Nearly all
Plan G covers nearly all Original Medicare cost-sharing except the annual Part B deductible.
No network
Use any provider nationwide who accepts Original Medicare. No referrals.
Same benefits
Plan G coverage is federally standardized, so it is identical from every Florida insurer.
What Is Medicare Supplement Plan G?
Plan G is one of the standardized Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plans sold by private insurers.
It works alongside Original Medicare (Part A and Part B): Medicare pays its share first, and Plan G pays most of what's left.
Benefits are set by federal law, so Plan G is identical from every Florida insurer. Only the premium, rate increases, discounts, and service differ.
Because Plan F isn't available to anyone new to Medicare since January 1, 2020, Plan G is the most comprehensive plan most new enrollees can buy.
Unlike Medicare Advantage, Plan G fills gaps in Original Medicare rather than replacing it.
What Does Plan G Cover?
Plan G covers nearly all Original Medicare cost-sharing. The main exception is the annual Part B deductible.
| Medicare cost-sharing | Plan G pays |
|---|
| Part A hospital deductible | 100% |
| Part A hospital coinsurance, plus 365 extra lifetime hospital days | 100% |
| Skilled nursing facility coinsurance (days 21–100) | 100% |
| Part A hospice coinsurance and copays | 100% |
| First 3 pints of blood | 100% |
| Part B coinsurance (the 20% Medicare leaves you) | 100% |
| Part B excess charges | 100% |
| Foreign travel emergency care | 80%* |
| Part B annual deductible | Not covered |
*After a $250 deductible, for emergencies in the first 60 days of a trip, up to a $50,000 lifetime limit. Source: Medicare.gov, Compare Medigap plan benefits.
In practice, that means once you've paid the Part B deductible each year, Medicare-approved care generally costs you nothing more out of pocket.
What Plan G Doesn't Cover
Plan G is built entirely around Original Medicare. Anything Medicare doesn't cover falls outside Plan G too.
- The Part B deductible — the one Medicare-approved cost you pay yourself each year.
- Prescription drugs — these need a separate Medicare Part D plan.
- Routine dental, vision, and hearing care — cleanings, glasses, and hearing aids need separate coverage. See how to get dental and vision coverage with Medicare in Florida.
- Long-term custodial care — help with daily activities in a nursing home or assisted living facility isn't covered by Medicare or Plan G.
- Your premiums — you still pay your Part B premium, your Plan G premium, and any Part D premium.
- Extra benefits — Plan G doesn't include the gym, grocery, or over-the-counter allowances some Medicare Advantage plans advertise.
Common mistake
We regularly hear from clients who assume Plan G will help with a crown or an implant because it's "the most comprehensive plan."
Medigap plans only fill gaps in services Original Medicare already covers. If Medicare doesn't cover a service at all, no Medigap plan will.
How Plan G Works in Real Life
Medicare decides whether a service is covered and how much it approves for that service.
Plan G only pays for services Medicare approves. These four examples show how that plays out when you actually get care.
Hospital admission
You're admitted to a Florida hospital for three days after a heart procedure.
MedicarePart A covers the Medicare-approved inpatient stay after the Part A deductible.
Plan GPays the Part A deductible and any hospital coinsurance for Medicare-covered days.
YouNothing for the hospital stay itself. Doctors who treat you in the hospital bill under Part B, so the Part B deductible applies if you haven't met it yet.
Outpatient surgery
You have cataract surgery at an outpatient surgery center.
MedicareAfter you meet the Part B deductible, Part B pays 80% of the Medicare-approved amount.
Plan GPays the remaining 20% coinsurance, plus any excess charge if the surgeon doesn't accept assignment.
YouOnly the Part B deductible, if it hasn't already been met this year.
Regular specialist visits
You see a cardiologist every three months and get periodic lab work.
MedicarePart B pays 80% of each Medicare-approved visit and test once the deductible is met.
Plan GPays the other 20% for every covered visit. No copays and no referral needed.
YouNothing more for Medicare-approved visits for the rest of the year after the deductible.
Care while you're out of state
You spend summers in North Carolina and visit an emergency room there in July.
MedicareOriginal Medicare covers the ER visit the same way it would in Florida.
Plan GPays its normal share. There is no in-network or out-of-network distinction.
YouThe same cost-sharing you'd have at home, as long as the provider accepts Original Medicare.
