Medicare Supplement Plan G in Washington

What you pay with Plan G

After the Part B deductible ($283 in 2026), Plan G pays your share of every Medicare-covered service: the Part A hospital deductible, the 20% Part B coinsurance, skilled nursing coinsurance, hospice, blood and Part B excess charges. It also pays 80% of emergency care abroad, after a $250 yearly deductible, up to a $50,000 lifetime limit.

So the most a Plan G policyholder pays in a year for Medicare-covered care is the Part B deductible. Everything else is premium. That predictability is why most new Medigap buyers in Washington choose it.

What Plan G does not pay: Part D drugs (you need a separate drug plan), dental, routine vision, hearing aids, long-term custodial care, and anything Medicare itself doesn't cover.

Excess charges matter in Washington

A doctor who doesn't accept Medicare assignment can bill up to 15% over the Medicare-approved amount. Some states ban these "excess charges." Washington doesn't, so Plan G's excess-charge coverage has real value here, especially if you see specialists in Seattle or across the state line in Oregon or Idaho. Plan N and Plan D don't cover them.

Same benefits, very different prices

Because Plan G is standardized, the cheapest Plan G and the most expensive one pay identical claims. Look at the spread in the table below before you look at anything else.

Two cautions about the lowest rows. The Washington Health Care Authority's Premera Plan G is a state-sponsored group plan that you can join only in certain windows (when you turn 65, within 63 days of moving to Washington, within 63 days of losing other coverage, or during another guaranteed-issue period). AARP and USAA plans require membership or eligibility.

Price today vs price in five years

Washington requires each insurer to charge all its 65+ policyholders the same premium for a plan, but insurers still file rate increases. A plan that's cheap because it's new and its customers are healthy can rise faster later. The good news in Washington: if your Plan G gets expensive, you can switch to another insurer's Plan G at any time with no health questions. That makes the lowest current premium a more reasonable choice here than in most states.

High-deductible Plan G

The same benefits after you pay a $2,950 yearly deductible (2026). Premiums are a fraction of regular Plan G. See high-deductible Plan G.