Medigap Plan A
Plan A is the core benefit package every other letter builds on: it pays your Part A hospital coinsurance (with up to 365 extra hospital days after Medicare's benefits run out), your Part B coinsurance — generally the open-ended 20% — the first 3 pints of blood, and hospice cost-sharing. Everything else is yours: the Part A and Part B deductibles, skilled nursing facility coinsurance, Part B excess charges, and foreign travel emergencies. In most states, any company that sells Medigap must offer Plan A.
Who Plan A tends to fit
- People whose main worry is the open-ended costs: the 20% Part B coinsurance has no cap of its own, and long hospital stays are the other unbounded risk — Plan A covers both.
- People weighing the thinnest standardized package against its premium — most people comparing seriously also price G or N to see what the fuller letters cost in their state, then decide whether the completeness is worth the difference.
The trade-offs
- The Part A deductible — $1,736 in 2026 — is yours each benefit period, and benefit periods can repeat within a year.
- Skilled nursing facility coinsurance isn't covered: a rehab stay after a hospitalization can generate daily costs this plan won't touch.
- A thin plan isn't automatically a cheap one — some carriers price Plan A close to fuller letters, so compare your own quotes before assuming the trade is worth it.