Updated: July 9, 2026
Advertising & Editorial Disclosure
State Farm has California's cheapest Plan G at $166 and Plan N at $127. Bankers Life has the lowest Plan F at $181.
Your pricing model matters as much as your starting rate. AARP's Community Pricing charges the same rate regardless of age. Transamerica's Issue Age pricing locks your rate at enrollment. Attained Age plans from State Farm start lower but increase each year. Over 10 or more years, those differences compound.
For identical Plan F benefits, the gap between the cheapest and most expensive California carrier reaches $74 per month, $888 per year. The same pattern appears in Plan G and Plan N. We recommend getting quotes from at least three carriers before you commit.
California's Birthday Rule lets you switch to an equal or lesser plan within 60 days of your birthday each year, without medical underwriting. Most states don't offer this. If you enroll in an Attained Age plan and rates outpace your expectations, you have a guaranteed annual exit window.
State Farm leads on Plans C, D, G and N. Its Plan G at $166 monthly and Plan N at $127 both represent savings that compound over time. Those rates come with Attained Age pricing, so they increase annually as you age.
Attained Age plans cost less at 65 than Community-Rated plans for the same coverage. AARP charges $199 for Plan G, $33 more than State Farm. AARP's rate doesn't increase with age. State Farm's does.
Plan A | $120 | $58 | F, G, N | |
Plan B and Plan K | Plan B: $210 / Plan K: $78 | Plan B: $19 / Plan K: $28 | A, C, F, G, L, N | |
Plan C, Plan D, Plan G and Plan N | C: $224 / D: $166 / G: $166 / N: $127 | C: $47 / D: $33 / G: $58 / N: $41 | N/A | |
Plan F | $181 | $91 | A, G, N | |
Plan L | $138 | $19 | A, C, F, G, N |
*Prices are for 65-year-olds.
Plan F eligibility changes your options entirely. Only enrollees who qualified for Medicare before January 1, 2020 can buy Plan F. For them, Bankers Life leads California at $181 monthly. USAA leads on Plan A at $120, but access requires military service, veteran status or an immediate family connection to a qualifying member.
If you are a long-term Medigap buyer who plans to stay on the same plan past a decade, don't focus only on the starting rate. Community Pricing through AARP or Issue-Age Pricing through Transamerica completely changes your long-term costs.
My read of California's 2026 Medigap market: State Farm is the starting point for most new enrollees. Its Plan G at $166 leads the state on starting rate with an A++ AM Best rating to back it up, $58 below the state average.
State Farm | $166 | $58 | $1,992 | $699 |
Bankers Life | $173 | $51 | $2,076 | $615 |
USAA | $180 | $44 | $2,160 | $531 |
Health Net | $185 | $39 | $2,220 | $471 |
Anthem | $198 | $26 | $2,376 | $315 |
Blue Cross Blue Shield | $199 | $26 | $2,382 | $309 |
AARP | $199 | $25 | $2,388 | $303 |
Cigna | $200 | $24 | $2,400 | $291 |
Mutual of Omaha | $219 | $5 | $2,628 | $63 |
ManhattanLife | $220 | $4 | $2,640 | $51 |
Globe Life | $224 | $0 | $2,688 | $3 |
Medico Corp | $234 | -$10 | $2,812 | -$121 |
AFLAC | $247 | -$23 | $2,964 | -$273 |
United American | $248 | -$24 | $2,976 | -$285 |
Transamerica | $249 | -$25 | $2,988 | -$297 |
Everence | $275 | -$51 | $3,300 | -$609 |
Humana | $280 | -$55 | $3,354 | -$663 |
Aetna | $307 | -$83 | $3,684 | -$993 |
State Farm's Attained Age Pricing means your $166 today increases each year. AARP charges $33 more monthly but uses Community Pricing, which doesn't increase with age. Over 10 or more years, that gap narrows and may reverse. Request a projected rate comparison from both before you commit.
