Why These Two Plans Dominate
Since Plan F closed to new enrollees in 2020, Plan G and Plan N have become the standard-bearers of Medicare Supplement coverage. Both pair with Original Medicare, both let you see any provider in the country who accepts Medicare, and both cover the big-ticket items: the Part A hospital deductible ($1,736 per benefit period in 2026), hospital coinsurance, and the 20% Part B coinsurance that has no cap on its own.
The differences are narrow but meaningful — and because Medigap benefits are standardized by law, a Plan G from one carrier is the same coverage as a Plan G from another. Only the price and the company differ, which is why an independent comparison across carriers matters.
What Plan G Covers
Plan G covers essentially everything except the annual Part B deductible — $283 in 2026. Pay that once, and covered services generally cost you nothing more for the rest of the year: no copays, no coinsurance, no surprise balance from a hospital stay.
That predictability is Plan G's entire value proposition. Your exposure is effectively the deductible plus your monthly premium — a number you know in January.
What Plan N Trades for a Lower Premium
Plan N covers the same core benefits with three exceptions. First, you pay copays: up to $20 for office visits and up to $50 for emergency-room visits that don't lead to admission. Second, Plan N doesn't cover Part B excess charges — the up-to-15% surcharge that non-participating providers may add to Medicare's approved amount. Third, like Plan G, the Part B deductible is on you.
In exchange, Plan N premiums run meaningfully lower than Plan G — often enough that a person with few doctor visits comes out ahead. The excess-charge question matters less in practice than in brochures: most providers accept Medicare's amounts in full, but 'most' isn't 'all,' and it varies by specialty and place.
The Practical Way to Choose
Run your own numbers, not the averages. Count your typical office visits per year and multiply by $20 — if the copay total plus Plan N's premium beats Plan G's premium, N wins on arithmetic. Then stress-test with a bad year: both plans cap your serious-illness exposure well, so the difference stays modest even when health doesn't cooperate.
- Frequent doctor visits or specialist care → Plan G's zero-copay design usually wins
- Few visits and premium-sensitive → Plan N's lower premium often wins
- Want the most predictable possible year → Plan G
- Comfortable with small, known copays → Plan N
- Either way: compare multiple carriers — same letter, same coverage, different price
One More Thing: Timing Beats Everything
Whichever letter you choose, when you buy matters more than what you buy. During your six-month Medigap Open Enrollment window — starting when you're 65+ and enrolled in Part B — carriers must accept you without health questions. Outside that window, most states including Wyoming and Utah allow medical underwriting, and switching later may not be possible at any price. We compare every Medigap carrier available in Wyoming and Utah, for free, and we'll tell you honestly which letter and which company fit your situation.
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