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The Finance Base
Medicare

Medicare Supplement Plan F: Coverage, Eligibility, Costs, and Enrollment

Plan F covers many Original Medicare cost-sharing amounts, including the Part B deductible, but eligibility is restricted for people first eligible for Medicare from 2020 onward.

By TheFinanceBase Team 4 min read
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Medicare Supplement Plan F (Medigap Plan F) covers the listed Medicare Part A and Part B cost-sharing benefits, including the Part B deductible and Part B excess charges, for eligible people with Original Medicare. But people first eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020 generally cannot buy Plan F. It also does not replace Original Medicare or cover prescription drugs and several services Medicare typically excludes.

What does Medicare Supplement Plan F cover?

Plan F is a standardized Medigap policy. It helps pay the cost-sharing amounts shown in Medicare’s comparison chart for services covered by Original Medicare, including the Part A and Part B benefits listed there. Its coverage includes the Part B deductible and Part B excess charges. See Medicare’s Medigap plan benefit chart for the official benefit-by-benefit comparison.

Medigap supplements Original Medicare; it is not a replacement for it. You generally need both Part A and Part B to buy a Medigap policy. As Medicare puts it, “You can only buy Medigap if you have Original Medicare.” Medicare’s Medigap basics explains how the two work together.

Standard Plan F and high-deductible Plan F

Where offered, high-deductible Plan F is a separate version with the same broad category of benefits, but you pay Medicare-covered costs up to the annual threshold before the policy starts paying. For 2026, Medicare lists that threshold as $2,950. This is a year-specific amount, not a permanent figure; check the current comparison chart when evaluating a policy. The standard version does not have this high-deductible threshold.

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Who can buy Plan F?

Federal rules generally prevent people whose Medicare eligibility began on or after January 1, 2020 from buying Medigap plans that cover the Part B deductible, including Plan F. The rule applies to people newly eligible for Medicare from that date, not simply to people who are shopping for coverage now. Medicare’s 2026 Medicare & You handbook and plan comparison chart describe this transition.

People who became eligible before January 1, 2020 may still be able to buy Plan F, but eligibility does not guarantee that an insurer sells it in every state or that a particular applicant can get a policy at a desired price. Availability and application rules can vary by state and insurer.

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When can you enroll in Medigap?

Federal Medigap Open Enrollment Period

The federal Medigap Open Enrollment Period is a one-time, six-month window. It starts the first month you are both at least 65 and enrolled in Medicare Part B. During this period, insurers cannot deny you Medigap coverage because of pre-existing health problems. It does not repeat each year. Review Medicare’s guidance on when to buy a Medigap policy to understand the timing.

After the six-month window

Once the federal open enrollment period ends, you may have fewer options or face higher premiums unless a guaranteed-issue right or state protection applies. Certain transitions from Medicare Advantage to Original Medicare have specific timing rules; Medicare identifies an application window that can run from 60 days before to 63 days after the relevant transition in qualifying cases. The details depend on why and when coverage is changing. Check Medicare’s Medigap purchasing guidance and confirm your circumstances with Medicare or your State Insurance Department before making a switch.

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How much does Plan F cost?

There is no single national Plan F premium. Prices vary by insurer, location, and other factors, and premiums can change over time. Medicare recommends comparing policies with the same letter and requesting estimates from multiple companies. The benefits in a lettered plan are standardized: “The benefits in each lettered plan are the same, no matter which insurance company sells it.” Price, however, is not standardized. See Medicare’s overview of Medigap costs.

A Medigap premium is separate from the Medicare Part B premium. In 2026, Medicare lists the Part B deductible as $283; standard Plan F covers that deductible for eligible policyholders, while the high-deductible version follows its separate threshold. Do not treat either figure as a quote for your total insurance costs: ask insurers for current local premiums and compare policies on the same basis.

What to compare in quotes

  • Whether standard or high-deductible Plan F is available to you and in your state.
  • The premium from each insurer for the same version of Plan F.
  • How the premium may change over time and which pricing factors apply to your policy.
  • Your separate Part B premium and any other coverage you need, such as Part D.

What Plan F does not cover

Medigap pays toward cost sharing for services covered by Original Medicare; it does not turn services outside Original Medicare into covered care. Medigap generally does not cover long-term care, routine dental or vision care, hearing aids, glasses, or private-duty nursing. Policies sold after 2005 do not include prescription drug coverage. If you need outpatient prescription benefits, evaluate a separate Medicare Part D plan. Medicare summarizes these limits in its Medigap basics guidance.

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Is Plan F the right choice for you?

Start with eligibility: if you first became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020, Plan F generally is not available to you under the federal rule against new enrollment in plans covering the Part B deductible. If you were eligible earlier, check whether insurers in your state offer it and whether you can enroll under your circumstances.

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Then compare the actual premium and coverage you can obtain with other available options. Plan F’s standardized benefits may appeal to someone who wants the listed cost-sharing covered, but the premium, high-deductible option, need for separate drug coverage, and your enrollment rights all affect the decision. Medicare’s benefit comparison chart and cost guidance can help frame the comparison.

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