Medicare Supplement Plan B

Medigap Plan B adds coverage of the Part A inpatient deductible on top of Plan A's basic benefits. It still does not cover the Part B deductible, skilled nursing facility coinsurance, or foreign travel emergency care — but it does protect you from the per-period hospital deductible that Plan A leaves exposed.

Plan B is a step up from Plan A and a step down from the more comprehensive options like Plan G. The Part A deductible ($1,676 per benefit period in 2026) resets each time you start a new benefit period, so if you're hospitalized more than once per year — with at least 60 days between stays — you could face that deductible multiple times. Plan B eliminates that risk.

Plan B makes sense for people who want modest Medigap coverage and are most concerned about hospital costs but less concerned about out-of-pocket doctor visit expenses. If you have a history of hospitalizations or want protection against repeated deductibles, Plan B provides that without the broader and more expensive coverage of Plan G or Plan N.

In practice, Plan B is less commonly chosen than Plan G because the premium difference between the two is often smaller than it appears when you factor in the gaps Plan B still leaves open. Before settling on Plan B, compare it side by side with Plan G premiums from the same carrier — in many cases the upgrade to Plan G is only a few dollars more per month.

One practical note on shopping: Medigap plan benefits are standardized by federal law, so Plan B from one company covers exactly the same things as Plan B from another. The only differences are premium, rate increase history, and customer service. Getting quotes from at least three carriers is a straightforward step that often reveals meaningful price differences for identical coverage.