In short
- Plan F can't be sold to anyone new to Medicare on or after January 1, 2020. You're new if you turned 65 on or after that date and got Part A on or after it.
- If you were eligible for Medicare before 2020, including through a disability, you may still be able to buy Plan F, even if you never enrolled.
- Plan F and Plan G differ by one benefit: the Part B deductible, $283 in 2026. If Plan F costs more than $283 a year over Plan G, Plan G plus the deductible costs less.
- Every Medigap policy issued since 1992 is guaranteed renewable, so nobody can make you give up Plan F as long as you pay the premium.
- Switching from F to G in Nebraska usually means health questions. Don't cancel Plan F until a new policy has approved you.
If you have Plan F, you've probably heard it's "going away." It isn't, at least not for you. What changed in 2020 is who can buy it. Here's who still can, what it covers, and the simple math I use to decide whether keeping it still makes sense.
Who can still buy Medigap Plan F?
Plan F can only be sold to people who were eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020. Federal law closed it, along with Plan C, to people new to Medicare on or after that date, because those two plans cover the Part B deductible. Medicare counts you as new if you turned 65 on or after January 1, 2020, and got Part A on or after that date.
| Your situation | Can you buy Plan F? |
|---|---|
| You turned 65 before January 1, 2020 | Yes, if a company sells it to you. Outside open enrollment or a guaranteed issue right, expect health questions. |
| You were on Medicare through a disability before 2020 | Yes, you were eligible before 2020, though not every company offers every plan to people under 65. |
| You turned 65 in 2019 but delayed Medicare because you kept working | Yes. People eligible before 2020 who haven't enrolled may still buy Plan C or F. |
| You turned 65 on or after January 1, 2020 | No. Plan G or Plan D gives the same benefits without the Part B deductible. |
High-deductible Plan F follows the same rule. Its deductible is $2,950 in 2026 and $3,050 in 2027.
What does Plan F cover?
Plan F pays every standard Medigap benefit. After Medicare pays its share, Plan F pays the rest of your Medicare-approved costs, so a covered doctor visit, surgery or hospital stay costs you nothing more.
| Benefit (2026 amounts) | Plan F | Plan G |
|---|---|---|
| Part B deductible ($283) | Covered | You pay it |
| Part A hospital deductible ($1,736 per benefit period) | Covered | Covered |
| Hospital coinsurance and 365 extra days | Covered | Covered |
| Skilled nursing coinsurance, days 21 to 100 ($217 a day) | Covered | Covered |
| Part B coinsurance (20%) | Covered | Covered |
| Part B excess charges (up to 15%) | Covered | Covered |
| Foreign travel emergency | 80% after a $250 deductible | 80% after a $250 deductible |
That one row at the top is the whole difference. Like any supplement, Plan F has no network, works with any provider in the country that accepts Medicare, and doesn't cover prescriptions. Medigap plans sold after 2005 don't include drug coverage, so you'll want a Part D plan alongside it.
Can you keep Plan F?
Yes. Every Medigap policy issued since 1992 is guaranteed renewable. Your company can't cancel Plan F because of your age or health, and it can't make you switch, as long as you pay the premium.
What the company can do is raise the premium. Rates change for everyone in the same policy as claims and costs rise, and most Nebraska Medigap policies are attained-age rated, according to the Nebraska Department of Insurance, so your premium also climbs as you get older. Since 2020, no one new to Medicare has been able to join Plan F. That's a fact worth knowing when you ask your company how its Plan F rates have moved in Nebraska over the last few years.
When does switching from Plan F to Plan G make sense?
Switch only if the yearly premium difference is bigger than the Part B deductible you'd start paying, and only if you can get approved. In 2026, the Part B deductible is $283, so the break-even gap is about $23.58 a month.
| Plan F premium minus Plan G premium | Extra you pay for F in a year | Compared with the $283 deductible |
|---|---|---|
| $10 a month | $120 | Keeping F saves you about $163 |
| $23.58 a month | $283 | Break-even |
| $30 a month | $360 | Switching to G saves about $77 |
| $50 a month | $600 | Switching to G saves about $317 |
| $75 a month | $900 | Switching to G saves about $617 |
The 2027 Part B deductible hasn't been announced yet. CMS usually releases it in November. If it goes up, the break-even point goes up with it, so rerun the math when the new number comes out.
Money isn't the only factor:
- Your health. In Nebraska, outside a guaranteed issue situation, moving to Plan G means the new company can ask health questions and say no. If you've had a recent diagnosis, the safest plan may be the one you already have.
- Your age. An attained-age Plan G will also rise as you age. Compare what both plans would cost you at 75, not just this year.
- The company. A lower Plan G premium from a company with a rough rate history may not stay lower.
My page on Plan G vs Plan F goes deeper on the side-by-side, and Plan G has the full details on what you'd be switching to.
How do you switch from Plan F to Plan G without a gap?
