Medicare Supplement Plan G vs. Plan N: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)

Direct Answer: Plan G or Plan N?

It depends. Plan G has a higher 2026 monthly premium, about $220 on average, but pays nearly every remaining Medicare-approved cost once you meet the $283 Part B deductible, including Part B excess charges. Plan N costs less, about $171 a month, but adds copays of up to $20 per office visit and up to $50 for an ER visit that does not lead to admission, and it never covers Part B excess charges.

What Original Medicare Leaves You to Pay

Original Medicare pays a large share of your hospital and medical bills, but it was never designed to cover everything. Medicare Part A covers inpatient hospital care after a $1,736 deductible in 2026, and Medicare Part B covers outpatient care and doctor visits after a $283 deductible and then only pays 80% of the Medicare-approved amount, leaving you responsible for the other 20% with no annual cap. Medicare Supplement, or Medigap, insurance exists to fill those gaps. Plan G and Plan N are the two most popular Medigap plans sold to people who became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020, because the previously most popular plan, Plan F, closed to new Medicare enrollees that year.

Plan G vs. Plan N: Coverage Differences Line by Line

Plan G and Plan N cover the same core benefits: the Part A deductible ($1,736 in 2026), Part A hospital coinsurance and 365 extra lifetime reserve days, skilled nursing facility coinsurance, the first three pints of blood, hospice coinsurance, and 80% of foreign travel emergency care up to the plan's lifetime limit. The difference shows up in two places. First, Part B coinsurance: Plan G pays the full 20% Medicare leaves behind, while Plan N pays it except for a copay of up to $20 for an office visit and up to $50 for an emergency room visit that does not result in an inpatient admission. Second, Part B excess charges: some doctors who do not accept Medicare assignment can legally bill up to 15% more than the Medicare-approved amount. Plan G covers that extra charge in full; Plan N does not cover it at all, so you pay it yourself.

Cost Comparison: Premiums and Annual Out-of-Pocket Costs (2026)

Plan G's national average premium is about $220 a month in 2026, while Plan N's national average premium is about $171 a month, a savings of roughly $40 to $80 a month, or $480 to $960 a year, depending on your state, age, gender, tobacco use, and insurance company. That premium gap has to be weighed against Plan N's copays and excess-charge exposure. A Medigap buyer who visits the doctor 6 to 8 times a year and lives in a state where providers do not charge Part B excess fees will often come out ahead with Plan N. A buyer who sees specialists frequently, travels to providers who bill excess charges, or simply wants the fewest possible bills usually comes out ahead with Plan G, even after paying the higher premium.

High-Deductible Plan G: A Lower-Premium Option (2026)

Plan G is also available in a high-deductible version worth knowing about before you buy. High-Deductible Plan G requires you to pay $2,950 out of pocket in 2026 before the plan pays anything, in exchange for a much lower monthly premium, often $30 to $60 a month. It suits people who want catastrophic protection and are comfortable paying routine Medicare costs themselves. Plan N does not have a high-deductible version. If the Medicare Supplement premium is the biggest obstacle to buying Medigap coverage at all, High-Deductible Plan G is worth comparing against standard Plan N before you decide.

Medicare Advantage as an Alternative to Medigap

Neither Plan G nor Plan N works alongside a Medicare Advantage plan; Medigap only pairs with Original Medicare. If a low monthly premium matters more than predictable bills, some people choose a Medicare Advantage plan instead of Medigap, trading a $0 to low monthly premium for a defined annual out-of-pocket maximum, a smaller provider network, and required prior authorization for many services. Medicare Advantage plans usually bundle in Part D prescription drug coverage, while Plan G and Plan N buyers must purchase a standalone Part D plan separately to get drug coverage. Switching from Medicare Advantage to Original Medicare plus Medigap later can trigger medical underwriting in most states, so the choice between Medigap and Medicare Advantage is worth making carefully at your first enrollment.

