Does Plan N cover Part B excess charges?

No. Plan N does not cover Part B excess charges, which are additional amounts that providers who do not accept Medicare assignment can charge (up to 15 percent above the Medicare-approved amount). If your providers all accept Medicare assignment, or if your state bans excess charges, this gap may not affect you.

Is Plan G better than Plan N?

Neither plan is universally better. Plan G offers more complete coverage with no copays and covers excess charges, making it simpler and more comprehensive. Plan N has lower premiums but adds copays and excess charge exposure. The better plan depends on your health utilization, provider choices, and how much you value premium savings versus coverage completeness.

Can I switch from Plan N to Plan G later?

You can apply to switch plans at any time, but outside of guaranteed-issue periods, insurers in most states can review your health history and decline your application or charge higher premiums. This is why it is often wise to start with the level of coverage you think you will want long term.

How do I find Plan G and Plan N premiums in my area?

Medicare.gov's Medigap plan finder shows licensed insurers and available plans in your ZIP code. You can also work with a licensed broker or contact a free SHIP counselor in your state for side-by-side premium comparisons.

Medigap Plan G vs Plan N: Which Is Better?

By Naomi Foster, Contributing Writer, Healthcare
Updated July 9, 2026

Compare Medigap costs.

See a monthly premium range for Plan G or Plan N before you call anyone.

Open the calculator

Plan G and Plan N both cover the Medicare Part A deductible, skilled nursing facility coinsurance, and foreign travel emergencies. Plan G also covers Part B excess charges and has no office-visit copays. Plan N costs less per month and charges up to $20 per office visit and up to $50 for emergency room visits that do not result in inpatient admission. Neither plan covers the Part B deductible for 2020-and-later enrollees.

What Both Plans Cover

Because Medigap plans are federally standardized, Plan G and Plan N from any insurer must include the same core benefits. The full standardized benefit chart is at the Medicare.gov Medigap plan finder. Both plans include:

Medicare Part A coinsurance and hospital costs for up to 365 additional days after Medicare benefits are used.
Medicare Part A deductible ($1,736 per benefit period in 2026, per CMS's 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles fact sheet).
Medicare Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment.
Skilled nursing facility care coinsurance.
Medicare Part B coinsurance or copayment (with the copay exception for Plan N noted below).
Foreign travel emergency coverage (up to plan limits).
Blood (first three pints).

Where Plan G and Plan N Differ

Feature	Plan G	Plan N
Part B excess charges	Covered	NOT covered
Office visit copays	None	Up to $20 per visit
Emergency room copay (non-admission)	None	Up to $50
Monthly premium (relative)	Higher	Lower
Part B deductible	Not covered*	Not covered*

*People who first became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020 cannot purchase plans that cover the Part B deductible under federal law. Plan F, which covered the deductible, is no longer available to this group.

Understanding Part B Excess Charges

Medicare sets an approved amount for each covered service. Most doctors accept Medicare assignment, meaning they agree to take that approved amount as payment in full. Providers who do not accept assignment can bill up to 15 percent above the Medicare-approved amount; that additional amount is the Part B excess charge. Plan G pays it; Plan N does not.

In practice, excess charges are uncommon. CMS data shows the large majority of Medicare-participating providers accept assignment. If your doctors and specialists all accept assignment, Plan N's exposure may matter very little. In states that ban excess charges by law (Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Ohio among them), Plan N's only practical cost difference from Plan G is the office-visit and ER copays.

How to Do the Math

A simple break-even calculation covers most of the decision:

Find the monthly premium difference between Plan G and Plan N from the same insurer in your ZIP code.
Multiply that difference by 12 to get the annual premium savings from Plan N.
Estimate your average yearly doctor visits and multiply by $20.
Add any expected ER visits at up to $50 each.
If your estimated copays fall below your annual premium savings, Plan N may work out ahead.

The Medigap cost calculator lets you run this comparison with your own numbers and see an estimated annual total for each plan type.

Who Plan G Tends to Suit

People who see specialists regularly and want no copays at each visit.
People whose providers do not accept Medicare assignment.
People who want the simplicity of knowing Medicare and Medigap together will cover nearly all Part A and Part B costs.
People in states that do not ban excess charges and want protection against them.

Who Plan N Tends to Suit

Generally healthy people with few doctor visits per year.
People whose providers all accept Medicare assignment, removing excess charge risk entirely.
People in states that prohibit excess charges, where Plan N's only meaningful cost difference is copays.
People who prefer lower monthly premiums and are comfortable with predictable small copays.

Premium Differences and Long-Term Trends

Premium gaps between Plan G and Plan N vary by insurer, location, age, and gender. In many markets, Plan N runs $20 to $50 per month less than Plan G for the same applicant. Over a decade, that difference compounds. Insurer pricing practices and rate-increase histories also matter considerably. Compare multiple carriers for both plans before enrolling. Medicare.gov lists licensed insurers in your area, and a SHIP counselor can pull carrier-specific rate histories at no cost.

Pricing Methods: Community, Issue-Age, and Attained-Age

Medigap insurers use one of three methods to set premiums:

Community-rated: everyone in the plan pays the same premium, regardless of age.
Issue-age-rated: the premium is set at your age when you first buy and does not increase as you get older, though it may rise with inflation.
Attained-age-rated: the premium is based on your current age and rises each year as you age.

Knowing which method an insurer uses is as important as the opening premium quote, particularly when comparing Plan G and Plan N over a 10- or 20-year horizon.

High-Deductible Plan G: A Third Option Worth Knowing

High-Deductible Plan G (HDG) is available in many states. It carries a much lower monthly premium than standard Plan G, but you pay all Medicare cost-sharing out of pocket until you reach the federally set annual deductible, $2,950 for 2026 per CMS's F, G & J Deductible Announcement (October 2025, effective January 1, 2026). After that deductible, HDG covers the same costs as standard Plan G.

HDG suits generally healthy people who want very low monthly premiums and can absorb up to the deductible amount in a bad year. It is a poor fit for people who expect frequent hospitalizations or heavy specialist use, since they would likely hit the deductible regularly and might have been better served by standard Plan G from the start.

The Role of Insurer Selection

Because Plan G from any insurer must include the same core benefits as Plan G from any other, the variables that distinguish carriers are premium, pricing method, customer service reputation, and rate-increase history. The same logic holds for Plan N.

Rate-increase history matters because some insurers open with low premiums and raise rates sharply after the first year or two as the insured pool ages. An attained-age-rated policy may start cheaper than a community-rated or issue-age-rated one but can cost considerably more by your 70s or 80s. Asking an insurer for its historical rate-increase data for the specific plan you are considering is a reasonable step before committing. A SHIP counselor can help you access that data and compare carriers without any commission motive. You can also verify insurer licensing and complaint records through your state insurance department and review plan details at Medicare.gov.

Making Your Decision

The Plan G vs Plan N question comes down to utilization and risk tolerance. If you see your doctor often, use specialists without referrals, or simply want to know there will be no copays or excess charge surprises, Plan G is the more complete option. If you are in good health, have few routine visits, and your providers all accept Medicare assignment, Plan N's lower premium can produce real savings year over year.

Whichever plan you choose, enroll during your Medigap Open Enrollment Period when possible to keep your guaranteed-issue rights, and verify current premium information at Medicare.gov or through a licensed insurer before applying.