In short
- Your Medigap Open Enrollment Period is 6 months, starts with your Part B at 65 or older, and happens only once.
- The Nebraska Department of Insurance says people on Medicare because of a disability get the same open enrollment when Part B begins, though companies may not offer every plan. Confirm before you rely on it.
- After open enrollment, Nebraska insurers can ask health questions and decline you. The state has no birthday or anniversary rule.
- Guaranteed issue rights, such as your Medicare Advantage plan leaving your county, let you buy certain plans without underwriting within 63 days.
- Plan G at age 65 ranged from $135 to $766 a month in Nebraska in 2026, per the Nebraska Department of Insurance.
In Nebraska, the most important Medigap date is one most people never hear about: the start of your 6-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period. It begins the first month you are 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During those 6 months, any company must sell you any Medigap policy it offers, at its standard price, regardless of your health. After that, the door can close.
Medigap, also called Medicare Supplement insurance, is private coverage that pays some or all of your share of Original Medicare costs. Here is how the buying rules work in Nebraska for 2026 and 2027.
When is your Medigap Open Enrollment Period?
It is a one-time window of 6 months that starts the first month you have Part B and are 65 or older. It does not repeat each year, and it cannot be moved once Part B starts.
| Your Part B starts | Your Medigap Open Enrollment Period |
|---|---|
| January 1, 2027 | January 1 to June 30, 2027 |
| April 1, 2027 | April 1 to September 30, 2027 |
| July 1, 2027 | July 1 to December 31, 2027 |
If you delay Part B because you are still covered by a current employer's plan, your Medigap window waits with it. That lets you use it when you retire. See working past 65.
What protections do you have during open enrollment?
During your Medigap Open Enrollment Period, according to CMS's Choosing a Medigap Policy guide, an insurance company:
- Cannot refuse to sell you any Medigap policy it offers
- Cannot use medical underwriting to decide whether to accept you
- Cannot charge you more because of health problems
One limit remains. A company can delay coverage of a pre-existing condition for up to 6 months if it was treated or diagnosed in the 6 months before your policy starts. If you had at least 6 months of continuous creditable coverage before, such as an employer plan, with no gap longer than 63 days, there is no waiting period. Original Medicare still pays its share during any waiting period.
What happens after open enrollment ends in Nebraska?
After your 6 months, you can still apply for a Medigap policy any time of year, but you have no right to be accepted. The Nebraska Department of Insurance's 2026 fact sheet puts it plainly: if you apply after your open enrollment, "companies may refuse coverage because of health reasons."
That process is called medical underwriting. The company asks health questions and can accept you, decline you or, in some cases, charge more. It applies when you:
- Apply for Medigap for the first time after your window closed
- Want to switch from one Medigap company or plan to another
- Want to leave Medicare Advantage for Original Medicare without a guaranteed issue right
Nebraska has no birthday rule. A few states let people switch Medigap plans around their birthday or policy anniversary without health questions. The Nebraska Department of Insurance describes no such rule, so in Nebraska the federal windows and rights below are what you have.
That is why the choice you make at 65 matters so much: the plan you pick in your open enrollment may be the one you keep for decades.
Can Nebraskans under 65 on disability buy Medigap?
Likely yes, but confirm first. Federal law does not require companies to sell Medigap to people under 65. The Nebraska Department of Insurance's 2026 fact sheet says: "in Nebraska, people who qualify for Medicare due to disability also have the same Medigap Open Enrollment available when their Medicare Part B begins, but insurance companies may not offer every Plan option."
Sources have not always agreed. The department's 2019 guide said under-65 applicants could be refused, and the statute behind the newer wording is not cited in the fact sheet. Because companies may also limit which plans they offer under 65, confirm your rights with the company or Nebraska SHIP (1-800-234-7119) before you rely on them.
When you turn 65, you get a second, federal Medigap Open Enrollment Period, usually with more plan choices and lower prices. More on this group is in Medicare under 65 on disability.
What are guaranteed issue rights?
Guaranteed issue rights are federal protections that let you buy certain Medigap policies outside open enrollment with no health questions, no higher price for health, and no pre-existing condition waiting period. They come from specific events, per CMS's 2026 Medigap guide:
| Situation | What you can buy | When to apply |
|---|---|---|
| Your Medicare Advantage plan leaves Medicare, stops serving your area, you move out of its area, or its network changes significantly, and you return to Original Medicare | Plan A, B, D or G (C or F if eligible before 2020) | Up to 60 days before coverage ends (or by the date in the termination notice) and no more than 63 days after |
| Your employer or union plan that pays after Medicare (including retiree or COBRA) is ending | Plan A, B, D or G (C or F if eligible before 2020) | No more than 63 days after the latest of: coverage end date, notice date, or claim denial date |
| Trial right: you joined Medicare Advantage when first eligible at 65 and leave within the first year | Any Medigap policy sold in Nebraska | Up to 60 days before and no more than 63 days after coverage ends |
| Trial right: you dropped Medigap to try Medicare Advantage for the first time and leave within a year | Your old policy if still sold, otherwise Plan A, B, D or G | Same as above |
| You move out of a Medicare SELECT policy's service area | Plan A, B, D or G | Up to 60 days before or 63 days after the policy ends |
| Your Medigap company goes bankrupt, or your policy ends through no fault of your own | Plan A, B, D or G | No more than 63 days after coverage ends |
| You leave Medicare Advantage or drop Medigap because the company broke the rules or misled you | Plan A, B, D or G | No more than 63 days after coverage ends |
Plans C and F can only be sold to people eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020. Keep the letters, notices and postmarked envelopes that prove your coverage ended; you may need to include them with your application.
