Original Medicare doesn’t pick up all costs for care, but Medicare supplemental plans can help bridge that gap. There are 10 different Medigap policies, but what’s the best Medigap company offering coverage?
We analyzed Medigap companies, including data on where plans are offered, how many plans and additional benefits are offered, and each company’s financial health to find the best Medicare supplement providers.
Summary: Compare the Best Medicare Supplement Providers for 2025
Best Medicare Supplement Providers
What Is Medicare Supplement?
Medicare Supplement, also called Medigap, is offered by private insurers to help pay for what’s not covered by Original Medicare. Original Medicare is offered by the federal government and covers care in hospitals (Part A) and by providers, as well as outpatient care (Part B).
Medigap is only available to those with Original Medicare. People with Medicare Advantage are not eligible for Medicare Supplement. Medicare Advantage is offered by private health insurers.
About 40% of people with an Original Medicare plan have a Medigap policy, according to KFF. Plan G is the largest plan, with 39% of Medigap policyholders having a Plan G policy.
What Does It Cover?
Medigap plans offer supplemental coverage that helps pay for Original Medicare costs, including copays, deductibles and coinsurance:
- A copay is what you pay at the time of service, such as at a doctor’s office, urgent care center or emergency room.
- A deductible is the annual amount you must pay before Medicare begins picking up the cost of care. The Part A deductible is $1,676 and the Part B deductible is $257.
- Coinsurance is the percentage you must pay for health care services after you reach your deductible.
Some Medigap plans may also help pay for care outside of the U.S.
What Does Medigap Not Cover?
Medigap won’t help pay for everything. Here’s what a standard Medicare Supplement plan likely won’t cover:
- Dental care
- Glasses
- Long-term care
- Prescription drugs (you can buy a separate Part D plan for that coverage instead)
- Private nursing
- Vision care
Medicare Supplement Comparison Chart
There are 10 different types of standardized Medigap plans (A-N). Plans C and F are no longer available to people who are new to Medicare. Here’s a look at how Medicare Supplement plans differ.
10 Standardized Medigap Plans
Medigap Plan Benefits | Plan A | Plan B | Plan C | Plan D | Plan F* | Plan G* | Plan K** | Plan L** | Plan M | Plan N |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part Acoinsurance and hospital costs up to an additional 365 days after Medicare benefits are exhausted | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Part Bcoinsurance or copayment | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 50% | 75% | 100% | 100%*** |
Blood(first 3 pints) | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 50% | 75% | 100% | 100% |
Part Ahospice carecoinsurance or copayment | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 50% | 75% | 100% | 100% |
Skilled nursing facility (SNF) care coinsurance | No | No | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 50% | 75% | 100% | 100% |
Part A deductible | No | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 50% | 75% | 50% | 100% |
Part Bdeductible | No | No | 100% | No | 100% | No | No | No | No | No |
Part B excess charge | No | No | No | No | 100% | 100% | No | No | No | No |
Foreign travel coverage (up to limits) | No | No | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | No | No | 80% | 80% |
Out of pocket limit | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $7,220 | $3,610 | N/A | N/A |
**Plans K and L pay 100% of covered services for the rest of the calendar year after you meet your out-of-pocket limit and your Part B deductible.
***Plan N pays 100% of the Part B coinsurance, except for a copayment of up to $20 for some office visits and up to a $50 copayment for emergency room visits that don't require hospital admission.
How Much Do Medicare Supplement Plans Cost?
Medigap plans cost between $32 and $550 per month on average. That’s a huge variation, so it’s hard to say exactly what you would pay for a plan.
A high-deductible Medigap plan—like Part F or G—may cost you a little over $30 monthly, while a Plan G plan may cost as much as $500 monthly. Meanwhile, Medigap Plan A may give you a cheaper rate for the same coverage as another company but at lower costs based on your age and location.
Here’s what may influence Medigap costs:
- Age
- Insurance company
- Location
- Plan type
- Tobacco use
- Underwriting process
A plan may charge you based on your age when the Medigap policy was first issued, which is called “issue-age rating,” your current age, which is called “attained-age rating,” or it can decide not to base premiums on age, which is called “community rating.”
Here’s an example of the different average costs by plan. This is for a person living in North Carolina.
Note: Medicare Supplement C, F, and F high deductible plans are no longer available to buy if you turned 65 on or after January 1, 2020. They may also be unavailable to some people under age 65, too.
How To Choose the Best Medicare Supplement Plan for You
When picking a Medigap plan, you’ll want to consider a few factors:
How To Sign Up for Medicare Supplement Plans
You can buy Medigap at any time through an insurance company or an agent. There is no annual open enrollment for Medicare Supplement plans like other types of Medicare.
Here’s what to do to enroll in Medicare Supplement:
Step | What to do |
---|---|
Enroll in Medicare Part A and Part B | Only people with Original Medicare are eligible for Medigap, so you need to sign up for Parts A and B first. |
Find Medigap companies in your state | Visit to find your options. |
Compare costs | Costs vary by company, state and other factors, so it’s best to compare companies offering the same Medigap plans. |
Compare expanded benefits | Some Medigap plans cover services that are not standard in other plans, so it’s wise to understand exactly what the Medigap plan covers before buying. |
Select a Medigap plan | Choose a plan that works best for your situation. |
Methodology: How We Picked the Best Medicare Supplement Providers of 2025
To determine the best Medicare Supplement providers of 2025, Forbes Advisor evaluated all insurance companies that offer plans nationwide in terms of:
- How many states in which they provide coverage
- The number of Medigap plan types they offer
- Whether they offer Part D (prescription drug) coverage specifically
- Whether they can provide additional coverage beyond what’s required of Medigap plans by federal regulations
- A.M. Best rankings in terms of financial health (which impacts how reliable an insurer is when it comes to paying claims)
- J.D. Power rankings in terms of consumer feedback
We focused exclusively on providing general summaries of the companies, their range of insurance products and their reputations. In order to provide specific plan recommendations accurately, it’s important to take into account the ZIP code and demographic details of the individual seeking insurance coverage. To do so, we recommend using Medicare.gov’s plan finder tool or seeking the expertise of an independent, agnostic insurance agent.
Best Medicare Supplement Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do Medigap plans cover dental, vision or prescription drugs?
Medigap plans don’t usually cover costs related to dental, vision or prescription drugs, but there are exceptions. You can buy a separate Part D prescription drug plan to help pay for prescriptions. Original Medicare (Parts A and B) doesn’t generally cover prescription drug costs.
When is the best time to enroll in a Medigap plan?
The best time to buy a Medigap plan is during the initial Medicare Supplement open enrollment, which is the six-month period from when you become eligible for Medicare. If you sign up for Parts A and B for Original Medicare at that time, you can get Medicare Supplement coverage, and you may also want to buy Part D for prescription drug coverage. You can’t be denied for Medigap coverage during that initial sign-up period.
If you wait until after that period to buy the supplemental insurance, Medigap companies can deny you coverage or charge you much higher rates based on your preexisting conditions, so it’s wise to buy Medicare Supplement coverage when you first become eligible if you want that coverage.
How does Medicare Supplement differ from Medicare Advantage?
When comparing Medicare Supplement vs. Medicare Advantage, the first thing to know is that both are offered by private insurance companies. They’re otherwise very different from each other.
Medicare Supplement is only available to people with Original Medicare and helps offset costs not covered by Medicare. Medicare Advantage is an alternative to Original Medicare that may also cover other benefits not found in Original Medicare, like dental, hearing, vision and prescription drugs. People eligible for Medicare choose between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage coverage.