Plan G and Plan N are two standardized Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) letters sold in most states. Policies with the same letter offer the same basic benefits no matter which company sells that letter. Price is the only difference between two Plan G policies, and this page does not quote premiums. Medicare.gov: there is no national Medigap premium.
This is not a "G is better" article. It is the live Medicare.gov compare-plan-benefits chart, plus the official copay footnote for Plan N from CMS's *Choosing a Medigap Policy* (publication 02110). Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin standardize Medigap a different way. Confirm those states separately.
Medigap vs Medicare Advantage is the stacking rule: you can buy Medigap or enroll in Advantage; you cannot generally have both, and Medigap cannot pay Advantage copays. This page does not rehash that article. It compares two letters you can only use with Original Medicare.
I have spent 18 years inside consumer marketing and lead generation in insurance and health. That is operator experience, not a counseling credential and not a license.
What both letters are sitting on
You generally need Part A and Part B before you can buy Medigap. One policy covers one person. You still pay the monthly Part B premium to Medicare. In 2026 most people pay the standard $202.90. Medicare does not pay the Medigap premium.
Medigap Open Enrollment is 6 months starting the first month you have Part B and are 65 or older. It is one-time; it is not AEP. During that window a company cannot deny you or charge more because of pre-existing conditions. Outside it, guaranteed-issue rights are limited situations. Federal law generally does not require companies to sell Medigap to people under 65. See 02110, Section 6.
All companies that sell Medigap must offer at least Plan A. Not every company sells G or N. Not every state offers every letter.
The live 2026 chart: G and N side by side
Medicare.gov compare-plan-benefits, opened this session. A "Yes" means the plan covers 100% of that benefit. Plan N's Part B coinsurance is 100% except for certain copays (footnote below). Neither letter covers the Part B deductible.
| Benefit (2026) | Plan G | Plan N | |—|—|—| | Part A coinsurance and hospital costs up to an extra 365 days after Medicare benefits are used | Yes | Yes | | Part B coinsurance or copayment | Yes | Yes, except office/ER copays*** | | Blood (first 3 pints) | Yes | Yes | | Part A hospice coinsurance or copayment | Yes | Yes | | Skilled nursing facility coinsurance | Yes | Yes | | Part A deductible | Yes | Yes | | Part B deductible | No | No | | Part B excess charge | Yes | No | | Foreign travel emergency (up to plan limits) | 80% | 80% | | Out-of-pocket limit | n/a | n/a |
* Plans F and G also offer a high-deductible option in some states. You pay Medicare-covered costs (coinsurance, copayments, and deductibles) up to $2,950 in 2026 before the policy pays anything. 02110: you also pay a separate $250 yearly deductible for foreign travel emergency care on high-deductible F or G.
** For Plans K and L, after you meet the out-of-pocket yearly limit ($8,000 / $4,000 in 2026) and the yearly Part B deductible, the Medigap plan pays 100% of covered services for the rest of the calendar year. Two official prints of that deductible footnote, opened this session: the live Medicare.gov compare-plan-benefits chart says $283 in 2026; CMS publication 02110 (*Choosing a Medigap Policy*) says $202.90 in 2026. The CMS November 14, 2025 fact sheet prints $283 as the 2026 Part B *deductible* and $202.90 as the 2026 Part B *premium*. Publication 02110 is using the premium figure in a deductible footnote. This page prints both labeled numbers. It does not call 02110 "wrong." This page is about G and N, not K and L; the footnote is here so both figures stay visible.
*** Plan N pays 100% of the costs of Part B services, except copayments for some office visits and some emergency-room visits. 02110: you must pay a copayment of up to $20 for some office visits and up to a $50 copayment for emergency room visits that do not result in an inpatient admission. The live chart's footnote is shorter: "Plan N pays 100% of the costs of Part B services, except for copayments for some office visits and some emergency room visits." This page uses the $20 / $50 amounts from 02110.
