Compare Medigap Plans in Arizona: G, N and More
Medigap plans are standardized by letter, so Plan G from one company covers the same as Plan G from another. Here is what each letter covers, how Plan G and Plan N differ, and the Arizona rules on when you can buy.
Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plans are standardized by letter. Every Plan G covers the same benefits no matter which company sells it; only the premium, the company's service and its pricing method differ. People new to Medicare since January 1, 2020 can choose from Plans A, B, D, G, K, L, M and N. Plan G covers everything except the Part B deductible ($283 in 2026). Plan N costs less each month but adds small copays and does not cover Part B excess charges. In Arizona, the safest time to buy is your six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period, because there is no birthday rule to switch later without health questions.
How Medigap plans work
A Medigap policy works alongside Original Medicare. Medicare pays its share of the approved amount first, then your Medigap policy pays its share according to the plan letter. You pay a monthly premium to the insurance company in addition to your Part B premium.
Medigap policies cover one person, so spouses buy separate policies. A standardized policy is guaranteed renewable: the company cannot cancel it because of your health as long as you pay the premium. Policies sold since 2006 do not include drug coverage, so you pair a supplement with a standalone Part D plan.
It is illegal for anyone to sell you a Medigap policy if you have a Medicare Advantage plan, unless you are leaving Medicare Advantage to return to Original Medicare.
What each plan letter covers
| Benefit | A | B | D | G | K | L | M | N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part A coinsurance and 365 extra hospital days | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Part B coinsurance or copayment | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 50% | 75% | Yes | Yes, except copays up to $20 office and $50 ER |
| Blood (first 3 pints) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 50% | 75% | Yes | Yes |
| Hospice coinsurance | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 50% | 75% | Yes | Yes |
| Skilled nursing coinsurance | No | No | Yes | Yes | 50% | 75% | Yes | Yes |
| Part A deductible | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 50% | 75% | 50% | Yes |
| Part B deductible | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Part B excess charges | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Foreign travel emergency (up to plan limits) | No | No | 80% | 80% | No | No | 80% | 80% |
| Out-of-pocket limit | None | None | None | None | Yes | Yes | None | None |
Plan G and Plan N, the two most compared
Plan G covers every gap in Original Medicare except the Part B deductible. In 2026, that means your yearly out-of-pocket for Medicare-covered care is the $283 Part B deductible, plus your premiums (CMS, 2026). It also covers Part B excess charges.
Plan N has a lower premium in exchange for some cost-sharing. You pay the Part B deductible, a copay of up to $20 for some office visits, and up to $50 for an emergency room visit that does not lead to an inpatient admission. Plan N does not pay Part B excess charges.
Excess charges happen when a doctor does not accept Medicare assignment and bills up to 15 percent above the Medicare-approved amount. Most doctors accept assignment, so many people never see one, but it is worth asking your regular doctors.
A simple test: add up a year of the Plan N premium plus the copays you would expect from your usual visits, then compare that with a year of the Plan G premium. If the difference is small, Plan G buys certainty. If it is large and you rarely visit doctors, Plan N may be the better value.
When to buy a Medigap policy in Arizona
Your Medigap Open Enrollment Period is a one-time, six-month window that begins the first month you are both 65 and enrolled in Part B. During it, a company cannot refuse to sell you any policy it offers or charge you more because of your health.
Arizona does not have a birthday rule or any other annual guaranteed-issue window, and it does not require companies to sell Medigap to people under 65 (NAIC state chart, as of May 11, 2026). After your six months, a company may ask health questions and can decline or rate you, unless a federal guaranteed-issue right applies.
- Your Medicare Advantage plan leaves Medicare, stops serving your area, or you move out of its area.
- You leave a Medicare Advantage plan within 12 months of first joining one at 65 (the trial right).
- Your employer or union coverage that pays after Medicare is ending.
- Your Medigap company goes bankrupt or misled you.
Why premiums differ for the same letter
Because the benefits are identical, the differences between companies are price, how the price is set, and service. Companies price policies in one of three ways: community-rated (everyone pays the same regardless of age), issue-age-rated (based on your age when you buy), or attained-age-rated (rises as you age). Ask which method a company uses and how its rates have changed over time, not just what the first-year premium is.
Some companies also offer household discounts or Medicare SELECT versions that use a hospital network in exchange for a lower premium. A high-deductible version of Plan G is available too, with a deductible Medicare sets each year.
Questions to ask before you buy
If you are replacing an existing Medigap policy, do not cancel the old one until the new one is approved and in force. You generally get 30 days to review a new replacement policy, so keeping both for a short overlap is safer than a gap in coverage.
- Which pricing method does this policy use: community, issue-age or attained-age?
- How have this company's Arizona rates for this plan letter changed over the past few years?
- Is there a household or spouse discount, and what does it require?
- Is this a Medicare SELECT policy with a hospital network, or a standard policy?
- If I am still inside my Medigap Open Enrollment Period, when exactly does it end?
- If I am outside it, which health questions will the application ask, and do I have a guaranteed-issue right that applies?
Pairing your supplement with Part D
Because Medigap does not cover prescriptions, you add a standalone Part D plan. For 2027, Arizona has 9 standalone Part D plans in the CY2027 CMS Landscape, with monthly premiums ranging from $5.30 to $191.50. The right one depends on your drugs and pharmacy, not on the premium alone. Our Part D guide explains how to compare them.
The bottom line
Pick the plan letter first, then the company. Plan G is the fullest coverage available to people new to Medicare since 2020; Plan N trades small copays for a lower premium. In Arizona, buy during your six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period if you can, because changing later may mean health questions. Compare companies on rating method and rate history, not just this year's price.
Want to go through this with someone?
Viola Lucero and the Rise Up Benefits team in Chandler will go through your doctors, your prescriptions and your real numbers, and explain plainly what we found. We speak insurance, so you don't have to.
Prefer to learn in a group? See our Medicare workshops online or in Chandler, the events calendar, and official CMS videos and forms on our Resources page.
Sources
- 2026 Medicare Parts A and B premiums and deductibles, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- State Medigap rules: birthday rule and coverage under 65 (as of May 11, 2026), National Association of Insurance Commissioners
- CMS Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape, contract year 2027 (Maricopa and Pinal counties, Arizona), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Please note: We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options. Rise Up Benefits Group is not connected with or endorsed by the United States government or the federal Medicare program. Medicare has neither endorsed nor reviewed this information.