Is Medicare Plan G Still the Best Value?

Plan G is the most popular Medicare supplement in America — roughly 7 out of 10 supplement buyers choose it. And for good reason. The coverage is nearly bulletproof. But here’s the thing I keep telling clients lately: being the best plan and being the best value are two very different things — and in 2026, that gap is getting harder to ignore. If you’re trying to decide whether Plan G is still worth it, or whether Plan N or High Deductible Plan G might actually serve you better, keep reading.

Why Plan G Became the Gold Standard

Plan G’s popularity isn’t an accident. After the Part B deductible — $283 in the current plan year 2026 — Plan G covers essentially everything Medicare approves: doctor visits, hospital stays, chemotherapy, surgery, scans, skilled nursing facility coinsurance. You pay that one deductible at the start of the year, and after that, you’re done. No surprise bills, no balance due.

What makes it especially powerful is the freedom it carries. There are no network restrictions — you can see any doctor who accepts Medicare, anywhere in the country. There are no prior authorizations. Your doctor makes the medical decisions, not an insurance company. For people who travel, split time between states, or simply want to walk into any specialist without asking permission, that’s genuinely valuable. If you want a deeper look at what goes into that decision, check out this breakdown of whether Medicare Plan G is really worth it.

The Rate Increase Problem Nobody’s Talking About Enough

Here’s where things get uncomfortable. Plan G premiums are jumping dramatically. Double-digit rate increases — 12% to 25% — have become the norm, not the exception. Some clients have shown me letters with 30% to 40% increases in a single year. That’s not a typo. That’s a real letter from a real insurance company.

Two structural reasons explain why Plan G rises faster than other supplements:

• Guaranteed Issue Status: Since 2020, Plan G is the guaranteed issue plan for new Medicare enrollees — meaning people who can’t pass medical underwriting are automatically funneled into Plan G. That creates a less healthy risk pool over time, which pushes premiums up faster.
• Post-Plan F Migration: When Plan F closed to new enrollees in 2020, Plan G became the richest option available. People who anticipate significant medical needs — the ones who really want that top-tier coverage — tend to gravitate toward Plan G. Concentrating higher-cost individuals in one plan accelerates rate increases for everyone in it.

Add to that the wave of Medicare Advantage plan departures flooding the supplement market with new claims, and you have a perfect storm for Plan G premiums. Understanding the real cost difference between Medicare Advantage and supplements over time puts this in perspective.

What Plan G Actually Costs Over Time: A Real-World Example

Let me show you what this looks like with real numbers. Take a 65-year-old woman in San Antonio, Texas comparing her options:

Plan	Starting Monthly Premium	Avg Annual Increase	Premium at Year 10
Plan G	$115/month	~11%	~$325/month
Plan N	$87/month	~8%	~$190/month
High Deductible Plan G	$40/month	Lower	Significantly less

The gap between Plan G and Plan N starts at $28 per month. After 10 years, it’s over $140 per month — or roughly $1,680 per year. That’s real money. And that’s before factoring in that Plan N also tends to rise slower than Plan G over time.

Agent Tip

I talk to clients all the time who picked Plan G because it felt safest. That instinct makes sense — but the math 10 years out often tells a different story. Run the numbers before you default to the most coverage. The “safe” choice today can become the most expensive choice by the time you actually start using it heavily.

The Shopping Trap Most People Fall Into

Here’s something most people don’t realize: every Plan G is legally identical. Same benefits, same coverage, same rules — regardless of which insurance company sells it. What differs wildly is the price. Premiums for the exact same Plan G benefits regularly differ by $150 to $200 per month between carriers. Brand-name companies often charge a premium that isn’t backed by any superior coverage.

And here’s the trap: when an insurance company closes its plan to new customers, the existing pool ages and gets sicker, and rate increases inside that closed group become brutal. People inside often feel stuck — especially if they’ve developed health conditions that might prevent them from qualifying for a new plan. This is exactly why knowing how and when to switch your Medicare supplement matters so much.

The strategy is straightforward: start with a competitively priced, financially solid carrier — not necessarily the most recognizable name — and reshop every couple of years while you’re still healthy. Switching between identical Plan G policies costs you nothing in coverage. It can save you hundreds a year.

Plan N: The Underrated Alternative

Plan N covers almost everything Plan G does. The trade-offs are specific and manageable for most people:

• $20 copay for doctor visits
• $50 copay for emergency room visits that don’t result in an inpatient admission
• No coverage for Medicare Part B excess charges

If Plan N saves you more than $300 per year over Plan G, the small copays rarely wipe out that savings — especially if you’re not a frequent doctor visitor. And like Plan G, Plan N gives you full freedom to see any Medicare-accepting doctor with no network restrictions and no prior authorizations. For a side-by-side breakdown, the Plan G vs Plan N comparison is worth reading before you decide.