What G covers that N does not: Part B excess charges
A Part B excess charge is the difference between the Medicare-approved amount and what a non-participating provider is legally allowed to charge. Medicare.gov's provider-assignment page: the limiting charge is generally 15% above the Medicare-approved amount for certain services. Plan G covers that excess. Plan N does not.
If every doctor you use accepts assignment, there is no excess charge to cover. That is a fact about assignment, not a reason this page will call G "better." People who see non-participating providers care about this row. People who do not, do not. Confirm how your doctors bill.
What neither letter covers: the Part B deductible
The 2026 Part B deductible is $283. Plans C and F cover it. Plans G and N do not. Plans C and F are not sold to people new to Medicare on or after January 1, 2020. 02110: if you turned 65 on or after that date and get Part A on or after that date, you are "new to Medicare" for this rule. You might still buy C or F if you were eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020, but had not enrolled yet. People new to Medicare on or after that date have the right to buy D and G instead, which give the same benefits except they do not cover the Part B deductible.
So for newly eligible people, the Part B deductible is usually yours on the letters still being sold. G does not pay it. N does not pay it. That is the closed-letter rule, not a ranking.
Plan N's $20 / $50 copays
Those copays are not the Part B deductible. They are extra cost sharing on some office visits and some ER visits that do not admit you as an inpatient. 02110 prints the caps: up to $20 and up to $50. The live chart does not reprint the dollar caps in the table body; it points to the footnote. This page uses both.
Everything else in the Part B coinsurance row is Yes for both letters: after the $283 deductible, Original Medicare generally pays 80% of the approved amount if the provider accepts assignment, and G or N pays the other 20%, except N leaves those office/ER copays with you.
Hospital Part A coinsurance, the extra 365 hospital days, hospice copays, SNF coinsurance (2026 SNF days 21-100 are $217 a day on Original Medicare), and the Part A inpatient deductible ($1,736 per benefit period in 2026) are Yes on both G and N.
Foreign travel emergency is the same row: 80%
Both G and N show 80% for foreign travel emergency, up to plan limits. Publication 11037 (*Medicare Coverage Outside the United States*): most Medigap letters that include this benefit pay 80% of billed charges for certain medically necessary emergency care outside the U.S. after a $250 yearly deductible, if the care begins during the first 60 days of the trip, with a $50,000 lifetime limit, and if Medicare does not otherwise cover the care. See Does Medicare cover care when you travel?. That is a Medigap extra. It is not a reason to pick a letter on this page.
High-deductible G is a different product with the same letter
In some states, Plan G is also sold with a high-deductible option. 2026 deductible: $2,950. You pay Medicare-covered coinsurance, copayments, and deductibles up to that amount before the policy pays. 02110: you also pay a separate $250 yearly deductible for foreign travel emergency. High-deductible F exists too, but F is closed to newly eligible people after January 1, 2020.
High-deductible G is still Plan G benefits after the $2,950. It is not Plan N. This page does not say which deductible structure costs less, because premiums are company-specific and this page does not quote them.
Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin
02110, Section 7: those three states standardize Medigap a different way. They do not use the A-N chart the same way. Minnesota has versions of K, L, M, and N. Wisconsin has optional riders, including a Part B copayment/coinsurance rider and a foreign-travel rider, and a high-deductible option of $2,950 in 2026. If you live in those states, use the state pages in 02110 and your State Insurance Department. Do not force-fit the G vs N table.
You still cannot stack this on Advantage
If you are in Medicare Advantage, selling you Medigap is illegal unless you are switching back to Original Medicare (or Advantage coverage will end first). Medigap cannot pay Advantage copays, deductibles, coinsurance, or premiums. That rule is the other article. G vs N only matters if you are using Original Medicare.