Important Hospital Coverage Rules
Observation status. If the hospital keeps you under observation instead of admitting you, the stay is billed as outpatient care under Part B. Plan G still pays the 20% coinsurance after the Part B deductible.
Observation days also don't count toward the three inpatient days Medicare generally requires before covering skilled nursing care, so ask whether you've been admitted.
Skilled nursing. Plan G pays the coinsurance for days 21–100 only when Medicare covers the stay.
Does Plan G Have Networks or Referrals?
No. Plan G follows Original Medicare, which doesn't use provider networks or require referrals.
You can see any provider nationwide who accepts Original Medicare, including when you're out of state.
How much you pay depends on which of three types of providers you see:
- Participating providers — always accept assignment, meaning they take the Medicare-approved amount as full payment. Most doctors are in this group.
- Non-participating providers — accept Original Medicare but don't always accept assignment, so they can charge up to 15% above the approved amount. Plan G pays that excess charge.
- Opt-out providers — have left Medicare and bill you under a private contract. Neither Medicare nor Plan G pays them.
One exception to watch for: some insurers sell a Medicare SELECT version of Plan G, which requires you to use network hospitals for non-emergency care in exchange for a lower premium.
If a quote is labeled SELECT, read its network rules before you buy.
How Much Does Plan G Cost in Florida?
Plan G's monthly premium depends on the insurance company, your age, sex, tobacco use, and where you live in Florida.
Because the benefits are identical, the same coverage can be priced very differently from one company to the next.
Plan G usually costs more each month than Plan N or High-Deductible Plan G, in exchange for fewer out-of-pocket costs when you get care.
You'll also pay your Part B premium, plus a separate Part D premium if you add drug coverage.
For current premiums by age and county, see our Plan G cost in Florida guide.
Plan G vs. Plan N vs. High-Deductible Plan G
These three plans are the ones most Florida beneficiaries compare. The differences come down to how much cost-sharing you take on yourself.
To see every standardized plan side by side, see our Florida Medicare Supplement plans comparison.
| Plan G | Plan N | High-Deductible Plan G |
|---|
| Part B deductible | You pay | You pay | You pay (counts toward the plan deductible) |
| Plan's own deductible | None | None | $3,050 starting January 1 (up from $2,950); your Medicare cost-sharing counts toward it |
| Office visit copays | None | Up to $20 | None once deductible is met |
| Emergency room copays | None | Up to $50, waived if admitted | None once deductible is met |
| Part B excess charges | Covered | Not covered | Covered after deductible |
| Predictability of Medicare-covered costs | Highest | Moderate | Lowest until the deductible is met |
| Tends to suit | People who want the fewest surprise bills | People comfortable with small copays | People who can absorb a larger bill in a bad year |
Benefits source: Medicare.gov. High-deductible amount: CMS high-deductible Medigap announcement.
Plan G gives you the most predictable costs. Plan N adds small copays and leaves excess charges to you.
High-Deductible Plan G pays like Plan G once you reach its deductible, and the Medicare-covered deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance you pay along the way, including the Part B deductible, count toward that threshold.
For a deeper side-by-side, see our Plan G vs. Plan N comparison.
Why Floridians Choose Medicare Supplement Plan G
Plan G's benefits are the same nationwide, but several things about living in Florida make them more valuable here.
Snowbirds and seasonal travel
Many Florida retirees spend summers in North Carolina, Georgia, the Midwest, or the Northeast.
Many Medicare Advantage plans limit routine care to their local network, covering only emergencies and urgent care while you're away.
With Plan G, a routine checkup, a specialist visit, or a planned procedure up north is covered the same way it would be at home.
For more on splitting the year between states, see our guide for Florida snowbirds and Medicare. If you're relocating to Florida for good, see moving to Florida with Medicare.
From the field: we work with a lot of clients who split the year between Florida and another state. Plan G's lack of a network is one of the most practical reasons they choose it over a network-based plan.
Care across Florida and beyond
Florida residents often travel for care, whether that's a cancer center in Tampa, a cardiology program in Jacksonville, or a nationally known specialist in another state.
With Plan G, the only question is whether the provider accepts Original Medicare.
Florida allows Part B excess charges
Doctors who don't accept Medicare assignment can charge up to 15% above the Medicare-approved amount.
A handful of states limit or ban these excess charges, but Florida isn't one of them. Plan G covers them; Plan N doesn't.
