Medicare Supplement Plan F or Plan G

“That is the real question, which Medicare Supplement Plan do I go with?” Bob said. “Plan F or Plan G? They both look the same.” “Good question.” I told him. Then I began to explain as I do to all the folks I talk to who ask this same question. It’s funny how in the end, they always seem to agree and make the same decision because it just makes $ense.

Here is the deal. Plan F has been the most popular plan in the Medicare Supplement Market for years. Mainly because it is simple to understand; most people have almost no out of pocket costs other than what they pay each month for the plan. If Medicare pays, then the Medicare Supplement pays. Some people even say the “F” stands for “Full coverage”. However, “Full coverage” as we all know, comes at a price, and sometimes it isn’t the best “bang for your buck”.

Plan F and Plan G are identical, the ONLY difference is, on Plan G you have to pay for the Medicare Part B deductible. Therefore, Plan G is becoming more and more popular, mainly because of the cost. If you look at the graph below, the Part B deductible has not changed in the past 3 years.

PART B DEDUCTIBLE HISTORY

In 2010 Part B deductible was $155
In 2011 Part B deductible was $162
In 2012 Part B deductible was $140
In 2013 Part B deductible was $147
In 2014 Part B deductible was $147
In 2015 Part B deductible was $147

Even though the Part B deductible hasn’t changed much in the past 5 years (in fact it’s lower than it was in 2011), Plan F prices have steadily been increasing every year. Basically, for 4 years people with Plan F have been paying more for a benefit that hasn’t changed.

When you look at the actual numbers, the Medicare Part B deductible breaks down to around $12 per month ($147 / 12 months). So if a Plan F costs $12 more than a Plan G per month for you, then you are paying too much!!! Make $ense??

In some areas, we see a Plan F for a customer and a Plan G be as much as $40 difference! So tell me, if Progressive or Geico told you that you could save $480 per year in premium and only add $147 in your deductible, would you be willing to make that change? Of course you would, because it makes $ense.

So after quoting Bob Plan F @ $187.39 per month and Plan G @ $157.35 per month … I said to Bob … “I always give folks the choice by showing them the price difference and let them make the decision … which plan do YOU think you should go with?” Without hesitation Bob blurted “Well I would be dumb to not go with Plan G!” Bob is a smart man. Over 90% of our customers go with Plan G, however if you are willing to give an insurance company $200-$400 in trade for $147, then we won’t mind helping you do that.