Plan N Medicare Supplement costs $127 to $162 per month in California. Plan N covers most of Plan G's coverage at $39 less per month, with $20 copays per doctor visit and $50 for emergency room use. State Farm leads California at $127 monthly, $41 below the state average. The carrier spread across California Plan N options runs $35 per month for identical standardized benefits.
State Farm | $127 | $41 | $1,524 | $492 |
Bankers Life | $134 | $34 | $1,608 | $408 |
Mutual of Omaha | $152 | $16 | $1,824 | $192 |
Health Net | $155 | $13 | $1,860 | $156 |
Globe Life | $159 | $9 | $1,908 | $108 |
Transamerica | $160 | $8 | $1,920 | $96 |
Cigna | $162 | $6 | $1,944 | $72 |
ManhattanLife | $166 | $2 | $1,992 | $24 |
AARP | $169 | -$1 | $2,028 | -$12 |
USAA | $172 | -$4 | $2,064 | -$48 |
Medico Corp | $175 | -$7 | $2,100 | -$84 |
Blue Cross Blue Shield | $178 | -$10 | $2,136 | -$120 |
AFLAC | $188 | -$20 | $2,256 | -$240 |
Humana | $200 | -$32 | $2,394 | -$378 |
Everence | $204 | -$36 | $2,448 | -$432 |
United American | $209 | -$41 | $2,508 | -$492 |
Anthem | $217 | -$49 | $2,604 | -$588 |
Aetna | $230 | -$62 | $2,760 | -$744 |
For members who expect more than occasional doctor visits, State Farm's Plan G at $166 merits a direct comparison. The $35 monthly gap across California Plan N carriers adds $420 per year for the same standardized coverage.
Your best Medicare Supplement rate depends on your age and the plan type you need. Use the filterable table below to compare California carriers by plan, pricing structure and age.
| USAA | A | No | 65 | $120 | $0 | Attained Age Pricing |
| State Farm | A | No | 65 | $123 | $0 | Attained Age Pricing |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield | A | No | 65 | $131 | $0 | Attained Age Pricing |
| Health Net | A | No | 65 | $147 | $0 | Attained Age Pricing |
| United American | A | No | 65 | $150 | $0 | Attained Age Pricing |
| AARP | A | No | 65 | $150 | $0 | Community Pricing |
| Globe Life | A | No | 65 | $151 | $0 | Attained Age Pricing |
| Bankers Life | A | No | 65 | $157 | $0 | Attained Age Pricing |
Get your real quotes from trusted insurance providers.
The California Department of Insurance authorizes 21 companies to sell Medigap plans in the state as of April 2026. Plan availability and pricing vary by ZIP code, so not every carrier sells every plan in every California county. The full authorized list is at insurance.ca.gov.
AARP/UnitedHealthcare leads the national Medigap market and is the largest authorized Medigap writer in California by enrollment. State Farm, USAA and Bankers Life have the lowest starting rates among the carriers in our analysis. Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California, Humana and Mutual of Omaha are also active across multiple California plan types.
Average Plan G Rate
Plan Types
Average Plan G Rate
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Average Plan G Cost
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Average Plan G Rate
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Average Plan G Rate
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California HICAP gives residents free, one-on-one counseling on Medicare Supplement plans, Medicare Advantage and Part D coverage with no sales pressure.
Your Medicare start date determines which plans are available to you. Enrollees who qualified before January 1, 2020 can buy Plan F, Bankers Life leads California at $181. Everyone else starts with Plan G, where State Farm's $166 is the lowest rate in our California analysis.
Your care frequency determines your best plan. If you see two or more specialists per year, Plan G's flat premium outperforms Plan N's copay structure. Plan N saves $39 per month over State Farm's Plan G.
Plan N adds $20 for each doctor visit and $50 for emergency room use. One additional specialist visit per month erases a large portion of that monthly savings.
Plan G covers every Medicare cost-sharing item except the Part B deductible, with no per-visit copays. Plan N is similar but adds a $20 copay per doctor visit and $50 for emergency room use in exchange for a lower monthly rate.
