High-deductible Plan G is Medigap Plan G with a high-deductible option, and it's offered in some states. You pay up to $2,950 in 2026 for Medicare-covered costs (coinsurance, copayments and deductibles) before the policy pays anything. That figure comes straight from Medicare.gov's Medigap benefits chart. Once you've paid it, the policy starts paying.
Table of contents
- What is high-deductible Plan G?
- What counts toward the high deductible?
- How does it compare with regular Plan G?
- Who can buy it in Florida?
- What should you check before choosing it?
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources
- About the author
What is high-deductible Plan G?
Medigap, also called Medicare Supplement Insurance, is extra insurance from a private company that helps pay your share of costs in Original Medicare, like copayments, coinsurance and deductibles.
In most states, Medigap policies are standardized and named by letter. Two policies with the same letter offer the same basic benefits, whichever company sells them, so the only difference between them is price. Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin standardize them in a different way.
What Plan G pays
In 2026, Plan G pays 100% of these costs (Medicare.gov's chart for 2026):
- Part A coinsurance and hospital costs, up to an additional 365 days after Medicare benefits are used
- Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment
- Skilled nursing facility care coinsurance
- The Part A deductible
- Part B coinsurance or copayment
- Blood (the first 3 pints)
- Part B excess charges
It doesn't pay the Part B deductible, which is $283 in 2026 (the same chart). That one you pay yourself, with either version of Plan G.
What the high-deductible option adds
The high-deductible version keeps the Plan G letter and adds a deductible. If you buy Plan G with a "high-deductible option," you pay the first $2,950 in 2026 of deductibles, copayments and coinsurance for covered services not paid by Medicare, and only then does the policy pay anything (Medigap costs page).
Federal law describes a high-deductible feature as one that requires you to pay out-of-pocket expenses each year, other than premiums, before the policy begins paying benefits (42 U.S.C. 1395ss).
What counts toward the high deductible?
Three kinds of cost count: deductibles, copayments and coinsurance for covered services that Medicare doesn't pay. In other words, the shares Original Medicare leaves to you, such as:
- The Part A and Part B deductibles
- Part A coinsurance for hospital, hospice and skilled nursing facility care
- Part B coinsurance or copayments
Two kinds of cost don't count toward it:
- Premiums. You pay a monthly premium for the policy, and you still pay your monthly Part B premium.
- Care Medigap doesn't cover. Medigap plans generally don't cover long-term care (like care in a nursing home), vision or dental care, hearing aids, glasses or private-duty nursing.
Foreign travel has its own deductible
With Plan G and the high-deductible option, you also pay a separate deductible of $250 per year for foreign travel emergency care (Medicare.gov's Medigap costs page). When you travel outside the U.S., most plans cover emergency health care, with a lifetime limit of $50,000 (Medigap coverage page). Plans may cover care that begins during the first 60 days of a trip if Medicare doesn't otherwise cover it, and pay 80% of the billed charges for certain medically necessary emergency care after a $250 deductible for the year.
How does it compare with regular Plan G?
Both versions carry the Plan G letter. What changes is who pays: with the high-deductible version, you pay the first $2,950 in 2026 of deductibles, copayments and coinsurance for covered services not paid by Medicare before the policy pays anything (Get Medigap costs). Regular Plan G pays most of those costs itself.
| Cost | Plan G | High-deductible Plan G |
|---|---|---|
| When the policy starts to pay | For Part A services, right away, including the Part A deductible. For Part B services, after you pay the Part B deductible ($283 in 2026), which Plan G doesn't cover | After you pay up to $2,950 in 2026 in deductibles, copayments and coinsurance for covered services not paid by Medicare |
| Part A deductible | The policy pays it | It counts toward the high deductible; the policy pays it after that |
| Part B coinsurance or copayment | The policy pays it once you have paid the Part B deductible | It counts toward the high deductible; the policy pays it after that |
| Part B excess charges | The policy pays them | The policy pays them only after the high deductible is met |
| Foreign travel emergency care | 80% up to plan limits, after a $250 deductible for the year | The policy pays it only after the high deductible is met; you also pay a separate $250 deductible per year for it |
| Where it is sold | Companies that sell more than Plan A must offer Plan D or Plan G to people new to Medicare on or after January 1, 2020 | Offered in some states |
| Source | Compare Medigap plan benefits, Medicare.gov | Get Medigap costs, Medicare.gov |
Plan F also comes with a high-deductible version, but only people who were eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020 may be able to buy Plan C or Plan F. If you're also weighing Plan N, the letter that adds copayments at some office and emergency room visits, see Medigap Plan G and Plan N, side by side.
Who can buy it in Florida?
Three things decide whether you can buy one.
- You need Original Medicare. You generally need Part A and Part B. You can't buy Medigap while you are in a Medicare Advantage Plan unless you are switching back to Original Medicare.
- A company has to sell it where you live. The high-deductible plans are offered in some states. Companies that sell Medigap don't have to offer every plan, though each must offer at least Plan A.
