Medicare Supplement Plan N: Coverage, Costs, Pros & Cons

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Updated: October 26, 2026

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Key Takeaways
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Plan N pays the $1,736 Part A deductible, Part B co-insurance and skilled nursing facility co-insurance. It doesn't pay the $283 Part B deductible or Part B excess charges.

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Expect copays of up to $20 for doctor visits and up to $50 for emergency room visits that don't lead to hospital admission.

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Your insurer's pricing method and your age set your Plan N premium. In MoneyGeek's 2026 analysis, the same coverage averages $148 a month for a 65-year-old on attained-age pricing and $249 on community rating.

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During your Medigap Open Enrollment Period, insurers must sell you Plan N if you're 65 or older and enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B, and they can't turn you down because of your health history.

What Is Medicare Supplement Plan N?

Medicare Supplement Plan N is private insurance you add to Original Medicare. For approved outpatient costs, Part B pays 80% and you owe the other 20%. For a monthly premium, Plan N pays that 20% on most services, along with hospital co-insurance and several other gaps.

Outside Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin, every insurer's Plan N covers the same items, so only the monthly premium differs. Once you've decided Plan N fits, compare insurers on price.

When I analyzed Plan N premiums for 2026, pricing method alone changed a 65-year-old's average premium by $101 a month. The same coverage costs $148 under attained-age pricing and $249 under community rating, which adds up to $1,212 a year.

Plan N's premium is lower than Plan G's because you share some costs at the doctor's office: up to $20 for some doctor visits and up to $50 for ER visits that don't lead to hospital admission. Plan N also leaves you Part B excess charges, the extra a provider can bill above Medicare's approved rate. Neither plan pays the $283 Part B deductible, which resets each January 1.

What Does Medicare Supplement Plan N Cover?

Plan N pays most costs Original Medicare doesn't, including inpatient hospital stays, skilled nursing facility care and Part B co-insurance for outpatient services. It also pays the Part A deductible, $1,736 per benefit period in 2026.

That deductible resets after any 60-day gap between hospital stays, so two stays 60 or more days apart mean two deductibles. Plan N pays both.

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    Part A Hospital Co-Insurance and Hospital Costs

    For inpatient hospital care under Part A, Plan N pays your share, including the $434 daily co-insurance for days 61 through 90 in 2026, per the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. It also covers up to 365 extra days after Medicare benefits end.

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    Part B Co-Insurance or Copay

    Once you've paid the $283 Part B deductible yourself, Plan N pays your Part B co-insurance, 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for most outpatient services, apart from its own office and ER copays.

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    Part A Deductible

    Plan N pays the full 2026 Part A deductible of $1,736 in every benefit period, not just once a year.

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    Skilled Nursing Facility Co-Insurance

    Original Medicare pays days one through 20 of a skilled nursing stay in full. For days 21 through 100, Plan N pays the $217 daily co-insurance for 2026, per the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

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    First Three Pints of Blood

    Original Medicare doesn't pay for the first three pints of blood you need each year. Plan N does, under both Part A and Part B.

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    Foreign Travel Emergency

    Original Medicare pays nothing for emergencies abroad. Plan N pays 80% of emergency care outside the U.S. after a $250 deductible, up to a $50,000 lifetime maximum, per the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Past that cap, you pay 100% of the cost.

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    Part B Preventive Care Co-Insurance

    Under Medicare Part B, you pay no co-insurance for approved preventive care, such as annual wellness visits and cancer screenings, when your provider accepts Medicare assignment. Medicare covers this care in full, so Plan N has nothing to pay.

What Plan N Doesn't Cover

Under Plan N, you pay the Part B deductible and any excess charges yourself, and you need separate coverage for prescription drugs, dental, vision and hearing. The $283 deductible is predictable. Excess charges aren't, since they depend on which providers you see.

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    Part B Deductible

    The Part B deductible resets each January 1, and you pay the full $283 for 2026, per the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, before Plan N starts paying Part B co-insurance.

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    Part B Excess Charges

    A provider that doesn't accept Medicare assignment can charge up to 15% above the Medicare-approved rate, and under Plan N, you pay that difference. Providers that accept assignment can't bill it at all, so call each provider's billing office to check before you enroll.

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    Prescription Drugs

    For prescriptions, you'll need a separate Medicare Part D plan. Stand-alone Part D plans averaged $35 a month in 2026, per the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

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    Dental, Vision and Hearing

    Routine dental care, vision exams, eyeglasses and hearing aids fall outside Plan N. For those services, you'll need separate dental and vision coverage or a discount plan.

How Much Does Medicare Supplement Plan N Cost per Month?

Medicare Supplement Plan N premiums depend on your insurer, where you live and the pricing method your insurer uses. With attained-age pricing, your premium goes up as you age. Issue-age pricing ties the premium to your age when you buy, and community rating charges the same premium at every age. Under either of those two, a birthday won't raise your rate, though inflation and claims costs still can.

In MoneyGeek's analysis of 2026 Medigap data, a 65-year-old on attained-age pricing pays an average of $148 a month for Plan N and $196 for Plan G, the lowest averages for each plan.

