Medigap Plans Compared: Plan G, Plan N and More

Medicare Supplement plans are standardized by letter, so a Plan G from one company has exactly the same benefits as a Plan G from any other. Colorado sells the 10 standard plans (A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M and N) plus high-deductible versions of F and G. Plan G is the most complete plan available to people new to Medicare: it pays everything Original Medicare leaves except the Part B deductible, $283 in 2026. Plan N costs less each month in exchange for small copays. Plans C and F are only for people eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020. Because benefits match, the real comparison is price and company.

What each plan pays

A check means the plan pays 100 percent of that benefit after Medicare pays its share.

Plan G: the most complete plan for new enrollees

Once you pay the Part B deductible ($283 in 2026), Plan G pays the rest of your Medicare-approved costs for the year, including the $1,736 Part A deductible per benefit period, the 20 percent Part B coinsurance and Part B excess charges. Many people turning 65 choose it because it makes their medical costs almost entirely predictable.

A high-deductible Plan G is also sold in Colorado. It pays the same benefits after you meet a yearly deductible set by CMS, in exchange for a much lower premium.

Plan N: lower premium, small copays

Plan N pays the Part A deductible and Part B coinsurance, but you pay the Part B deductible, up to $20 for some doctor visits, up to $50 for an emergency room visit that does not result in admission, and any Part B excess charges. For someone who sees the doctor a few times a year and uses doctors who accept Medicare assignment, Plan N's lower premium can more than offset the copays.

Plans K, L and the rest

Plans K and L pay a share (50 or 75 percent) of most costs until you reach a yearly out-of-pocket limit, then 100 percent. They have lower premiums and suit people who want catastrophic protection. Plans A, B, D and M cover less and are chosen less often, but can be useful on a tight budget.

Comparing prices in Colorado

Premiums depend on the company, your age, your ZIP code, tobacco use and how the company prices over time. The Colorado Division of Insurance publishes premium charts every year for sample ages and for people under 65 with disabilities. Its guide gives an example of the same Plan G costing $150 a month from one company and $250 from another.

• Attained-age pricing: the premium rises as you get older.
• Issue-age pricing: based on your age when you buy; it does not rise because you age, though it can rise for other reasons.
• Community-rated pricing: everyone in the area pays about the same regardless of age.
• Also ask about household discounts, one-time policy fees, and how much the premium has risen over the last three years.

What Plan G costs in Colorado, by age

The Colorado Division of Insurance surveys every company each spring and publishes monthly premiums for a non-smoker in Denver ZIP code 80202. These are the lowest and highest Plan G premiums in its 2026 to 2027 charts. Prices in Brighton and Adams County can differ from Denver, so treat this as the spread, not your quote.

A worked example: Plan G or Plan N?

Two rows of the same Colorado chart show why the company matters as much as the letter. For a 65 year old woman in ZIP 80202, AARP/UnitedHealthcare lists Plan G at $207 and Plan N at $179 a month, a $28 difference, or $336 a year. Omaha Insurance Company lists Plan G at $232 and Plan N at $134, a $98 difference, or $1,176 a year.

Now take a hypothetical year with ten doctor visits that each carry the Plan N copay of up to $20, and one emergency room visit without admission at up to $50: at most $250 in Plan N copays. With the first company, Plan N saves about $86 that year; with the second, it saves about $926. Both plans leave the $283 Part B deductible to you in 2026. Plan N also leaves Part B excess charges, which only arise with doctors who do not accept Medicare assignment, so ask your doctors that question first.

Under 65 on Medicare in Colorado

Colorado requires every company that sells Medigap to sell to people under 65 who have Medicare because of a disability, according to the Division of Insurance guide. As the age table shows, the premiums are higher: the Plan G range under 65 starts above the range at 65. When you turn 65 you get guaranteed issue rights again, and the guide advises reviewing policies then, because you may get a better price. Our Colorado Medigap rules guide covers the timing.

How I compare Medigap prices for you

• Confirm the plan letter that fits: usually G, N or high deductible G for people new to Medicare after 2019.
• Pull current premiums for your ZIP code, age, sex and tobacco status from the companies I am appointed with, and check them against the Division of Insurance chart for the spread.
• Note each company pricing method: attained age, issue age or community rated, from the Notes column in the state chart.
• Ask about household discounts, one-time policy fees and automatic claims crossover.
• Time the application inside your six-month window so no health questions apply.

Things every Medigap policy has in common

• You must have Part A and Part B.
• Each policy covers one person; spouses buy separate policies.
• Policies sold today do not include drug coverage, so you add a Part D plan.
• Policies are guaranteed renewable: the company cannot cancel you as long as you pay the premium.
• Medigap does not cover long-term care, routine dental, vision, hearing aids or eyeglasses.
• It is illegal to sell you a Medigap policy if you have Medicare Advantage, unless you are switching back to Original Medicare.

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The bottom line

Pick the plan letter for the benefits you want, then shop the company, because the same letter can differ by $100 a month or more in Colorado. For most people new to Medicare, the choice comes down to Plan G for predictability or Plan N for a lower premium with small copays. Buy during your six-month Medigap window if you can. We can price both from several companies for your Brighton ZIP code.