- Timing. Under federal law, you get a 6-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period. It starts the first month you have Part B and are 65 or older. During it, a company can't refuse to sell you any Medigap policy it offers, or deny you coverage because of pre-existing health problems. Your coverage can start right away, except that the company can make you wait for coverage related to a pre-existing condition. After it ends, you may pay more, have fewer choices, or be turned down if you don't meet the company's medical underwriting. In some situations, such as when other health coverage you have ends, federal rights called Medigap protections let you buy certain Medigap policies after this period.
What Florida law adds
Section 627.6741 of the Florida Statutes requires an insurer that issues Medicare supplement policies in Florida to offer you the opportunity to enroll in a Medicare supplement policy, without conditioning the policy on your health status, and without pricing it differently because of your health. The right applies to Florida residents enrolled in Part B:
- during the 6 months that begin with the first month you are 65 and enrolled in Part B;
- if you are under 65 and have Medicare because of a disability or end-stage renal disease, during the 6 months that begin with the first month you have that Medicare and are enrolled in Part B; and
- during the 2 months after your coverage under a group health insurance policy ends.
The statute gives you the chance to enroll in a Medicare supplement policy, not in a particular plan. It doesn't mean a company has to sell you high-deductible Plan G. If you're under 65, Florida requires insurance companies to offer at least one kind of Medigap policy.
A policy bought in one of these windows may not exclude benefits for a pre-existing condition if you have had at least 6 months of continuous creditable coverage when you apply. Without that, a policy that isn't replacing another one may still limit coverage for a condition you had before it took effect, but for no longer than 6 months.
For more on the six-month window and on buying a policy when you're under 65, see Medicare Supplement insurance.
What should you check before choosing it?
Check these first:
- Whether it is sold where you live. You can compare the costs of Medigap plans in your area on Medicare.gov. Those are estimates, so contact the insurance company for a more accurate price.
- How the company sets its price. Each Medigap policy is priced in one of three ways: community-rated, issue-age-rated or attained-age-rated. A high-deductible option is also one of the things a policy's cost may depend on. How Medigap premiums are set walks through each one.
- Drug coverage. Medigap plans sold after 2005 don't include prescription drug coverage. If you want drug coverage, you can join a separate Medicare drug plan (Part D). Part D drug coverage explains those plans.
If you'd like to see how a high deductible would play out with your own doctors and bills, I'm happy to go through it with you: Ask Jeannie to reach out. Jeannie Pond is a Licensed Insurance Agent in Florida.
No ofrecemos todos los planes disponibles en su área. Actualmente representamos 14 organizaciones que ofrecen 52 productos en su área. Comuníquese con Medicare.gov o llame al 1-800-MEDICARE para obtener información sobre todas sus opciones.
1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048, las 24 horas del día, los 7 días de la semana
Frequently asked questions
Is high-deductible Plan G the same plan as regular Plan G?
It's Plan G with a high-deductible option, and it keeps the Plan G letter. The difference is who pays: you pay the deductibles, copayments and coinsurance for covered services not paid by Medicare, up to the year's deductible amount, before the policy pays anything, while regular Plan G pays most of those costs itself. Both versions carry the same yearly deductible for foreign travel emergency care.
Can any insurance company sell me high-deductible Plan G?
Only a company that chooses to offer it where you live. The high-deductible plans are offered in some states, and companies that sell Medigap don't have to offer every plan. You can compare the costs of Medigap plans in your area on Medicare.gov.
Do my premiums count toward the high deductible?
No. Federal law describes the high deductible as out-of-pocket expenses other than premiums, paid each year before the policy begins paying benefits. You pay your Medigap premium to the insurance company and your Part B premium as separate monthly costs.
Does the high deductible change every year?
It can. Federal law makes it a yearly deductible, and each new year's amount is the prior year's amount increased by the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index. Medicare.gov's Medigap chart shows the 2026 amount, so check it again each year you have the policy.
Sources
- Compare Medigap Plan Benefits, Medicare.gov, checked October 2, 2026
- Get Medigap Costs, Medicare.gov, checked October 2, 2026
- Learn How Medigap Works, Medicare.gov, checked October 2, 2026
- Learn what Medigap Covers, Medicare.gov, checked October 2, 2026
- Get Medigap Basics, Medicare.gov, checked October 2, 2026
- Get ready to buy, Medicare.gov, checked October 2, 2026
- 42 U.S.C. 1395ss, Certification of medicare supplemental health insurance policies, U.S. Government Publishing Office, checked October 2, 2026
- 627.6741 Issuance, cancellation, nonrenewal, and replacement, The Florida Legislature, checked October 2, 2026
About the author
Vista Insurance Services is a Florida fictitious name registered to Vista Consultants LLC, a Florida insurance agency (agency license L135539) with Jeannie Pond as agent in charge. Jeannie Pond is a Licensed Insurance Agent, NPN 8940178, licensed since 2009.