What's the difference between Medigap Plan G and High Deductible Plan G?

Standard Plan G covers the same Medicare-approved costs either way, the difference is who pays first. With standard Plan G, the plan pays those costs immediately. With High Deductible Plan G, you pay Medicare-approved costs yourself, up to $2,950 for 2026, and the plan pays 100% once you reach that amount for the year.

Do I have to pay the High Deductible Plan G deductible all at once?

No. The deductible is a running total based on the Medicare-approved costs you actually incur during the year, not a lump sum due upfront. If you rarely see a doctor, you may pay only a small fraction of the deductible all year and never reach the point where the plan's full coverage kicks in.

Care at 65 · Medigap, Explained

Plan F, G, N & Their High-Deductible Cousins

Five plans, one confusing alphabet soup. Here's what sets them apart, side by side, so you can ask better questions instead of just picking a letter.

This page is general educational information about how standardized Medigap plans compare, not a recommendation of any specific plan or carrier. Deductible and copay figures reflect 2026 CMS amounts. Plan availability varies by state.

Brian Maiz · Independent Medicare Agent

NPN #2842886 · Every insurer selling "Plan G" has to cover the exact same things. What changes is the premium you're quoted for it.

The comparison

If you've been shopping for a Medigap plan, you've probably run into these five names over and over. They're standardized benefit levels, so every insurer selling "Plan G" has to cover the exact same things.

What's Covered	Plan F	Plan G	Plan N	High Deductible F	High Deductible G
Part A hospital coinsuranceCovers your share of inpatient hospital costs, plus 365 extra days of coverage after Medicare's benefits run out	Covered	Covered	Covered	Covered, after deductible	Covered, after deductible
Part B coinsuranceThe 20% of outpatient and doctor costs Original Medicare doesn't pay	Covered	Covered	Covered, minus small copays below	Covered, after deductible	Covered, after deductible
Part B deductibleThe $283 (2026) you'd otherwise pay before Medicare starts covering outpatient care	Covered	You pay it	You pay it	Counts toward your deductible	Counts toward your deductible
Part B excess chargesWhen a provider who doesn't "accept assignment" bills up to 15% more than Medicare's approved amount	Covered	Covered	You pay it	Covered, after deductible	Covered, after deductible
Skilled nursing facility coinsuranceYour share of the cost for days 21–100 of a covered nursing facility stay	Covered	Covered	Covered	Covered, after deductible	Covered, after deductible
Foreign travel emergencyEmergency care during the first 60 days of a trip outside the U.S., up to plan limits	80%	80%	80%	80%	80%
Office visit / ER copaysA flat dollar amount you pay per visit, separate from the deductible	None	None	Up to $20 office / $50 ER	None once deductible is met	None once deductible is met
Annual deductible before the plan paysBuilds up only as you use care during the year	$0	$0	$0	$2,950 (2026)	$2,950 (2026)
Who can enrollEligibility depends on when you became eligible for Medicare	Medicare-eligible before 1/1/2020	Anyone newly eligible	Anyone newly eligible	Medicare-eligible before 1/1/2020	Anyone newly eligible

You don't pay $2,950 up front

Think of it as a ceiling, the most you'd pay in a year if your costs ran high. Nothing's due on day one. You pay as you use care, a little at a time, and every dollar counts toward that total.

If you're healthy and see the doctor once or twice a year, you may never get close to $2,950. Plenty of people on a high-deductible plan pay their share for the visits they have, keep the lower premium, and never trigger the plan's 100% coverage. That's the plan working as designed.

Say you see your doctor three times this year for routine follow-ups at $95 each. Your 20% share runs about $19 a visit, roughly $57 for the whole year. You're nowhere near $2,950, so you just pay that small amount as you go.

A few terms worth sitting with

High deductible, in plain terms — you pay your own Medicare costs first, each year, up to a set amount ($2,950 for 2026). Once you've hit that number, the plan pays 100% for the rest of the year, same as its standard version. Lower premium, more of the early cost sits with you.

Guaranteed issue — a window, usually right around when you first enroll in Medicare, when an insurer has to sell you a Medigap policy regardless of your health history. Outside that window, most states allow medical underwriting, which is a big part of why the "right time" to choose a plan matters as much as the plan itself.

Why F is closed to some people — a 2015 federal law phased out Plan F (and its high-deductible version) for anyone who became newly eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020. If you were eligible before that date, you can still enroll in or keep Plan F. If not, Plan G is the closest equivalent.

So which one is yours?

That's the right next question, and this page can't answer it for you. It depends on how you use healthcare, what you'd rather pay monthly versus if something happens, and what you're eligible for. It's the conversation I like having, over the phone or across a table.

Ask Brian a Question Call (888) 996-4534