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

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Updated: August 17, 2026

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Key Takeaways
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Medicare Supplement Plan N covers the $1,736 Part A deductible, Part B co-insurance and skilled nursing facility care. It excludes the $283 Part B deductible or Part B excess charges.

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You pay copays up to $20 for doctor visits and up to $50 for emergency room visits that don't result in hospital admission.

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Plan N premiums vary by pricing method and age. In our 2026 analysis, a 65-year-old pays $148 per month under attained-age pricing and $249 under community rating for the same coverage.

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Plan N is available to anyone 65 or older enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B. No insurer can cancel your policy because of age, health changes or how often you use your benefits.

What Is Medicare Supplement Plan N?

Medicare Supplement Plan N is private insurance you buy in addition to Original Medicare. Medicare Part B pays 80% of approved outpatient costs and leaves you responsible for the remaining 20%. Plan N covers that 20% for most services, plus hospital co-insurance and several other gaps, for a monthly premium.   

Plan N from any insurer covers identical items. The difference between companies is the monthly premium alone. Once you decide Plan N fits your needs, compare on price alone.

When I analyzed Plan N premiums for 2026, I found that pricing method affects monthly cost more than insurer selection does. A 65-year-old pays $148 per month under attained-age pricing and $249 under community rating for the same coverage. The $101 monthly difference costs $1,212 per year for identical benefits.   

Plan N has two coverage gaps that explain its lower premium compared to Plan G. It doesn't cover the $283 Part B deductible, which resets each January 1. Part B excess charges are also excluded, these apply when a provider bills above Medicare's approved rate.

What Does Medicare Supplement Plan N Cover?

Plan N covers most costs Original Medicare doesn't pay, which includes inpatient hospital stays, skilled nursing facility care and Part B co-insurance for outpatient services. In my review of Plan N benefits for 2026, the Part A deductible coverage is the highest-value item for most beneficiaries. 

The Part A deductible is $1,736 per benefit period in 2026 and resets after any 60-day gap between hospital stays. Two hospitalizations separated by 60 days or more means two deductibles. Plan N covers both.

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    Part A Hospital Co-Insurance and Hospital Costs

    Plan N covers your share of inpatient hospital costs under Medicare Part A. This coverage includes up to 365 additional days after Medicare benefits end. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services sets the Part A daily co-insurance at $434 for days 61 through 90 of a hospital stay in 2026.

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    Part B Co-Insurance or Copay

    Plan N pays Medicare Part B co-insurance or copays for approved services after you pay the $283 annual Part B deductible yourself. Part B co-insurance is usually 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for most outpatient services.

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    Part A Deductible

    In 2026, Plan N covers the full $1,736 Part A deductible per benefit period. The deductible applies each time you enter a hospital after a 60-day break in care, not once per calendar year. Plan N pays it every time.

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    Skilled Nursing Facility Co-Insurance

    Under this plan, coverage extends to skilled nursing facility co-insurance for days 21 through 100 at $217 per day in 2026, per the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Original Medicare covers days one through 20 in full. Days 21 through 100 require co-insurance that Plan N pays.

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    First Three Pints of Blood

    Plan N covers the cost of the first three pints of blood annually under both Part A and Part B. Original Medicare doesn't pay for the first three pints, so this benefit removes a common out-of-pocket cost for beneficiaries who need transfusions.

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    Foreign Travel Emergency

    Plan N covers 80% of emergency medical costs outside the United States after a $250 deductible, up to a $50,000 lifetime maximum, per the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Original Medicare provides no foreign travel emergency coverage. The $50,000 lifetime maximum is a hard cap. A serious medical emergency abroad can exceed it, at which point you pay 100% of costs beyond the limit.

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    Part B Preventive Care Co-Insurance

    You pay no co-insurance for Medicare-approved preventive care when your provider accepts Medicare assignment. This applies to annual wellness visits, cancer screenings and other services covered under Medicare Part B.

What Plan N Doesn't Cover?

Plan N leaves four categories uncovered. The Part B deductible is $283 per year but is a predictable out-of-pocket expense. Part B excess charges are unpredictable and depend on which providers you see. Prescription drugs, dental, vision and hearing also require separate coverage.

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    Part B Deductible

    You pay the full $283 annual Part B deductible before Plan N's Part B co-insurance applies in 2026, per the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This deductible resets each January 1.

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    Part B Excess Charges

    If your provider doesn't accept Medicare assignment, they can charge up to 15% above the Medicare-approved rate. Plan N doesn't cover this amount, so you pay the difference out of pocket. Providers who accept Medicare assignment remove this gap entirely. Call each provider's billing office to confirm Medicare assignment status before you enroll in Plan N.