Do it in this order, and you can't end up uninsured:
- Get Plan G quotes from several companies, and ask your current company whether it will move you from F to G and whether it asks health questions to do so.
- Apply for Plan G and answer the health questions honestly.
- Wait for approval and a start date. Don't touch Plan F yet.
- Use the 30-day free look period. Once the new Plan G starts, you have 30 days to decide whether to keep it. You'll pay both premiums for that month.
- Cancel Plan F with your old company after you're sure.
What about High-Deductible Plan F?
High-deductible Plan F works like regular Plan F after you've paid a yearly deductible of $2,950 in 2026 ($3,050 in 2027) in Medicare-covered costs. It's only for people eligible before 2020. If you're weighing it, compare it with High-Deductible Plan G, which has the same deductible and is open to people new to Medicare. The only benefit difference is the Part B deductible, and with either plan, what you pay toward the Part B deductible also counts toward the high deductible.
What if you're eligible for Plan F but buying a supplement for the first time?
This happens when someone turned 65 before 2020, kept working with a large employer's plan, and is only now signing up for Part B. Your 6-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period starts the first month you have Part B, and during it you can buy Plan F or Plan G from any company that sells them in Nebraska, with no health questions. Run the same break-even math with both quotes in hand. My page on Medigap open enrollment in Nebraska explains the window and the guaranteed issue rights, and working past 65 covers delaying Part B.
What should Plan F owners check each fall?
Your Plan F itself doesn't change during the fall Annual Enrollment Period, October 15 to December 7, 2026. Medigap isn't part of that window. Your drug plan is, and 2027 brings real changes there. The Part D deductible can be as high as $700 in 2027, up from $615, and the yearly cap on what you pay for covered drugs rises from $2,100 to $2,400. Nebraska also drops from 11 standalone drug plans in 2026 to 9 in 2027.
So each fall I'd check two things. First, read your Part D plan's Annual Notice of Change and run your medications against the 2027 plans. My Part D page and annual review page walk through how. Second, look at any Plan F rate change letter you've received this year and rerun the F versus G math above.
Where can you check your options?
For an unbiased second look, Nebraska SHIP (formerly SHIIP) offers one-on-one counseling at 1-800-234-7119. Medicare.gov lets you search Medigap policies by ZIP code, and 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (TTY 1-877-486-2048). To compare companies, see our list of Medicare Supplement companies in Nebraska.
If you want me to run your Plan F versus Plan G numbers with real quotes, talk to me. My help costs you nothing, and if keeping Plan F is the right answer, I'll tell you that too.
Frequently asked questions
Not for people who have it. Since January 1, 2020, federal law bars selling Plan F to people who are new to Medicare. Anyone who already has Plan F can keep it, and companies can't cancel it as long as the premium is paid, because Medigap policies are guaranteed renewable. People who were eligible for Medicare before 2020 may still buy Plan F if a company sells it to them.
Possibly, yes. Medicare's rules say people who were eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020, but haven't enrolled yet, may still be able to buy Plan C or Plan F. If you're 65 or older and signing up for Part B now, your 6-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period starts with Part B, and companies that sell Plan F in Nebraska can't turn you down during it.
One benefit. Plan F pays the Part B deductible, which is $283 in 2026, and Plan G doesn't. Everything else is the same, including the Part A hospital deductible, hospital and skilled nursing coinsurance, Part B coinsurance, Part B excess charges and 80% of foreign travel emergency care. So the real comparison is whether Plan F's higher premium costs you more than that deductible.
No one can promise either way. What's certain is that no one new to Medicare has been able to join Plan F since 2020, so the people in it are all people who were eligible before then. Premiums depend on the company's claims, its rating method and its pricing decisions. Ask how your company's Plan F premium has changed in Nebraska over the last few years and compare it to its Plan G.
Only during the 30-day free look period on the new Plan G, and only if you haven't canceled Plan F yet. Once Plan F is canceled, you can't get it back. Buying Plan F again would require that you were eligible for Medicare before 2020 and, outside a guaranteed issue situation, passing the company's health questions.
Yes, during the Annual Enrollment Period from October 15 to December 7. If it's your first time in Medicare Advantage and you leave within 12 months, federal trial rights let you get your Plan F back if the same company still sells it. After that year, getting any Medigap policy in Nebraska may mean health questions. Contact your Medigap company yourself, because policies don't always cancel automatically.
Sources
- Medicare.gov: Compare Medigap plan benefits (opens in a new tab)
- Medicare.gov: Choosing a Medigap Policy (CMS Product No. 02110, March 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- Nebraska Department of Insurance: Medicare Supplement Fact Sheet 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- CMS: 2027 high-deductible Medigap Plans F, G and J deductible (opens in a new tab)
- CMS: 2026 Medicare Parts A and B premiums and deductibles (opens in a new tab)
- Medicare.gov: Medicare & You 2027 (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.