Who Should Choose Plan G vs. Plan N

Plan G tends to fit people who want the closest thing to worry-free Medicare coverage and are willing to pay a higher premium for it, people with chronic conditions who see doctors often, and people who live in or travel to areas where Part B excess charges are common. Plan N tends to fit generally healthy people with few doctor visits a year, people comfortable paying small predictable copays, and people who live in one of the roughly 8 states, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont, that limit or prohibit Part B excess charges, since Plan N's one coverage gap matters less there. Neither plan is objectively better; the right plan depends on how you weigh a higher fixed premium against smaller, less predictable bills.

How to Enroll in Medigap Plan G or Plan N

The easiest time to buy either plan is during your 6-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period, which starts the month you are both 65 or older and enrolled in Medicare Part B. During that window, insurers must sell you any Medigap plan they offer at their standard rate regardless of your health history. Outside that window, unlike ACA-compliant marketplace plans that cannot deny coverage for a preexisting condition, most states allow Medigap insurers to medically underwrite your application, meaning they can ask about your health, charge you more, or deny coverage based on a preexisting condition, though a handful of states offer broader year-round guaranteed-issue protections. To compare real quotes, use Medicare's official Medigap plan finder at medicare.gov, contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) for free one-on-one counseling, and get quotes from at least three carriers, since Plan G and Plan N benefits are federally standardized but premiums vary widely by company.

What is the main difference between Medicare Supplement Plan G and Plan N?

Plan G pays the full 20% Part B coinsurance and any Part B excess charges, in exchange for a higher monthly premium, about $220 in 2026. Plan N pays Part B coinsurance too, but adds a copay of up to $20 for office visits and up to $50 for a non-admitted ER visit, does not cover Part B excess charges, and costs less, about $171 in 2026. Both plans cover the same Part A benefits.

Does Medicare Supplement Plan G cover the Part B deductible?

No. Since 2020, federal law has barred all new Medigap plans, including Plan G, from covering the Part B deductible ($283 in 2026). Only people who had Plan F or Plan C before January 1, 2020 can still buy a Medigap plan that covers the Part B deductible. High-Deductible Plan G does not cover it either; it folds routine costs into its own $2,950 deductible for 2026.

What are Plan N's copays in 2026?

Plan N requires a copay of up to $20 for each office visit and up to $50 for an emergency room visit that does not result in an inpatient admission. These are federally standardized maximum amounts; some plans charge less. All other covered services under Plan N have no copay.

Which is cheaper, Plan G or Plan N?

Plan N is usually cheaper on a monthly basis, about $171 versus $220 a month nationally in 2026, a savings of roughly $40 to $80 a month. But Plan N's copays and lack of excess-charge coverage can close that gap for people who see doctors often or live where excess charges are common, so the truly cheaper plan overall depends on how much care you use.

Can I switch from Plan G to Plan N or from Plan N to Plan G?

Yes, but outside your one-time 6-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period, switching usually requires medical underwriting in most states, meaning the new insurer can ask health questions, charge you more, or decline you based on a preexisting condition. A few states, including California and Missouri, offer a limited annual window to switch to equal or lesser coverage without underwriting.

Do Plan G and Plan N cover Medicare Part B excess charges?

Plan G covers Part B excess charges in full. Plan N does not cover them at all, so if a provider who does not accept Medicare assignment bills up to 15% above the Medicare-approved amount, a Plan N holder pays that difference out of pocket. About 8 states restrict or prohibit excess charges altogether, which narrows this gap for people who stay in-state.

What is High-Deductible Plan G?

High-Deductible Plan G is a lower-premium version of Plan G that requires you to pay $2,950 out of pocket in 2026, including your Part B deductible, before the plan pays anything. After you meet that deductible, it covers the same benefits as standard Plan G. It typically costs $30 to $60 a month, far less than standard Plan G. There is no high-deductible version of Plan N.

Do Plan G and Plan N include prescription drug coverage?

No. Neither Plan G nor Plan N includes Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage. Both are medical-cost supplements only, so you need to buy a standalone Medicare Part D plan separately, or choose a Medicare Advantage plan that bundles drug coverage in, if you want help paying for prescriptions.