How Much Does Medigap Cost?

What are the three Medigap rating methods?

Every Medigap policy uses one of three rating methods, and over 20 years the method matters more than the price you see at 65. Community rated plans charge every member the same premium regardless of age. Your rate never rises because you got older, though it can rise with inflation and claims costs. Issue age rated plans set your premium from your age on the day you buy. It never increases because of your birthday, so buying at 65 locks a lower base than buying at 70. Attained age rated plans price from your current age. They are usually the cheapest at 65 but increase as you move through age bands, on top of the inflation increases every method gets. Two policies with identical benefits can trade places on price within a decade purely because of rating method, so ask which method a quote uses before comparing monthly numbers.

Which rating method does your state use?

Three of the eleven states where we are licensed require community rating: New York, Arkansas, and Idaho. KFF lists New York and Arkansas among the nine community rating states, and the Idaho Department of Insurance requires community rating for policies issued after February 28, 2022. Two of our states, Arizona and Florida, prohibit attained age rating, so policies there are issue age rated and your premium never rises simply because you had a birthday. In our remaining six states, California, Nevada, Texas, Hawaii, Colorado, and Michigan, insurers choose the method, and most policies sold are attained age rated, meaning the lowest quote at 65 often grows the fastest. Your state also controls switching rights. California, Nevada, and Idaho have birthday rules that let you change carriers each year without health questions. See our state guides for the rules where you live, including windows and deadlines.

What factors decide your Medigap premium?

Seven factors set your Medigap premium, and you control more of them than you might expect. Plan letter is the biggest lever: MoneyGeek's 2026 averages are $220 per month for Plan G at 65, $171 for Plan N, and $61 for High Deductible Plan G. Age raises rates in most states, which is why the same quote costs more at 70 than at 65. State and ZIP code drive large differences because medical costs and carrier competition vary by market. Tobacco use can add up to 50 percent in most states. Gender affects rates where state rules allow it, and women usually pay less. Household discounts of roughly 5 to 15 percent apply with many carriers when two people at the same address enroll together. Finally, the rating method decides how your premium behaves for the rest of your life, not just what it costs today.

How much does High Deductible Plan G cost?

High Deductible Plan G costs a fraction of standard Plan G because you take on a deductible first. CMS set the 2026 High Deductible Plan G deductible at $2,950, up from $2,870 in 2025. Until you reach that amount, you pay Medicare's cost sharing yourself, including the $283 Part B deductible for 2026. After that, the plan pays exactly like standard Plan G for the rest of the year, and the deductible resets each January. The premium savings are significant: MoneyGeek's 2026 data shows High Deductible Plan G averaging $61 per month at age 65 versus $220 for standard Plan G, about $1,900 per year at average rates. In a healthy year you keep the savings. In a heavy claims year your added exposure stops at the deductible. It fits people who can absorb $2,950 in a worst case and want the lowest dependable premium.

Why does the same Medigap plan cost more from one company?

Standardized benefits do not mean standardized prices. Every Plan G sold in your state must cover exactly the same benefits under federal rules, but each company sets its own premium, rate increase history, and discounts. The American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance compared turning 65 rates in the ten largest metro markets and found a Dallas woman could pay $99 or $381 per month for identical Plan G coverage, a spread of more than $2,000 per year. No company was consistently the cheapest across markets, so the right carrier in one city is often the wrong one in another. This is the strongest argument for using an independent agent. Lara Goulson quotes multiple carriers across all eleven states where she is licensed, in English, Spanish, and Hebrew, at no cost to you, and helps you weigh rating method and rate history, not just the first year price.

• The California Medigap birthday rule: 60 days to switch
• Medigap rates in Los Angeles: every carrier's 2026 price
• Medicare Advantage vs Medicare Supplement
• Your one Medigap enrollment window explained
• Take the two minute Medicare fit quiz
• Contact Lara Goulson