Medicare Supplement Plan F

Medicare Supplement Plan F is the most comprehensive Medigap policy ever sold, and it still exists for the people who locked it in before enrollment closed. Plan F pays for virtually every out-of-pocket cost Original Medicare leaves behind, including the Part B deductible, Part B excess charges, and Part A hospital costs after Medicare's benefit period ends. Since January 1, 2020, insurers have not been allowed to sell Plan F to anyone who became newly eligible for Medicare on or after that date. If you qualified for Medicare before 2020, you can still buy or keep Plan F. If you became eligible later, Plan G is the closest replacement and typically costs less overall.

The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) is the federal law that changed how Medicare pays physicians and also phased out Medigap coverage of the Part B deductible for newly eligible beneficiaries. Under MACRA, insurers could no longer sell Medigap plans that cover the Part B deductible, including Plan F and Plan C, to anyone who became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, people who were already eligible for Medicare before that date kept the right to buy Plan F, even if they hadn't enrolled in a Medigap policy yet. That's why current Plan F buyers are often described as grandfathered into the plan.

You can review the underlying law on Congress.gov's MACRA bill text and see current Medigap rules on Medicare.gov's Medigap overview.

Plan F and Plan G cover the exact same list of costs, with one difference: Plan F pays the Part B deductible and Plan G does not. Once a Plan G holder pays that deductible each year, the two plans function identically for the rest of the year.

That single difference has a real effect on premiums. Plan F premiums are typically higher than Plan G premiums, often by more than the Part B deductible amount itself, partly because the Plan F risk pool skews older and can no longer accept newly eligible, and typically healthier, buyers. For a full side-by-side breakdown, see our Plan G vs. Plan N comparison and our guide on how to compare Medigap plans side by side.

If you already hold Plan F, switching to Plan G can lower your total costs over time, since Plan G premiums tend to rise more slowly. But switching Medigap plans usually requires medical underwriting outside of a guaranteed issue period, meaning an insurer can review your health history and may charge more or decline coverage based on it. Costs and underwriting rules vary by carrier and by state, so run the numbers for your specific ZIP code before deciding. Our guide to Medigap guaranteed issue rights explains when you can switch plans without medical underwriting.

No. Medigap policies, including Plan F, do not cover prescription drugs. If you hold Plan F, you still need a standalone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan; drug coverage only comes bundled in if you switch to a Medicare Advantage plan instead of Medigap. Review your total costs in our Medicare costs explained guide.