Plan G and Plan N pay the same share of most Original Medicare costs, including the Part A deductible, and neither pays the Part B deductible. Plan G pays Part B excess charges and Plan N doesn't. With Plan N you also pay a copayment of up to $20 for some office visits and up to $50 for an emergency room visit when you aren't admitted, per Medicare.gov's 2026 benefits chart.
What both plans pay
Medigap plans are standardized: a Plan G pays the same benefits whichever company sells it, and so does a Plan N. In the chart, Yes means the plan pays 100% of that benefit, and No means you pay it yourself.
| Benefit | Plan G | Plan N |
|---|---|---|
| Part A coinsurance and hospital costs, up to an additional 365 days after Medicare benefits are used | Yes | Yes |
| Part B coinsurance or copayment | Yes | Yes, except a copayment at some office and emergency room visits |
| Blood, the first three pints | Yes | Yes |
| Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment | Yes | Yes |
| Skilled nursing facility care coinsurance | Yes | Yes |
| Part A deductible | Yes | Yes |
| Part B deductible | No | No |
| Part B excess charge | Yes | No |
| Foreign travel emergency, up to plan limits | 80% | 80% |
A Medigap policy pays your coinsurance only after you have paid the deductible, unless the policy also covers the deductible. Both plans pay the Part A deductible. For Part B, you pay the deductible yourself under either plan. In 2026 that's $283, per Medicare.gov's chart.
Neither plan covers long-term care, vision or dental care, hearing aids, glasses or private-duty nursing. Medigap plans sold after 2005 don't include prescription drug coverage, so you would join a separate Part D plan for that.
Where Plan N costs more at the visit
Plan N pays the Part B coinsurance with one exception: you pay a copayment of up to $20 for some office visits and up to $50 for emergency room visits when you aren't admitted as an inpatient, per Medicare.gov's benefits chart. Plan G has no such copayment.
An excess charge is the difference when a doctor or other provider is legally permitted to charge more than the amount Medicare approves. Plan G pays it; Plan N doesn't.
A doctor who accepts assignment agrees to take the amount Medicare approves and not to bill you more than the Medicare deductible and coinsurance, so no excess charge arises. Ask your doctors whether they accept assignment for all Medicare patients.
Plan F, and who can still buy it
Plan F pays everything Plan G pays, and the Part B deductible too. Only Plans C and F cover the Part B deductible.
If you became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020, you can't buy Plan F or Plan C. You may be able to buy Plan G or Plan D instead, which give the same benefits except the Part B deductible. If you were eligible before January 1, 2020, you may still be able to buy Plan C or Plan F, even if you haven't enrolled yet.
Which fits your visits and travel
Which one fits depends on how you use care. Five things to weigh:
- Office visits. Plan N's copayment applies at some office visits, and Plan G has none. Count the visits in a typical year for you.
- Your doctors and assignment. A doctor who accepts assignment doesn't bill an excess charge. If one of your doctors doesn't, Plan G pays the excess charge and Plan N leaves it to you.
- Emergency room visits. Under Plan N, an emergency room visit that doesn't end in an inpatient admission carries a copayment.
- Travel abroad. Both pay 80% of foreign travel emergency care up to plan limits, so travel doesn't separate them.
- The premium difference. Ask insurance companies for their Plan G and Plan N prices. Price is the only difference between two policies with the same letter, so compare Plan G with Plan G and Plan N with Plan N.
Wondering why the same letter can cost different amounts from one company to the next? How Medigap is priced explains how companies set those premiums. Still deciding between Medigap and Medicare Advantage? Start with Medicare Advantage and Medigap, side by side.
Questions people ask
What is the disadvantage of Plan G?
Plan G doesn't pay the Part B deductible, which is $283 in 2026 per Medicare.gov's chart, so you pay that first each year. It doesn't include drug coverage, because Medigap policies sold after 2005 don't, so you would add a separate Part D plan. Like other Medigap plans, it generally doesn't cover long-term care, vision or dental care, hearing aids, glasses or private-duty nursing. Its premium, set by each company, is the other thing to weigh against Plan N.
What is the difference between Plan G and Plan N?
Plan G pays Part B excess charges; Plan N does not. Plan N pays the Part B coinsurance, but you pay a copayment of up to $20 for some office visits and up to $50 for emergency room visits when you aren't admitted, per Medicare.gov's 2026 chart. Both pay the Part A deductible, neither pays the Part B deductible, and each letter pays the same benefits at every company. Which one fits depends on your visits and your doctors.
Can you switch between Medicare Plan G and Plan N?
In most cases you can't switch Medigap policies outside your six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period unless you have a right under federal law; otherwise you can switch if an insurance company is willing to sell you the new policy, and it may ask about your health. If you have the right to switch, you may have to wait up to six months before new benefits or a pre-existing condition are covered. Under Florida law, a company replacing your Medigap policy must credit the time you spent under the old policy toward those waiting periods for similar benefits. Your state insurance department can tell you about other options.
What is the difference between Medigap Plan F and Plan G?
Plan F also pays the Part B deductible, which is $283 in 2026 per Medicare.gov's chart. Otherwise the two pay the same benefits. If you became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020, you can't buy Plan F; people eligible before then may still be able to buy it.
More Medicare questions? Try the Answers page.