Medicare Supplement (Medigap) in Arizona and Alabama.

The gap Medigap actually fills

Original Medicare pays about 80% and leaves you the other 20% with no ceiling. Medigap closes that hole.

This is the part most people never hear until a bill arrives. Original Medicare pays 80% of your approved Part B costs and you owe the other 20%, and there is no annual out-of-pocket maximum on that 20%. Picture a $200,000 surgery. Medicare pays its share, and you are still looking at roughly $40,000 with nothing to stop it.

A Medicare Supplement plan absorbs those gaps. Depending on the plan letter you choose, it pays the Part A deductible, the hospital coinsurance, the daily skilled nursing charges, and most or all of that uncapped 20%. That is the whole job. It turns an open-ended risk into a predictable monthly premium.

Same plan, different price: why the letter is what matters

A Plan G is a Plan G at every carrier, so you are really shopping one thing: price.

Medigap plans are standardized by letter under federal law. A Plan G from one well-known carrier covers the exact same benefits as a Plan G from another. The insurer cannot add or subtract benefits. What changes from company to company is the premium and how aggressively that company raises rates over time.

This is the single most useful thing to understand before you buy, because you do not have to compare benefit charts across a dozen companies. You pick the plan letter that fits how you use care, then you shop that one letter on price and on the carrier's rate history.

Identical coverage. The only honest thing left to compare is price and how steady that carrier holds its rates.

Plan G or Plan N: the two that matter for new enrollees

Plan F is closed to anyone new to Medicare, so the real choice today is Plan G or Plan N.

Plan F is closed to anyone who turned 65 after January 1, 2020, so for new enrollees the real choice is between Plan G and Plan N.

The right answer depends on how often you see the doctor and how much predictability you want. Here is the honest side-by-side.

• Plan G is the most comprehensive plan still available. After you pay the Part B deductible ($283 in 2026), it leaves you with essentially nothing at the doctor or hospital. No copays, and it covers Part B excess charges. Frequent users and people who just want zero surprises tend to land here.
• Plan N runs a lower premium and asks you to share a little. Office visits carry a copay of up to $20, the ER up to $50 if you are not admitted, and it does not cover Part B excess charges. For someone who sees the doctor a couple of times a year, it often wins on total cost.

Any doctor that takes Medicare, no network games

There are no networks and no referrals with Medigap. If they take Medicare, they take your plan.

There are no networks with Medicare Supplement plans and no referrals. If a doctor or hospital accepts Original Medicare, they accept your Medigap plan. You do not have to check a directory or get a primary-care physician to sign off before you see a specialist, whether you are home in Arizona or Alabama or traveling across the country.

The claim runs itself. The provider bills Medicare, Medicare pays its share, your Medigap carrier pays the rest, and you owe nothing beyond any copay your plan has.

This freedom is usually the whole reason people choose a supplement over a network-based plan.

Medigap vs Medicare Advantage: how to think about it

Neither is universally right. It comes down to how you use care and what you want to protect.

Both are legitimate ways to fill the gaps in Original Medicare, and our team walks people through both honestly. We do not offer every plan available in your area, so the goal is to lay out the real trade: freedom and predictability against premium and extras.

• Medigap usually fits if you travel, see specialists across different systems, or want maximum predictability. It costs more each month, but you can see any provider that takes Medicare, with no networks and no prior authorization.
• Medicare Advantage can be the better value if you are comfortable with a network and want lower premiums plus built-in extras. Just know the plan rules, networks, and drug lists can change year to year.

You still need a drug plan, and the timing trap that bites people

Medigap does not cover prescriptions. Pair it with a standalone Part D plan, and do not wait.

Medicare Supplement plans do not cover prescriptions. Plans sold since 2006 dropped drug coverage entirely, so you pair your supplement with a standalone Part D plan. You choose each piece separately, and you can change the Part D plan every fall during Annual Enrollment if your medications change. In 2026 Part D carries a $2,100 annual out-of-pocket cap and a $35 monthly insulin cap.

Our team helps you line up both pieces at the same time so there is no gap and no penalty.

When to enroll, and the window that does not come back

Your six-month Medigap open enrollment is one-time, and it is the easiest door to walk through.

The healthiest day to lock in your plan is the day your window opens, not the day you finally need it.

What our independent team does that a captive agent cannot

Same coverage, same price whether you use us or not. The difference is reach.

Carriers build the commission into the premium whether you use us or buy direct, so our help costs you nothing and your premium is the same either way.

The difference is reach. A captive agent represents one company and quotes one company's rates. Our team contracts with the major Medigap carriers, so we can pull the same Plan G benefit from many companies and show you how the premiums and rate histories stack up. Then we handle the paperwork and the Part D pairing, and we stay your guide for the life of it, across every stage and every change in your household. Call 623-300-1717 and we will run your quotes while you are on the phone.