Confirm with Medicare.gov, 02110, and your state DOI
- Live chart: Compare Medigap plan benefits
- Booklet: Choosing a Medigap Policy (02110)
- Stacking: Medigap vs Medicare Advantage
- State Insurance Department: NAIC directory
- SHIP: shiphelp.org
This page will not rank G over N. It will not quote a premium. It will not name carriers.
This is education, not advice
The letters are standardized. Your premium is not. Which letter, if any, fits is a personal and state-specific question. Confirm with Medicare.gov, the booklet, your State Insurance Department, and SHIP. Rules can change after they are printed.
Labeled marketplace placements, when they exist, sit after the last decision section and before FAQ. Until a licensed partner link is live, that slot stays empty. This page will not rank carriers or treat a marketplace quote as a CMS figure.
How insurance companies are allowed to price the same letter
02110: each company decides how it sets the premium. Three methods:
- Community-rated (no-age-rated): generally the same premium regardless of age. It can still rise with inflation, not because you had a birthday.
- Issue-age-rated: based on the age when you buy. Younger buyers pay less; it will not increase just because you age.
- Attained-age-rated: based on current age, so it goes up as you get older. It may look cheapest at 65 and cost more later.
Those methods apply to Plan G and Plan N alike. They are why two Plan N quotes can differ, and why a cheap attained-age N is not a CMS finding that N "wins." Medicare.gov: compare the same letter across companies. Then compare letters on benefits. This page does the benefits. SHIP or your State Insurance Department can help with a rate-comparison guide if your state publishes one.
SELECT policies, where sold, may require network hospitals (and sometimes doctors) for full Medigap benefits and may cost less. High-deductible G is a separate deductible structure, not a different letter. Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin remain different standardizations, do not import this G vs N table there.
FAQ
Does Plan G cover the Part B deductible?
No. Neither G nor N does. That row is Plans C and F, which are not sold to people new to Medicare on or after January 1, 2020. The 2026 Part B deductible is $283.
Does Plan N cover Part B excess charges?
No. Plan G does. Plan N does not. Excess charges apply when a non-participating provider bills above the Medicare-approved amount, generally up to the 15% limiting charge.
What are Plan N's office and ER copays?
02110: up to $20 for some office visits and up to $50 for ER visits that do not result in an inpatient admission. The live chart states that N pays 100% of Part B service costs except those copays.
What is high-deductible Plan G in 2026?
In some states, G is offered with a $2,950 deductible. You pay Medicare-covered costs up to that amount before the policy pays. It is not Plan N.
Which is cheaper, G or N?
This page does not quote premiums. Premiums vary by company, letter, rating method, and location. Medicare.gov: price is the only difference between policies with the same letter from different companies. Compare the same letter across companies. Compare G to N on benefits first, then ask companies or SHIP for quotes. A quote is not a CMS figure.
The live Medicare.gov chart and 02110 are the records. Confirm the current text with them.
About the author
Keith Guirao is founder and editor of Savvy Senior Central (Maven Media). He has spent about 18 years in consumer marketing and lead generation across insurance and health. That is operator experience, not a license to sell insurance, counsel Medicare, practice medicine, or give financial advice. Contact and bio: About · LinkedIn · Contact.
Disclaimer
Savvy Senior Central is not a licensed insurance agency. This article is for general educational purposes only and is not insurance, Medicare, legal, clinical, or financial advice. Confirm the current rule with the official sources linked below, 1-800-MEDICARE, SSA, your plan's Evidence of Coverage if you have Advantage, your state regulator, or SHIP. Costs and rules can change after agencies print them.
Sources
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Every figure traces to a government record. We do not rank carriers. Figures last verified September 27, 2026 (Europe/Berlin).
- Medicare.gov: Compare Medigap plan benefits
- CMS/NAIC: Choosing a Medigap Policy (02110)
- Medicare.gov: Medigap basics
- *Medicare & You 2026* (CMS)
- SHIP: shiphelp.org
- CMS Part B deductible/premium fact sheet (Nov. 14, 2025) for 2026 figures cited elsewhere on this site
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