Plan G: The Complete Guide to Medicare’s Default Supplement
Plan G has become what Plan F was before 2020: the default answer to “which Medigap should I buy?” It covers every Medicare cost-sharing gap except one — the annual Part B deductible — and its ubiquity across carriers makes it the most price-competitive letter on the market. This guide covers what it pays, what it skips, and how to buy it without overpaying.
The exact benefit list
Plan G pays: Part A coinsurance and hospital costs for 365 extra days; the entire $1,676 Part A deductible; skilled nursing facility coinsurance; Part B coinsurance (the 20%); Part B excess charges (up to 15% over approved amounts); the first three pints of blood; Part A hospice cost-sharing; and 80% of foreign travel emergency care after a $250 deductible ($50,000 lifetime cap).
What it leaves you: the Part B deductible ($257 in 2025) and your Part B premium. That is the whole exposure — in a $400,000 cancer year, your total out-of-pocket is roughly $257 plus premium.
What Plan G costs and why quotes differ
| Age | Typical monthly range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 65 | $120–160 | Widest carrier spread — shop hard |
| 70 | $140–200 (attained-age books) | Issue-age books stay near the 65 rate |
| 75 | $170–260 | Attained-age compounding shows here |
The spread within a single age band is the market’s main lesson: benefits identical, price not. County-level filing, carrier risk appetite and pricing model produce 30–60% gaps — which is why comparing five carriers’ G quotes is the minimum diligence, and their increase histories the real test.
G versus N: the only comparison that matters
Plan N is G with two subtractions (copays of $20 per office visit and $50 per ER visit, plus exposure to excess charges) and a 15–30% discount. If your providers take Medicare assignment — most do — and your visit count is moderate, N’s discount outruns its copays. If you want absolute billing silence or have excess-charge-prone specialists, G’s premium buys certainty. Run the break-even math with your own visit history.
The HD-G variant
High-deductible G trades the first $2,870 (2025) of claims for a 40–60% premium cut. It is genuinely good insurance for healthy 65–70s with savings — and a trap for anyone who might not pass underwriting if they want to upgrade later, since moving to regular G means medical questions in most states.
The buying checklist
One: confirm your six-month OEP is open (guaranteed issue). Two: shortlist G and N quotes from at least five carriers. Three: pull five-year increase history for each. Four: prefer issue-age or community-rated books unless the attained-age spread is extreme. Five: verify foreign-travel coverage matters to you (it is included). Six: enroll in month one of OEP. That is the entire process — the rest is paperwork.
Related: Plan G structured file, Plan N file, all-letter matrix.