Medigap history

Plan F: closed to newcomers, kept by insiders, and quietly getting expensive

Short answer: Congress closed Medigap Plan F (and Plan C) to anyone who became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020. The reasoning: F covered literally everything, including the Part B deductible, and lawmakers decided "first-dollar" coverage encouraged overuse. If you were eligible before 2020, you can keep F or even still buy it. Everyone else gets Plan G, which is F minus the $283 deductible, and often the better deal even for those who could choose either, because closed insurance pools age badly.

By the Medicare Decoder team · Updated August 10, 2026 · 4-minute read · Figures are official 2026 amounts

Key takeaways

Plan F (and C) closed to people newly eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020; existing holders keep theirs.
The banned feature: covering the Part B deductible, making F “first-dollar” coverage with zero out-of-pocket.
Plan G is identical to F except you pay the $283 Part B deductible yourself; high-deductible G ($2,950 in 2026) replaced high-deductible F.
Closed pools age and shrink, so F premiums tend to climb faster than G’s; many F holders save by switching to G, but that means underwriting.
If you were eligible before 2020, you can technically still buy F, and usually still shouldn’t: the premium gap generally exceeds $283.

Jump to Why Congress closed it Who keeps and can still buy it F vs. G math The closed-pool problem Switching, carefully FAQ

Why Congress closed it

Plan F was Medigap’s everything plan: Part A and B deductibles, all coinsurance, excess charges, foreign emergencies, leaving $0 out of pocket for covered care. A 2015 law (MACRA) took aim at exactly that completeness: the theory was that people who never see a bill never weigh a marginal doctor visit, driving program costs. So Congress barred Medigap plans that cover the Part B deductible for anyone newly eligible from 2020 on, which erased F and C from the menu while leaving them alive for the grandfathered. Whatever you think of the theory, the mechanics matter more than the politics: the successor plan differs from F by exactly one number.

Who keeps it, who can still buy it

Eligibility, not enrollment, is the test: if you turned 65 (or otherwise became Medicare-eligible) before January 1, 2020, you may keep an existing F, and insurers may still sell you one today, subject to normal underwriting outside your original window. Eligible in 2020 or later, and F simply isn’t purchasable at any price; no agent can conjure it, and any pitch implying otherwise is describing G with extra steps. The same line applies to Plan C (F’s sibling without excess-charge coverage) and, in the other direction, high-deductible F closed while high-deductible G carries that torch at a $2,950 deductible in 2026.

The F vs. G math, in one paragraph

G’s benefits are F’s benefits minus one item: you pay the $283 Part B deductible yourself each year. So F is worth, at absolute most, $283 a year more than G. Whenever F’s premium exceeds G’s by more than roughly $24 a month, and in most markets it does, comfortably, G wins on arithmetic while delivering the identical everything-after-the-deductible experience. This was true even before 2020; the closure just made it academic for newcomers. The full G-versus-the-field decision, including Plan N’s copay trade, lives in the G-vs-N article.

The closed-pool problem, which is the real story

An insurance plan closed to new entrants stops receiving young, healthy joiners. The remaining pool ages together, claims per member rise, and premiums follow, a slow ratchet actuaries saw coming the day the law passed. F holders routinely report steeper annual increases than comparable G pricing, and the gap tends to widen. None of this makes F worthless (the coverage itself remains perfect), but it converts "I’ll just keep my F" from a neutral default into a position with a carrying cost worth checking annually: compare your F renewal against fresh G quotes in your zip code each fall alongside the other September numbers.

Switching, carefully

Moving from F to G usually means medical underwriting (outside limited state exceptions and birthday/anniversary rules in a handful of states), so sequence it safely: apply for the G policy first, receive the approval, then cancel F, never the reverse. Healthy applicants generally clear underwriting and pocket the premium difference indefinitely; declined applicants keep their F and have lost nothing but a form. What almost never makes sense is dropping F in frustration before securing the replacement, which converts a pricing annoyance into a one-way-door problem. And if you’re grandfathered but shopping fresh: buy G, invest the difference, and let F retire with its era.

Questions people also ask

Why was Medicare Plan F discontinued?

A 2015 law barred Medigap plans covering the Part B deductible for anyone newly eligible from January 1, 2020, on the theory that first-dollar coverage encourages overuse. Plan F and Plan C both covered that deductible, so both closed to newcomers while existing eligible holders kept access.

Can I still get Plan F?

Only if you became Medicare-eligible before January 1, 2020: then you can keep an existing F or apply for one (with underwriting outside your original window). Anyone eligible in 2020 or later cannot buy F at any price; Plan G is the closest available plan.

What is the difference between Plan F and Plan G?

One item: G doesn’t cover the $283 Part B deductible; F does. Everything else, hospital coinsurance, the 20%, excess charges, foreign emergency coverage, is identical. F is therefore worth at most $283 a year more, and its premiums usually exceed that gap.

Should I switch from Plan F to Plan G?

Run the math: if F’s premium exceeds G’s by more than about $24 a month, switching saves money for identical practical coverage. Apply and get approved for G before canceling F, since the switch generally involves medical underwriting.

Why do Plan F premiums keep going up so fast?

It’s a closed pool: no new (younger, healthier) members enter, the remaining group ages together, and per-member claims rise, pushing premiums up faster than open plans like G. Comparing your F renewal against fresh G quotes each year is the standard checkup.

Sources for this article

Medicare.govBuying a Medigap policy: standardized plans and the 2020 eligibility line.
Medicare.govWhen to buy: underwriting rules outside protected windows.
CMS.gov2026 premiums and deductibles: the $283 deductible that defines the F/G gap.

Figures checked against these sources in August 2026. We update within weeks when CMS publishes new amounts.

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