Medicare Supplement

How Federal Rules Shape Medigap Plans in Chesapeake

CHESAPEAKE, Va. — If you have ever compared Medicare Supplement plans, you have probably noticed something that feels like alphabet soup. Plans go by letters — A, B, D, G, K, L, M, N — and there is no clear reason, at first glance, why one letter matters more than another. Here is the good news: those letters follow strict federal rules, and once you know how the system works, choosing becomes much simpler.

What Medigap actually does

Medicare Supplement Insurance, often called Medigap, is a private policy that works alongside Original Medicare (Part A and Part B). It helps pay some of the costs Original Medicare leaves behind — things like coinsurance, copayments, and, in some cases, the Part A hospital deductible.

Medigap does not replace Medicare. You still need Part A and Part B, and you still use your red, white, and blue Medicare card at the doctor. Medigap simply picks up part of the bill after Medicare pays its share.

One important note: Medigap policies sold today do not include prescription drug coverage. For that, you would enroll in a separate Part D plan.

Why the letters exist

Back in 1990, Congress required Medigap plans to be standardized. Before that, insurance companies could design policies any way they wanted, and shoppers had a nearly impossible time comparing them.

Today, in most states, Medigap plans come in 10 standardized versions, each labeled with a letter. Every Plan G sold by any insurance company, for example, covers exactly the same set of benefits as every other Plan G. The difference between carriers comes down to price, customer service, and extras like discounts or wellness programs — not the core benefits.

That is the whole point of the letter system: apples-to-apples comparison.

How to read the letters

Each letter represents a specific benefit package. Some plans cover almost everything Medicare leaves behind. Others cover less in exchange for a lower premium. A few, like Plans K and L, share costs with you up to a yearly out-of-pocket limit.

A couple of things worth knowing:

• Plans C and F are no longer sold to people who became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020. If you had one before that date, you can keep it.
• Plans G and N are the most popular choices among newer enrollees, but "popular" does not mean "right for you."
• High-deductible versions of Plans G and F exist for people who want a lower monthly premium and are comfortable paying more up front when they use care.

Medicare.gov keeps a full benefits chart showing what each letter covers, and it is the clearest side-by-side reference available.

When you can buy — and why timing matters

The best time to buy a Medigap policy is during your Medigap Open Enrollment Period, a six-month window that starts the month you are 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During this window, insurance companies cannot deny you a policy or charge you more because of your health.

Outside of that window, in most states, insurers can use medical underwriting. That means a health condition could result in a higher premium — or a denied application. This is one of the most important deadlines in all of Medicare, and it is easy to miss.

Medigap and Medicare Advantage are not the same

This trips up a lot of people, so it is worth stating plainly: you cannot use a Medigap policy with a Medicare Advantage (Part C) plan. Medigap only works with Original Medicare.

Chesapeake is in Chesapeake city, where residents have access to both Original Medicare (with the option to add a Medigap plan and a standalone Part D drug plan) and a range of Medicare Advantage plans offered by private carriers. Which path fits best depends on your doctors, your prescriptions, your budget, and how you like to handle health care.

A quick look at 2026 drug costs

Even though Medigap does not cover prescriptions, most people who choose it also enroll in a Part D drug plan. A few 2026 figures worth keeping in mind:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 for the year.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615.
• The old coverage gap (the "donut hole") has been eliminated since 2025.
• If drug costs hit hard early in the year, the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread them across monthly installments.