Medicare Plan F and Plan G are Medigap (Medicare Supplement) insurance policies sold by private insurers to cover out-of-pocket costs that Original Medicare leaves behind. They are the two most comprehensive Medigap options available, and they differ in only one way: Plan F covers the annual Part B deductible, while Plan G does not. In 2025, that deductible is $257.
What These Plans Actually Cover
Original Medicare (Parts A and B) pays for hospital stays, doctor visits, and outpatient services, but it leaves you responsible for deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments that can add up quickly. Medigap plans are designed to fill those gaps. Plans F and G sit at the top of the coverage spectrum, picking up nearly every cost Original Medicare doesn’t.
Both Plan F and Plan G cover the following at 100%:
- Part A coinsurance and hospital costs up to an additional 365 days after Medicare benefits run out
- Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayments
- Part A deductible (the per-benefit-period hospital deductible)
- Part B coinsurance or copayments (typically 20% of approved amounts)
- Part B excess charges (amounts above what Medicare approves, charged by doctors who don’t accept Medicare assignment)
- First three pints of blood
- Skilled nursing facility coinsurance
- Foreign travel emergency care at 80% of billed charges after a $250 annual deductible, up to a $50,000 lifetime limit
The only item that separates them is the Part B deductible. Plan F pays it for you. Plan G does not, so you pay it yourself each calendar year before your Medigap coverage kicks in for Part B services. That’s the entire difference.
Who Can Still Buy Plan F
Plan F is no longer available to everyone. Federal law closed it to anyone who became newly eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020. If you turned 65 before that date, or if you qualified for Medicare through disability before that date, you can still purchase Plan F. People who were eligible before 2020 but hadn’t yet enrolled may also still have access.
If you became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020, Plan G is the most comprehensive option you can buy. Medicare.gov specifically notes that these newer beneficiaries “have the right to buy Plans D and G instead of Plans C and F.”
The Real Cost Difference Between F and G
On paper, Plan F looks better because it covers one more thing. In practice, Plan G often costs less overall. Here’s why.
The Part B deductible in 2025 is $257 (up from $240 in 2024). That’s the maximum extra you’d pay out of pocket with Plan G. But Plan F premiums are typically higher than Plan G premiums by more than that $257 gap, sometimes significantly more. Because Plan F’s enrollment pool is closed to new members and its existing members are aging, premiums in that pool tend to rise faster over time. Plan G, with a larger and younger mix of enrollees, generally sees more stable premium increases year to year.
So while Plan F eliminates every last dollar of out-of-pocket cost, you’re often paying a premium for the convenience of not writing a $257 check once a year. For many people, Plan G delivers the same protection at a lower total annual cost when premiums and the deductible are combined.
High-Deductible Versions
Both Plan F and Plan G come in high-deductible versions with much lower monthly premiums. The trade-off is that you pay a large annual deductible before the plan starts covering anything. For 2025, that deductible is $2,870. Once you’ve spent that amount on covered out-of-pocket costs, the plan pays at the same level as its standard counterpart.
These high-deductible options work best for people who rarely use medical services and want catastrophic protection at the lowest possible premium. If you have frequent doctor visits or ongoing treatment, the standard versions will almost certainly save you money.
Foreign Travel Emergency Coverage
Both plans include a benefit Original Medicare almost never provides: emergency care outside the United States. If you have a medical emergency during the first 60 days of a trip abroad, your plan pays 80% of the charges after you meet a $250 yearly deductible. There’s a $50,000 lifetime cap on this benefit. It’s not a substitute for dedicated travel insurance on a long international trip, but it provides a meaningful safety net for shorter vacations.
Excess Charges Protection
One benefit worth understanding is coverage for Part B excess charges. Most doctors accept “Medicare assignment,” meaning they agree to charge only what Medicare approves. But doctors who don’t accept assignment can charge up to 15% more than the Medicare-approved amount. Both Plan F and Plan G cover that extra cost in full. This protection matters most if you see specialists who don’t accept assignment, though in practice the majority of providers do.
Choosing Between Plan F and Plan G
If you’re newly eligible for Medicare (on or after January 1, 2020), the decision is already made: Plan G is your most comprehensive option. If you’re eligible for both, the choice comes down to comparing total annual costs. Add your monthly premium times 12, then add the $257 Part B deductible for Plan G. Compare that total to Plan F’s annual premium cost. In most markets, Plan G wins on price while leaving you with just one modest annual expense.
Keep in mind that Medigap premiums vary by insurer, your age, where you live, and whether the company uses attained-age pricing (premiums rise as you get older), issue-age pricing (based on your age when you buy), or community-rated pricing (same rate for everyone regardless of age). Getting quotes from several insurers in your area is the most reliable way to compare actual costs.