Attained Age
65
$148
$196
$569
Attained Age
75
$204
$262
$697
Issue Age
65
$188
$239
$617
Issue Age
75
$251
$313
$746
Community
65
$249
$306
$684
Community
75
$267
$327
$726

*Figures come from MoneyGeek's 2026 analysis of standard Plan N and Plan G premiums, without high-deductible Plan G. Each row is the 2026 national average for policyholders of that age, so the 65 and 75 rows describe two different groups in the same year. Premiums vary by state, insurer, sex and tobacco use, and yearly savings use unrounded premiums.

Attained-age pricing is the cheapest method at 65, at $148 a month for Plan N. Attained-age premiums rise with age, and in MoneyGeek's data, 75-year-olds on that method average $204 a month, $56 more than 65-year-olds.

Community rating is the most expensive method at 65, at $249 a month. Even at 75, attained-age pricing averages less: $204 a month against $267 for community rating.

How Is Medicare Supplement Plan N Different From Plan G and Plan F?

Plans N, G and F all pay the $1,736 Part A deductible, hospital co-insurance and foreign travel emergencies. They differ on the Part B deductible, Part B excess charges and visit copays.

If you became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020, you can't buy Plan F, so your real choice is Plan N or Plan G. Plan G covers Part B excess charges and has no doctor visit copays. Plan N gives up both for a lower premium, $569 a year less for a 65-year-old on attained-age pricing in MoneyGeek's 2026 data.

Part A deductible ($1,736)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Part A hospital co-insurance
Yes
Yes
Yes
Skilled nursing facility co-insurance
Yes
Yes
Yes
Part B co-insurance
Yes
Yes
Yes
Part B deductible ($283)
No
No
Yes
Part B excess charges
No
Yes
Yes
Foreign travel emergency
Yes
Yes
Yes
Doctor visit copay
Up to $20
None
None
ER visit copay (not admitted)
Up to $50
None
None
Available to new enrollees
Yes
Yes
No

*Benefit standardization applies in all states except Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Should You Consider Medicare Supplement Plan N?

Plan N suits you if you want broad Medigap coverage and can handle copays of up to $20 per doctor visit, on top of the $283 Part B deductible that Plan G also leaves to you.

Before you choose Plan N, check how often you see doctors and whether your providers accept Medicare assignment.

A Good Fit If...
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    You Want Lower Monthly Premiums Than Plan G

    In MoneyGeek's 2026 data, a 65-year-old on attained-age pricing pays an average of $148 a month for Plan N and $196 for Plan G. The $569 a year you save covers 28 copays of $20, so Plan N costs less overall unless you have more copay visits than that or see providers who bill excess charges.

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    Your Doctors Accept Medicare Assignment

    If every provider you see accepts Medicare's approved rates, Plan N's gap on excess charges won't cost you anything. A doctor who doesn't accept assignment can charge up to 15% more, and you'd pay the difference. Check each provider's status with their billing office before you enroll.

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    You Want Nationwide Provider Access

    With Plan N, you can see any provider nationwide who accepts Medicare, with no referrals or prior authorization. Medicare Advantage plans averaged $14 a month in 2026, per the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, but they limit coverage to a provider network. Plan N costs more each month and has no network limits.

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    You Want a Guaranteed-Renewable Policy

    Plan N renews automatically each year as long as you pay your premiums. Insurers can't cancel your policy due to age, health changes or how often you use your benefits. Guaranteed renewability is a federal provision that applies to all standardized Medigap plans.

Not a Good Fit If...
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    You Have More Than Two Copay Visits a Month

    Under Plan N, each doctor visit can cost up to $20, and each ER visit that doesn't lead to admission up to $50. For a 65-year-old on attained-age pricing, Plan G costs $569 more a year, so Plan G comes out cheaper past 28 copay visits a year, or fewer if some are ER visits. At 75, the gap grows to $697 a year.

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    Your Providers Don't Accept Medicare Assignment

    A provider who doesn't accept Medicare assignment can bill up to 15% above Medicare's approved rate. Plan N doesn't pay those excess charges, so every dollar comes out of your pocket.

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HOW CAN YOU BUY MEDIGAP PLAN N?

Buy Plan N during your six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period, which starts the month you turn 65 and enroll in Medicare Part B. In that window, insurers can't turn you down or charge more because of your health history. After it closes, they can, unless you qualify for a guaranteed-issue right, such as after losing employer coverage.

You can enroll three ways:

  • Contact insurers directly online or by phone
  • Use a licensed insurance agent who compares plans across several carriers
  • Call 1-800-MEDICARE for Plan N options in your state

Frequently Asked Questions

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About Mark Fitzpatrick

Mark Fitzpatrick, Licensed P&C Insurance Expert, MoneyGeek

Mark Fitzpatrick is a licensed Property and Casualty (P&C) Insurance Producer and MoneyGeek's resident expert in insurance and economics. In nearly a decade covering the insurance market at LendingTree and MoneyGeek, he's analyzed hundreds of carriers and millions of rates across auto, home, renters, health and life insurance.

His work has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times and NPR. He draws on independent cost and consumer experience data, and no insurance company partnerships affect his recommendations.

Mark studied at Boston College and later earned a master's in economics and international relations from Johns Hopkins University. He worked in financial risk management at State Street before joining MoneyGeek. He's also a five-time “Jeopardy!” champion.

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