High Deductible Plan G: The Option Most Agents Skip Over

High Deductible Plan G is the same plan as regular Plan G in every structural way — no network, no prior authorizations, full coverage once the deductible is met. The difference is the premium is dramatically lower, and you carry a higher deductible before that coverage kicks in.

In the San Antonio example above, High Deductible Plan G runs about $40 per month versus $115 for standard Plan G. The trade-off is a deductible of $2,950 before the plan starts covering costs. But for a healthy person who rarely needs care, the math often favors the high-deductible version significantly — especially over a 10- or 20-year horizon. There’s a full breakdown of High Deductible Plan G worth reviewing if you’re in good health and want to keep more money in your pocket.

Agent Tip

In most states, switching supplements requires passing medical underwriting. Once you’re diagnosed with something significant — heart disease, cancer, diabetes — you may not be able to qualify for a new plan. The time to switch or reshop is while you’re healthy, not after something happens. I’ve seen too many people wait, and then their options disappear overnight.

What Plan G Doesn’t Cover

No matter how comprehensive Plan G is, there are two categories it simply doesn’t touch:

• Prescription drugs: By law, no Medicare supplement includes drug coverage. You’ll need a separate Part D drug plan regardless of which supplement you choose.
• Dental, vision, and hearing: Original Medicare doesn’t cover these, and neither do supplements. If those benefits matter to you, you’ll need to explore standalone coverage or consider what dental and vision options exist alongside Medicare.

The Switching Reality: Most States Have No Safety Net

You can apply to switch Medicare supplement plans at any time — but in most states, insurers can require you to pass medical underwriting. If you’ve developed health conditions since you first enrolled, a new company can deny you. That’s why timing matters enormously.

A small but growing number of states — including California with its Birthday Rule — have protections that allow supplement holders to switch plans without underwriting during a specific annual window. But most people across the country don’t have this safety net. If you’re in a state without these protections, the window to reshop is while you’re healthy.

So Which Plan Is Actually Right for You?

Here’s my honest take after working with thousands of Medicare clients:

• Plan G makes sense if you want the most complete coverage possible, can comfortably absorb premium increases over time, and prioritize unlimited access to any Medicare doctor with zero prior authorization hassles.
• Plan N makes sense if the premium savings are meaningful to your budget and you’re comfortable with small copays at the point of care. The go-anywhere, no-prior-auth freedom stays the same.
• High Deductible Plan G makes sense if you’re healthy, you see doctors infrequently, and you’d rather keep significantly more money in your pocket each month with the knowledge that you’re still protected from catastrophic costs.

The best plan isn’t automatically the one with the most coverage. It’s the one that fits your health, your budget, and your life over the next 10 to 20 years — not just today. If you’re trying to figure out which direction makes sense for your specific situation, that’s exactly the kind of conversation I have with clients every day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Plan G the most popular Medicare supplement?

Plan G offers the most complete coverage available to new Medicare enrollees — after paying the Part B deductible ($283), it covers essentially everything Medicare approves with no network restrictions and no prior authorizations. That combination of simplicity and breadth appeals to about 7 out of 10 supplement buyers.

Why are Plan G premiums increasing so fast?

Two main reasons: Plan G became the guaranteed issue plan in 2020, pulling in people who can’t pass underwriting and creating a less healthy risk pool. At the same time, people who anticipate heavy medical use tend to gravitate toward Plan G since it’s the richest option, which concentrates higher-cost individuals in the plan and drives premiums up faster.

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

Yes, you can apply to switch at any time — but in most states, you’ll need to pass medical underwriting with the new carrier. If you’ve developed health conditions, you could be denied. The best time to switch is while you’re still healthy. A few states like California have birthday rule protections that allow switching without underwriting annually.

Does Plan G cover prescription drugs?

No. By law, Medicare supplement plans — including Plan G — cannot include prescription drug coverage. You’ll need a separate Part D plan for your medications, regardless of which supplement you choose.

Is High Deductible Plan G worth considering?

For healthy people who rarely use medical care, it often is. The monthly premium can be dramatically lower than standard Plan G — sometimes by $70 or more per month — and you still get the same go-anywhere, no-prior-authorization coverage once the deductible ($2,950) is met. Over 10 to 20 years, the savings in premiums frequently outweigh the higher out-of-pocket exposure.