The four most popular plans are D, F, G and N. Most carriers sell only three or four of the supplements (usually A, C and F, or C, D and F). We work with several carriers sell all available supplements as well as the high-deductible option plan.

D does not cover the $162 annual deductible for doctor appointments (not a big deal with most consumers) nor any of the excess for doctor appointments. So long as you are using a doctor who takes Medicare assignment, your "excess" should only be 20% of what Medicare allows the doctor to charge - your "cost" might be $10 to $20 - nto all that much.

F covers the $162 deductible and the excess. It costs about 40% more premium than Plan D and 10-20% more than Plan G.

G does not cover the $162 annual deductible but covers the excess.

N does not cover the $162 annual deductible and has $20 doctor visit co-pays and $50 (maximum) ER co-pays. It costs about 10-15% less than Plan G.

Medicare itself does not cover prescriptions nor do any of the "true" original Medigap insurance plans (A through N). See the previous article on Part D of Medicare, prescription coverage.

Note: some carriers offer a High-Deductible Option F plans. These are similar in benefits to the regular Plan F option but you have a $2,000-plus deductible. High Deductible Plan F is significantly less expensive than regular plan D.

Our recommendation: one of the four mentioned above OR High Option F, where available.

Again, if you do not mind the $2,000-plus deductible, High Option F is excellent choices. Do I recommmend it? Not as a rule. To have a plan that picks up the $2,000 you would be required to go out of pocket before any Medicare benefits kick in costs substantially less than the $2,000 difference, per year.