Plan F covers everything including the Part B deductible but is only available to enrollees who qualified for Medicare before January 1, 2020. Plans K and L have lower monthly premiums but require cost-sharing on covered services until you reach the annual out-of-pocket limit.
We checked 13+ California carriers and found rate gaps up to $74 per month for identical Plan F coverage. Request quotes from at least three carriers before enrolling. The Medicare.gov plan finder shows all authorized California carriers and their current rates by ZIP code, filterable by plan type and your age.
California carriers use three pricing structures. Issue Age locks your rate at enrollment. Transamerica is the only carrier in our analysis using this model. Attained Age Pricing increases your premium each year. Community Pricing charges the same rate to all enrollees regardless of age.
AARP uses Community Pricing. Over a 15-year enrollment, both Issue Age and Community Pricing often cost less in total than Attained Age plans, though starting premiums run higher.
Financial strength ratings tell you whether a carrier can pay claims decades from now. State Farm and USAA both hold A++ from AM Best, the highest grade available.
Bankers Life and Transamerica hold A (Excellent). AARP/UnitedHealthcare was downgraded from A+ to A (Excellent) in August 2025 with a stable outlook. Both remain strong ratings for a long-term Medigap commitment.
Your six-month open enrollment window opens at 65 when you enroll in Medicare Part B. During this period, every authorized California carrier must accept you at standard rates regardless of your health history.
Outside the window, carriers can require medical underwriting, charge higher rates or deny your application. California's Birthday Rule gives you one additional guaranteed window per year within 60 days of your birthday.
Below are answers to common questions about Medigap coverage for California residents.
Your open enrollment period begins when you enroll in Medicare Part B at age 65. For six months, any authorized California carrier must sell you any plan at standard rates, regardless of your health history.
After that window closes, carriers can require health underwriting, charge higher rates or deny your application. California's Birthday Rule adds a second guaranteed window annually.
Plan G, Plan F and Plan N together cover the large majority of California Medigap enrollees. Plan F holds the most enrollees overall but is closed to new Medicare beneficiaries who became eligible on or after January 1, 2020.
For new enrollees today, Plan G is the most comprehensive option. Plan N is the most popular lower-premium alternative, with copays per doctor and emergency room visit in exchange for a lower monthly rate.
No. Medicare Supplement plans automatically renew as long as you pay premiums on time. Your coverage continues year after year without action on your part. Medicare Advantage plans also renew automatically, but an annual review during the October 15 to December 7 enrollment period is worth doing to check for benefit changes.
Medicare Supplement plans work alongside Original Medicare. They cover out-of-pocket costs like deductibles and copayments. Medicare Advantage replaces Original Medicare entirely. It uses its own networks, costs and coverage rules. Supplement plans have no network restrictions. You can see any provider that accepts Medicare.
California's Birthday Rule lets Medigap enrollees switch to a plan with equal or lesser benefits once per year within 60 days of their birthday, without medical underwriting.
That means no health questions and no risk of being declined. The rule applies to existing policyholders, not new enrollees. It is most valuable for people on Attained Age plans whose premiums have increased beyond expectations, giving them a guaranteed annual exit window to a lower-cost plan.
About Mark Fitzpatrick
Mark Fitzpatrick, a licensed Property and Casualty (P&C) Insurance Producer in Connecticut, is MoneyGeek's resident insurance expert. He has spent nearly a decade analyzing the market, first at LendingTree and now at MoneyGeek, where he produces original research on hundreds of carriers and millions of rates across auto, home, renters, health and life insurance.
He covers economics and insurance at MoneyGeek, and his work has been featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times and NPR, among other outlets.
Like all MoneyGeek analysts, he draws on independent cost and consumer experience data. No insurance company partnership influences his recommendations.
Mark holds a B.A. from Boston College and an M.A. in Economics and International Relations from Johns Hopkins University. He started his career in financial risk management at State Street and is also a five-time “Jeopardy!” champion.
