Using Your Guaranteed Issue Rights for Medigap Coverage
Returning to Original Medicare exposes you to deductibles and 20 percent medical co-insurance. Purchasing a Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) policy protects your household from these open-ended expenses.
What Are Guaranteed Issue Rights?
Under normal circumstances, Medigap insurers use medical underwriting to evaluate applicants. Insurers can review your medical records, deny coverage, or charge higher premiums for pre-existing conditions.
When your Medicare Advantage plan terminates, federal law grants you “guaranteed issue rights.” These statutory protections require private Medigap insurers to sell you a policy at standard, healthy rates.
Carriers cannot deny your application, impose pre-existing condition waiting periods, or inflate your monthly premiums. This protection allows individuals with chronic health conditions to secure comprehensive supplemental coverage.
Which Medigap Plans Can You Buy?
Under federal non-renewal rules, you have the right to purchase Medigap Plans A, B, D, G, K, or L. Plan G remains the most comprehensive option available to newer beneficiaries.
If you were first eligible for Medicare prior to January 1, 2020, you can also purchase Medigap Plans C or F. Those grandfathered plans cover the Part B annual deductible.
Your Guaranteed Issue Window
Your guaranteed issue right begins 60 days before your Medicare Advantage plan ends. For 2026 terminations, this application window opens in early November 2026.
The window remains active for 63 days after your coverage terminates, ending in early March 2027. Applying early ensures your Medigap policy takes effect on January 1, 2027.
Keep the physical non-renewal letter you received from your exiting Medicare Advantage carrier. Medigap insurers require a copy of this notice as legal proof of your guaranteed issue eligibility.
