If you’ve looked at Medicare Supplement options and kept seeing “Plan G” recommended, there’s a good reason. It’s the plan most people new to Medicare choose, and it’s popular because it does something simple: it makes your costs predictable.
How Plan G works
Plan G is a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) plan. It doesn’t replace Medicare — it pairs with Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) and fills in the gaps Medicare leaves behind.
On Original Medicare alone, after you meet the Part B deductible you generally owe 20% coinsurance on most services, and there’s no cap on how high that can go. For a routine year that’s fine. For a major surgery or a long stretch of treatment, an open-ended 20% can get scary.
That’s the gap Plan G closes. Here’s how a typical year looks:
- You pay the $283 Part B deductible yourself (the 2026 amount).
- After that, Plan G covers nearly everything else — including the 20% coinsurance, hospital costs, and more.
So instead of an unpredictable share of every bill, your cost becomes a monthly premium plus that one annual deductible. That’s the whole appeal.
What Plan G does not cover
There are two things worth being clear about.
First, Plan G does not cover the Part B deductible itself. You pay that $283 each year before the plan’s coverage kicks in. The only plan that ever covered the deductible too was Plan F — and Plan F is closed to anyone who became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020. If you’re newer to Medicare, Plan G is effectively the most complete plan you can buy.
Second, Plan G has no built-in drug coverage. To cover your prescriptions, you add a standalone Part D plan. Most people pair the two, and that combination — Original Medicare, Plan G, and a Part D plan — is one of the most common setups around.
No networks, any provider
One of the biggest reasons people pick Medigap is freedom. Plan G has no networks. You can see any doctor, specialist, or hospital in the country that accepts Medicare — and most do.
There are no referrals to chase and no worry about whether a provider is “in network.” If your specialist is in another city or another state, you’re covered the same way. For folks who travel, split time between two homes, or simply don’t want to switch doctors, that flexibility matters a lot.
What it costs
Plan G carries a higher monthly premium than a Medicare Advantage plan, which often has a low or $0 premium. That’s the trade-off: you pay more up front each month in exchange for very predictable costs the rest of the year.
Here’s the simple math of a Plan G year:
| What you pay | Amount |
|---|---|
| Part B premium | $202.90/month (2026 standard) |
| Plan G premium | A monthly premium that varies by company |
| Part B deductible | $283, once per year |
| Most costs after the deductible | Covered by Plan G |
| Part D drug plan | A separate monthly premium |
One thing to know: because Plan G is standardized by law, the coverage is identical no matter which insurance company sells it. A more expensive Plan G is not a “better” Plan G. That makes it worth comparing prices. Our Cost Estimator can help you sketch out what a full year might look like with the premium, deductible, and a drug plan all in one picture.
Who Plan G fits
Plan G tends to be the right fit when you want freedom and budget certainty more than the lowest possible monthly bill. It’s a strong match if you:
- Want to keep — or freely choose — your own doctors without network rules.
- Travel or live in two places during the year.
- Would rather pay a steady premium than face an open-ended 20% in a bad health year.
- Like knowing your costs in advance, down to the dollar.
If a low monthly premium and built-in extras like dental and vision matter more to you, a Medicare Advantage plan might fit better instead. There’s no single right answer — it depends on your health, your budget, and how much predictability you want. You can read more comparisons on our blog if you’re weighing your options.
If Plan G sounds like your speed, the next step is comparing what it would actually cost with the companies available to you. Reach out to Bret for a no-pressure conversation — a few minutes on the phone often clears things up faster than an afternoon of reading.