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    Prescription Drugs

    Plan N excludes prescription drug coverage. You'll need a separate Medicare Part D plan, which costs $20 to $80 per month in most markets, per MoneyGeek's analysis of 2026 Part D plan data.

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    Dental, Vision and Hearing

    Plan N doesn't cover routine dental care, vision exams, eyeglasses or hearing aids. You'll need separate dental and vision coverage or a discount plan for those services.

How Much Does Medicare Supplement Plan N Cost per Month?

Medicare Supplement Plan N premiums vary by insurer, location and the pricing method your insurer uses. Three methods exist: attained-age pricing, which raises your premium each birthday; issue-age pricing, which locks your rate at your enrollment age; and community rating, which charges the same amount regardless of age. 

Premiums for a 65-year-old start at $148 per month based on MoneyGeek's analysis of 2026 Medigap plan data.

Attained Age
65
$148
$1,780
Attained Age
75
$188
$2,260
Issue Age
65
$188
$2,258
Issue Age
75
$234
$2,811
Community
65
$249
$2,994
Community
75
$267
$3,202

*MoneyGeek's 2026 analysis of Medicare Supplement Plan N premiums. Rates represent national averages and vary by state and insurer.   

Attained-age pricing starts cheapest at $148 per month for a 65-year-old but increases with every birthday. At 75, the same pricing method costs $188. The $40 monthly increase is the compounding cost of the lower entry point.   

Community-rated plans charge $249 at 65 and $267 at 75, an $18 increase over 10 years versus $40 for attained-age pricing. If you plan to keep the same Medigap plan for a decade or more, community rating may cost less in total despite the higher starting premium.

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

Medigap Plans N, G and F share the same foundational coverage: the $1,736 Part A deductible, hospital co-insurance and foreign travel emergency benefits. The differences are the Part B deductible, Part B excess charges and whether you pay a copay at each visit.   

For anyone who enrolled in Medicare after January 1, 2020, Plan F isn't available, so the relevant comparison for new enrollees is Plan N versus Plan G. Plan G covers Part B excess charges and charges no copays at doctor visits. Plan N trades those benefits for a lower monthly premium.

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 fits beneficiaries who want broad Medigap coverage and can absorb two predictable costs: the $283 Part B deductible each year and copays of up to $20 per doctor visit.   

Before selecting Plan N, check two factors: 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

    At age 65, Plan N starts at $148 per month in our 2026 analysis. Beneficiaries who see a doctor two to four times a year often pay less in total annual cost than they would under Plan G.

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    Your Doctors Accept Medicare Assignment

    Plan N is the right fit when all your current providers accept Medicare's approved rates. Doctors who don't accept Medicare assignment can charge up to 15% above those rates, and you'd pay that difference out of pocket. Confirm assignment status with each provider's billing office before enrolling.

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    You Want Nationwide Provider Access

    Plan N lets you see any Medicare-accepting provider nationwide without referrals or prior authorization. Medicare Advantage plans average $0 per month in 2026 based on our analysis of 2026 Medicare Advantage plan data, but restrict access to network providers and often require referrals. Plan N charges a monthly premium with 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 See Doctors or Specialists Frequently

    Plan N charges a copay of up to $20 per doctor visit. Policyholders with monthly specialist appointments pay those copays on top of the monthly premium. Plan G covers 100% of Part B co-insurance with no per-visit copay, and for policyholders who see doctors frequently, it often costs less in total.

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    Your Providers Don't Accept Medicare Assignment

    Plan N excludes Part B excess charges, the additional amount when a provider bills above Medicare's approved rate. A provider who doesn't accept Medicare assignment can charge up to 15% above that rate, and you pay every dollar out of pocket.

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    You Want No Annual Deductible Exposure

    Plan N doesn't cover the $283 Part B deductible, which resets each January 1 and must be paid before Plan N's co-insurance applies for the calendar year. Policyholders who reach the deductible early each year and want no annual cost gap will pay less overall with Plan G.

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HOW CAN YOU BUY MEDIGAP PLAN N?

The best time to buy Plan N is during your six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period. It starts the month you turn 65 and enroll in Medicare Part B. During this window, insurers can't deny coverage or charge more based on health history. After it closes, they can.

Three ways to enroll:

  • Contact insurers directly through their websites or by phone
  • Work with a licensed insurance agent who compares plans across multiple carriers
  • Call 1-800-MEDICARE to find Plan N options in your state

Frequently Asked Questions

We've answered the most frequently asked questions about Medicare Supplement Plan N:

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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 in Connecticut 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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