How Popular Is Plan G in Florida?
Not by total enrollment. In 2024 data, Plan F still covered more Floridians than any other Medigap plan.
Share of Florida Medigap enrollees by plan (2024 data)
About 937,000 Floridians had a Medigap policy in 2024. "All other plans" is the remainder after Plans F, G, and N. Source: AHIP, Medicare Supplement in the State of Florida, using NAIC 2024 enrollment data.
Plan F's larger enrollment reflects its long history and the fact that many existing policyholders have kept their coverage.
People newly eligible for Medicare since January 1, 2020, can't buy Plan F, but those eligible before that date may still be able to purchase it.
These figures measure everyone enrolled, not new purchases. AHIP does report that Plans G and N had the most enrollment growth in Florida from 2023 to 2024.
Plan G's share is also lower in Florida than nationally, where it covered 43% of Medigap policyholders in 2024.
Is Plan G Right for You?
Plan G is usually the right fit when predictable medical costs and freedom to see any provider matter more to you than the lowest possible premium.
Plan G is often a good fit if you
- Want medical bills you can predict after one small deductible
- Spend part of the year outside Florida or travel for care
- See specialists regularly or manage a chronic condition
- Want protection from Part B excess charges
- Are in your open enrollment period and can buy it without health questions
Another option may fit better if you
- Rarely see doctors and would rather pay small copays for a lower premium (Plan N)
- Could pay a few thousand dollars in a bad year in exchange for the lowest premium (High-Deductible Plan G)
- Want dental, vision, or hearing benefits bundled into one plan
- Couldn't comfortably afford the premium as it rises over time
Florida Plan G Enrollment Rules
The best time to buy Plan G is your six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period, which starts the first month you're 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During that window, insurers can't turn you down or charge more because of your health.
After it ends, insurers can ask health questions and decline you, unless you have a guaranteed-issue right, such as losing employer coverage or your Medicare Advantage plan leaving your area.
That same underwriting applies if you later want to switch Plan G companies or leave Medicare Advantage for Plan G without a guaranteed-issue right.
Florida has no Medigap birthday rule
Some states let Medigap policyholders switch insurers each year around their birthday without answering health questions. Florida doesn't.
That makes your first choice of Plan G insurer especially important. Read more in our guide to Florida's Medigap birthday rule and guaranteed-issue rights.
One issue we regularly explain to Florida clients is that buying Plan G and changing Plan G companies are two different decisions. You can buy it without health questions during open enrollment, but switching companies years later may require them. That's why we encourage clients to look at an insurer's Florida rate history, not just the first-year premium.
For the full timelines, guaranteed-issue situations, and how to switch from Medicare Advantage, see our Florida Medigap open enrollment guide, or call a licensed agent at (888) 414-4547.
How to Choose a Plan G Insurance Company
Because the benefits are identical, the decision comes down to the company behind the policy.
Premiums and Florida rate history
A low first-year premium matters less than what the policy costs five and ten years later, so ask how much the company has raised Plan G rates in Florida over the past several years.
Ask how the premium is priced: attained-age policies rise as you get older, issue-age policies are based on your age when you buy, and community-rated policies charge everyone the same.
Also ask about household discounts, which vary by company and aren't always shown on the first quote.
Financial strength
A rating from an agency like AM Best tells you how well positioned the insurer is to keep paying claims over the long term.
It doesn't predict future rate increases or how easy the company is to work with, so weigh it alongside rate history rather than on its own.
Customer service
Most Plan G claims are paid automatically after Medicare processes them, so claim handling looks similar across insurers.
Service differs in billing, premium notices, policy changes, and how easy the company is to reach when you have a question.
For our analysis of specific companies, see the best Medicare Supplement companies in Florida.
Bottom Line
Medicare Supplement Plan G offers Florida residents comprehensive protection against most of the medical expenses Original Medicare leaves behind.
It's particularly appealing if you want predictable out-of-pocket costs and the freedom to receive Medicare-covered care nationwide.
The coverage is identical regardless of which company sells the policy. The more important long-term decision is choosing an insurer with competitive premiums, a reasonable rate history, and reliable service.
Because Florida generally doesn't allow policyholders to switch Medigap insurers without medical underwriting, comparing companies carefully during your initial enrollment period is especially important.
Questions about your situation? Call a licensed Florida agent at (888) 414-4547.