What do 2027 plan exits mean for Nebraskans?
They can open a guaranteed issue window. According to CMS's 2027 landscape data, Medica's Medicare Advantage plans leave eight eastern Nebraska counties, including Lancaster, Douglas and Sarpy. UnitedHealthcare's AARP Medicare Advantage plans with drug coverage shrink from 52 counties to 5, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska goes from 76 counties to 61. Humana leaves six Panhandle counties.
If your plan is no longer offered in your county for 2027 and you choose Original Medicare instead of another Medicare Advantage plan, you can buy Plan A, B, D or G with no health questions. If your plan is still offered in your county and only its benefits or premium changed, that alone does not create a guaranteed issue right. Plan availability, premiums, networks and benefits vary by county and change every year. If you are weighing the switch, start with Medigap vs Medicare Advantage and the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period.
What does Medigap cost in Nebraska?
Prices vary by company, plan letter, age, sex, tobacco use and ZIP code. The Nebraska Department of Insurance's 2026 fact sheet reports these statewide ranges at age 65:
| Plan (age 65, Nebraska, 2026) | Monthly premium range |
|---|---|
| Plan G | $135 to $766 |
| High-deductible Plan G | $38 to $75 |
A second department publication, Medicare Basics 2026, gives a slightly different Plan G range of $110 to $765 a month as of January 2026.
High-deductible Plan G has a $2,950 deductible in 2026, rising to $3,050 in 2027. On October 2, 2026, Medicare.gov's Medigap tool showed 31 Plan G policy listings for a 65-year-old at Lincoln ZIP 68508, and most listings' starting prices fell between about $137 and $311 a month. Those are estimates, not quotes.
How a company prices its policy matters as much as the starting price. The department explains three methods:
- Attained age: the premium rises as you get older. Most Nebraska policies use this method.
- Issue age: based on your age when you buy; it does not rise because of age, but can rise for other reasons.
- Community rated: generally the same for everyone regardless of age; it can still rise.
For the plan letters, see Medicare Supplement in Nebraska and Plan G. For company-level comparisons, see the Medicare Supplement companies in Nebraska.
How do you use your open enrollment well?
- Mark your dates. Your window starts the month your Part B starts at 65 or older. Our enrollment calculator can help.
- Pick the plan letter first. Benefits are standardized, so a Plan G is a Plan G at every company.
- Compare companies on price, rating method and rate history, not on benefits.
- Apply inside the window. You have a 30-day free look period after the policy arrives to change your mind.
- Add Part D. Medigap does not include drug coverage.
For unbiased, personalized Medigap comparisons, the Nebraska Department of Insurance refers people to Nebraska SHIP (formerly SHIIP) at 1-800-234-7119. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (TTY 1-877-486-2048). If you want a licensed agent to compare several Medigap companies with you, talk to Bill.
Frequently asked questions
No. Some states let people switch Medigap policies around their birthday each year without health questions, but Nebraska is not one of them. The Nebraska Department of Insurance's 2026 fact sheet describes only the 6-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period and says that if you apply after it, companies may refuse coverage because of health reasons. Federal guaranteed issue rights still apply in specific situations.
Likely yes, according to the Nebraska Department of Insurance. Its 2026 fact sheet says people who qualify for Medicare because of a disability have the same Medigap Open Enrollment when their Part B begins, but insurance companies may not offer every plan option. Older state guides said the opposite, so confirm with the company or Nebraska SHIP (1-800-234-7119) before you rely on it. You also get a new 6-month window at 65.
Each company sets its own application, but underwriting generally means health questions about recent diagnoses, treatments, hospital stays and medications, and sometimes a review of your prescription history. Based on the answers, the company can accept you, decline you or in some cases charge more. Outside open enrollment and guaranteed issue, you have no right to be accepted.
Yes, if you switch to Original Medicare instead of joining another Medicare Advantage plan. When your plan stops serving your area, federal law gives you a guaranteed issue right to buy Medigap Plan A, B, D or G (or C or F if you were eligible for Medicare before 2020). Apply as early as 60 days before your plan coverage ends and no later than 63 days after it ends.
If you are delaying Part B because you have coverage from a current employer, your Medigap Open Enrollment Period waits too. It starts when your Part B starts, so you can use it when you retire. The mistake to avoid is signing up for Part B early while you still have employer coverage, because that starts your one-time 6-month window before you need a Medigap policy.
There can be, even in open enrollment. A Medigap insurer may delay coverage of a pre-existing condition for up to 6 months if the condition was treated or diagnosed in the 6 months before the policy starts. If you had at least 6 months of continuous creditable coverage, like an employer plan, with no break over 63 days, the company cannot make you wait. Guaranteed issue purchases have no waiting period.
Sources
- Nebraska Department of Insurance: Medicare Supplement Fact Sheet 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Medicare.gov: Choosing a Medigap Policy (02110, March 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- Nebraska Department of Insurance: SHIP and SMP (opens in a new tab)
- Nebraska Department of Insurance: Medicare Basics 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- CMS: 2027 Medigap high-deductible option amounts (opens in a new tab)
- CMS: CY 2027 Medicare Advantage landscape files (opens in a new tab)
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options. 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.
