if you'd rather just match your situation to a plan:

In my experience, most people end up choosing between Plan G and Plan N.

High-Deductible Plan G makes the most sense for healthy retirees who want to lower their monthly premium and are comfortable covering more costs in an occasional high-expense year.

Plan F is now only relevant for people who became eligible for Medicare before 2020, so it's a much smaller part of the market today.

Sample Monthly Premiums by Company

Standardized benefits mean a Plan G from one company covers exactly the same things as a Plan G from another.

Price is where companies actually compete.

We pulled real sample quotes for a 65-year-old nonsmoking male across a few states to show just how wide that gap can get.

Plan G

Covers everything except the Part B deductible ($283 in 2026) — full benefits are on our Plan G page.

A deeper state-by-state breakdown is on our Plan G cost by state page. Here's what it costs by company and state:

Average across the four states quoted below.

Rates subject to Medicare Part B start date and/or medical underwriting.

The biggest takeaway isn't which company came in first — it's how much prices varied for identical coverage.

In these examples, the spread between the lowest and highest Plan G premium was often more than $50 a month.

Since the benefits are standardized, that's why we always recommend comparing multiple companies before enrolling.

High-Deductible Plan G

Same benefits as Plan G, after a $2,950 (2026) deductible — see the full HDG breakdown here.

Averages across the states where each company offers HDG below.

UnitedHealthcare's average reflects Florida only, since that's the one state it's offered in this sample.

Rates subject to Medicare Part B start date and/or medical underwriting.

High-Deductible Plan G shows the same pattern on a smaller scale — the spread between companies here ran $30 to $50 a month even though every policy covers the exact same benefits once you meet the deductible.

On a plan this affordable already, that gap is still worth comparing before you enroll.

Plan N

Small copays on office and ER visits in exchange for a lower premium — see the full Plan G vs. Plan N comparison.

Average across the four states quoted below.

Rates subject to Medicare Part B start date and/or medical underwriting.

Plan N showed one of the widest company-to-company spreads in our samples, sometimes over $100 a month for identical coverage.

If Plan N is the plan you're leaning toward, this is exactly where shopping around pays off the most.

Plan F

Only available if you were eligible for Medicare before 2020 — the only plan that still covers the Part B deductible, which is why it's the priciest here.

Full detail on our Plan F page.

Average across the four states quoted below.

Rates subject to Medicare Part B start date and/or medical underwriting. Quotes reflect a beneficiary born in 1953 to meet Plan F eligibility rules.

Plan F had the widest spread of any plan we quoted — as much as $200 a month between companies.

Since new enrollees can no longer buy Plan F, this mostly matters if you're already eligible and reviewing whether your current company is still competitive.

Why Medigap Premiums Vary So Much

A few factors explain most of the spread:

• ZIP code and state
• Current age
• Gender (rates can differ, though usually not by much)
• Smoker vs. nonsmoker status
• Your Medicare Part A and Part B effective dates
• The insurer's rating method — community, issue-age, or attained-age rating
• Household and payment-method discounts

Two of these are worth a closer look: underwriting and rating method.

If you enroll during your Medigap Open Enrollment Period, you have guaranteed issue rights — the insurer can't use medical underwriting to set your rate or deny you coverage.

Outside that window, you may face underwriting, which can mean higher premiums or a denial, unless you qualify for a special enrollment or guaranteed issue situation.

Attained-age-rated policies start cheaper but climb as you get older.

Community-rated and issue-age-rated policies tend to be more stable over time, even if the starting premium is a bit higher.

We generally recommend asking your agent which rating method a quote uses, not just the sticker price.

The important thing to remember is that you can't control your age or ZIP code, but you can control which company you choose and when you enroll.

Those are usually the two biggest opportunities to lower your premium.

How to Save Money on Medigap

Premiums vary widely even for identical coverage, so there's real room to save without giving anything up.

Shop the Same Plan Across Companies

Since benefits are standardized, a Plan G is a Plan G no matter who sells it.

Comparing rates across companies is the single easiest way to lower your premium without changing your coverage.

Our top-rated Medigap companies page is a good starting point, and our Medigap shopping mistakes to avoid covers the pitfalls we see most often.

Recheck Rates Annually

If you're in good health and can pass medical underwriting, switching companies can sometimes lower your premium meaningfully.

Rates tend to climb over time — sometimes sharply, as we saw with the large Medigap rate increases some carriers pushed through recently.

So a quick annual check is worth the few minutes it takes.

Consider a Different Plan Type

If Plan G's premium is stretching your budget, Plan N usually runs 15% to 30% lower.

If you're comfortable with a higher deductible in exchange for a much lower premium, High-Deductible Plan G or Plan K are worth a look too.

Ask About Household and Payment Discounts

Some insurers discount for non-smokers, multiple people at the same address, automatic payments, or holding more than one policy with them.

These discounts vary by company and state, so it's worth asking specifically.

An independent agent can typically run quotes across multiple companies at once, which makes this whole comparison a lot faster than requesting quotes one by one.

If you'd like help with that, you can compare Medigap rates in your ZIP code →

Bottom Line

If you're new to Medicare today, I'd compare Plan G and Plan N first — they cover the vast majority of what people actually need.

If those premiums are higher than you're comfortable paying, I'd look at High-Deductible Plan G next.

Plan K can save money too, but most of my clients end up preferring HDG, since it keeps the richer Plan G benefits in full once you've met the deductible.

Whichever plan you land on, the benefits are identical no matter who sells it.

The only real decision left is which company gives you the best rate for that plan in your ZIP code.

It's also worth comparing Medigap against Medicare Advantage before you decide.

The cost comparison looks different once you factor in network restrictions and annual out-of-pocket maximums.

Whatever you land on, don't stop at one or two quotes.

The spread between companies for identical coverage is often $50 to $100 a month, which adds up fast over a year.