Medicare Plan F is a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy that covers every out-of-pocket cost left over after Original Medicare pays its share. It’s the most comprehensive Medigap plan available, picking up all deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments that Parts A and B don’t cover. However, Plan F is no longer available to people who became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020.
What Plan F Covers
Plan F fills in every gap in Original Medicare. That includes the Part A deductible you’d owe for hospital stays, the coinsurance for extended hospital and skilled nursing facility care, and the Part B deductible for outpatient and doctor services. It also covers the 20% coinsurance that Part B leaves behind on approved services, hospice care coinsurance, and the first three pints of blood per year.
Two benefits set Plan F apart from most other Medigap plans. First, it covers 100% of Part B excess charges. These charges occur when a doctor doesn’t accept Medicare’s approved amount as full payment and bills you up to 15% more. With Plan F, that extra cost is covered. Second, like most Medigap plans, it includes foreign travel emergency coverage: after a $250 annual deductible, the plan pays 80% of emergency medical costs outside the United States, up to a $50,000 lifetime limit.
In practical terms, if you have Plan F and stick with Original Medicare providers, your out-of-pocket medical costs beyond the monthly premium are essentially zero. No surprise bills for coinsurance, no deductibles to budget for.
Who Can Still Buy Plan F
Congress ended the sale of Plan F to new Medicare beneficiaries starting January 1, 2020, as part of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act. The reason was straightforward: Plan F covers the Part B deductible, and lawmakers decided that first-dollar coverage (where you pay nothing before insurance kicks in) could encourage overuse of medical services.
If you turned 65 before January 1, 2020, or became eligible for Medicare due to disability before that date, you can still purchase Plan F. You may also qualify if you were eligible for Medicare before that cutoff but hadn’t yet enrolled. People who already had Plan F when the rule took effect can keep their policy indefinitely.
If you live in Massachusetts, Minnesota, or Wisconsin, your state uses its own standardized Medigap system, so the plan names and structures differ from the federal options.
The High-Deductible Version
Plan F also comes in a high-deductible version, which works like a traditional high-deductible health plan. You pay a lower monthly premium, but you’re responsible for all Medicare cost-sharing out of pocket until you hit an annual deductible. For 2026, that deductible is $2,950. Once you meet it, the plan covers everything standard Plan F would. This version appeals to people who want catastrophic protection without high monthly premiums and are comfortable paying routine costs themselves.
Plan F vs. Plan G
Since new Medicare beneficiaries can’t buy Plan F, Plan G has become the closest alternative. The two plans are identical in every way except one: Plan G does not cover the annual Part B deductible. In 2025, that deductible is $257. So a Plan G enrollee pays that amount each year out of pocket before Part B benefits begin, while a Plan F enrollee pays nothing.
For people who still qualify for both plans, the decision comes down to premiums. Because Plan F is only available to a shrinking, aging pool of enrollees, its premiums tend to rise faster over time. Plan G draws from a larger, younger risk pool, which can keep premiums more stable. Many beneficiaries find that Plan G’s lower premium more than offsets the $257 deductible they’d pay themselves each year.
How Premiums Are Set
Every insurance company offering Plan F must provide the exact same benefits. The only differences between companies are price, customer service, and financial stability. But how companies calculate your premium varies significantly depending on the rating method they use.
- Community-rated: Everyone pays the same base premium regardless of age. Your premium won’t increase just because you get older, though it can still rise with inflation, smoking status, or where you live.
- Issue-age-rated: Your premium is based on how old you are when you first buy the policy. A 65-year-old locks in a lower rate than a 70-year-old, though premiums can still increase for inflation and other non-age factors.
- Attained-age-rated: Your premium is based on your current age and rises as you get older. These policies often start with the lowest premiums but can become the most expensive over time.
Not every state allows all three methods, so the options available to you depend on where you live. If you’re comparing Plan F quotes, understanding which rating method a company uses matters more than the starting price. A community-rated policy that looks more expensive at 65 could save you thousands by the time you’re 80 compared to an attained-age policy that started cheap.
What Plan F Does Not Cover
Plan F only supplements Original Medicare. It does not cover prescription drugs, so you’d need a separate Part D plan for medications. It also doesn’t cover dental care, vision exams, hearing aids, or long-term custodial care, which are all gaps in Original Medicare itself. If a service isn’t covered by Medicare Part A or Part B, Plan F won’t cover it either.
Plan F also cannot be used alongside a Medicare Advantage plan. You must be enrolled in Original Medicare (Parts A and B) to use any Medigap policy. If you switch to Medicare Advantage, your Medigap plan becomes inactive, and getting back into Plan F later may require medical underwriting depending on your state’s rules.