Medicare questions, answered
Are Medicare Supplement plans the same no matter the company?
The letter tells you what is covered. The company decides the price and the extras.
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By Christian Brinkley, Licensed Insurance Agent, Greensboro, NC. Updated October 1, 2026.
If you have a Medicare Supplement plan, you may have noticed that a neighbor’s plan looks different from yours. Or a benefit you liked has been dropped. Here is what is standard, what is not, and what to do when your plan changes.
Medigap plans are standardized by letter
Medicare Supplement plans are also called Medigap. In North Carolina, and in most states, each plan letter covers the same core benefits no matter which company sells it. A Plan G from one company covers the same things as a Plan G from another.
Medicare.gov says that for same-letter plans, price is the main difference. Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin set up their plans differently, but that does not apply here.
The common letters are A, B, D, G, K, L, M, and N. Plans C and F are not sold to people who became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020. If you have one already, you can usually keep it. Medicare.gov has a chart that shows exactly what each letter covers, and it is worth reading before you compare anything.
What does differ between companies
Even with the same letter, two things can be very different:
- The monthly premium. Companies price the same plan differently, and they raise prices at different rates over the years.
- How the price is set. Some companies price by the age you were when you bought it, some by your current age, and some charge the same rate at every age. That changes how the premium behaves over time, so it is worth asking.
- Extras. Some companies add things outside the standard benefits, like fitness programs or discounts. Those extras are the company’s choice.
Why a perk can disappear
Extras are not part of the standard plan, so a company can change or drop them. That is a company decision. It is not a Medicare rule.
Here is something that confuses a lot of people. The Annual Notice of Change is for Medicare Advantage and Part D plans. Those plans must send it by September 30, and it lists what changes on January 1. Medigap policies do not use that notice. Your Medigap company sends its own letters about premium changes and other updates.
If you are not sure which kind of plan you have, check your paperwork. A Medigap policy names a plan letter, such as Plan G, and you keep using your red, white, and blue Medicare card. A Medicare Advantage plan has its own plan name and its own member card.
What to do when a notice arrives
- Read it all the way through, and note exactly what changed.
- If it is a price increase, check what other companies charge for the same letter.
- Do not cancel your current plan until a new one is approved. Outside your Medigap open enrollment window, a new company may ask health questions and can say no.
- Ask someone you trust to read it with you. A second set of eyes catches things.
The October 15 to December 7 Annual Enrollment Period does not apply to Medigap the way it does to Advantage and Part D. If you have a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan as well, that is the window to review your Annual Notice of Change.
Questions people ask me about this
- What perks have been removed from Medicare Supplement plans?
- It depends on the company. Extras like fitness programs and discounts are not part of the standard Medigap benefits, so each company can change them. Your plan’s letters and notices list what changed for your policy.
- Is Plan G the same with every company?
- The core benefits are the same. Premiums, how the price is set, and any extras can differ from one company to the next.
- Why did my plan remove a benefit?
- If the benefit was one of the extras a company adds, it is the company’s decision to keep or drop it. Standard Medigap benefits are set by the plan letter and do not change by company.
- Does Medigap get an Annual Notice of Change?
- No. That notice goes to Medicare Advantage and Part D members. Medigap companies send their own notices about premiums and policy changes.
Talk it through with a local agent, free: request a time at christianbrinkleync.com/start or call/text (919) 408-6671.
Sources
- Medicare.gov: Medigap in Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin
- Medicare.gov: Plan Annual Notice of Change (ANOC)
- Medicare.gov: Choosing a Medigap policy (PDF)