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Plan N vs High Deductible Plan G — Which One Actually Saves You More?

Alex Wender - Medicare Specialist

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If you're shopping for a Medicare Supplement plan and want to keep your premium low, you've probably heard about Plan N and High Deductible Plan G. Both save you money compared to regular Plan G, but they do it in completely different ways — and picking the wrong one for your situation can cost you thousands. I break down the real numbers, show you exactly how each plan works, and give you a simple rule for figuring out which one actually fits your state and health situation.

What you'll learn:
• How Plan N co-pays actually work (and why they're not as scary as they sound)
• Why High Deductible Plan G's $2,950 deductible is misleading — and how Medicare helps you chip away at it
• The massive premium gap between these plans in expensive states like New York vs lower-cost states like Tennessee
• Why your state decides which plan wins — and how to run the real math for your zip code
• Which plan tends to have lower, more stable rate increases over time

00:00 — Intro
00:58 — How Plan N Works
02:58 — How High Deductible Plan G Works
03:37 — Your State Decides Which Plan Wins
05:37 — How Much Healthcare You Use
06:26 — Rate Stability Over Time
08:22 — Simple Rule: Which Plan to Choose
11:08 — Using Your HSA with These Plans
12:09 — Can You Switch Plans Later?
14:02 — Final Takeaway

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20 Comments

@Bluewaveinsurance Creator 1 month ago Pinned

Are you leaning toward Plan N or High Deductible Plan G? What's your biggest hesitation about the one you're NOT choosing?

@stewartayvaliotis4848 1 month ago

With a HD-g you can couple it with a Health fund annuity Rider. This money can be used to pay the deductibles and earns a minimum of 3 % tax deferred and has zero fees. The Medigap company takes care of all your deductibles by removing monies from that fund so you don't get sent any bills. In my state, N.J. in just the first year of premiums I save $ 1716 vs plan N. If i put those funds in the Rider every year till I hit $20000 maximum allowed in the account I have peace of mind and I don't have to worry about excess charges. The cuts to medicare over time will drive providers to excess charges due to falling reimbursements. I feel people should run the numbers for their personal situation and like regular plan g the insurance company does the paper work as long as the annuity is funded.

@AndyP-wy3wc 4 days ago

Very informative, our law makers made health care so difficult in this country that you need a lawyer degree to understand it. I have planG , premium jumped 25% in a year. Most intelligent person on the planet said us that he can fix healthcare problems. Messed of more. Feel sorry to believe his words. No country for old men!

@owenhill-vf7ko 1 month ago (edited)

HDG is the one we have. People don't understand the deductible it's actually MOP. We pay less than $50 a month and Doctor visits are less than $20. Remember Medicare reduces the amount then pays 80%. Our actual out of pocket per year is less than $400.
PS, Plan HDG goes up less than the other plans each year! Currently in our state HDG is $200 a month cheaper than G. That gap continues to grow.

@T18skyguy 4 weeks ago

One thing to know is if you get sick near the end of the year with High deduct G, you pay the $2950, but if your still sick at the beginning of the next year it resets and you need to pay the $2950 again. So you really need to be able to come up with potentially $5900 as it resets on Jan 1st. Just something to be aware of.

@davidhmws 4 days ago

Even if you are average or slightly below average health, overall you can come out ahead with HDG, and that is due to the characteristics of the risk pool. If you were to choose a group that had to mutually share health care costs, wouldn’t you choose the healthiest group regardless of your own health? Wouldn’t you choose a group incentivized to minimize spending? In a state with high premium differential, it’s a no-brainer in favor of HDG for almost everyone.

But some people just inherently don’t want at accept risk. Overall, there is so much money to be saved accepting risk, which means high-deductibles for insurance, no-refund airline fares, no long term warranties on everything. If you are consistent with your choices of accepting risk, you’ll have more money in the bank and you won’t sweat the occasional loss.

@jeffs3627 1 month ago (edited)

Great video especially the part about billed vs medicare allowed costs. When I first went on Medicare I chose Plan N and was comfortable with it. After 18 months and a 45% increase in premiums I switched to HDG.

@DownTheTube1045 2 weeks ago (edited)

This is the best video I’ve seen laying out the different supplement plans and the cost and the reason why you choose one versus the other. Now all I have to do is have my agent. Send me premium comparisons for the 3 plans.

@pmcnamara1299 1 month ago

In Florida. I looked at HDG vs. N. I went with N. What pushed me to N is the yearly increase in MOP on HDG. N copays are fixed. Just a side note.. I looked at what my true cost would be by looking at a two year period. (no one plans on when they might get really sick, so you might get hit with 2 MOPs per major sickness).

@MarkMessinger 1 month ago

This is a very informative comparison. Two comments. First, Medicare Part B premiums are HSA-reimbursable. The video is correct in that Supplement premiums cannot be reimbursed with HSA funds. But the Medicare Part B premiums can be. Also, there are some states other than those with the so-called "birthday rule," that have great flexibility with respect to changing supplement plans without medical underwriting. Washington state, for example, allows insureds to change virtually every month, with no medical questions. There are some restrictions, but it's remarkably easy to change. I should note, too, that Washington is a community-rated state, so supplement premiums are generally higher for younger insureds, when compared to other states, but lower for older insureds. So, it's very important to understand the rules around changing supplement plans, for your state.

@ChrisSadowski10372 1 month ago (edited)

I heard from one source that the average rate increases are 10% for G, 8% for N and 3% for HDG. Even if the average is 7%. That means your supplement doubles every 10 years. This makes plan N unaffordable for the average person.

@CO61desert 1 month ago

Nice explanation - easy to understand. Thanks for the video.

I’m starting Medicare soon and am located in Central Oregon. Averages of Plan G, N, and HDG premiums for a 65 year old male non-smoker here are $245, $180, and $55, respectively. Therefore, average annual HDG premium savings are ~$2,300 and $1,500 compared to G and N, respectively. It would take 1.3 to 2 years of these premium savings to “pay for” the HDG deductible during a catastrophic medical year. Since Medicare pays first, the HDG deductible represents a 'max out-of-pocket' amount I’m comfortable with. I'll likely choose the High Deductible Plan G.

@owenhill-vf7ko 1 month ago (edited)

Most Seniors don't understand how inexpensive Medicare actually costs. We paid over $2500 a month, for health insurance per month while being self employed making less money!! We are very happy with HDG, not worried about the so-called deductible ( more like a MOP) as we planned ahead with multiple retirement accounts.

@RichM3000 1 month ago

G and N premiums have gone up well in excess of inflation, while the High Deductible G "deductible" (max out of pocket, really) by law increases only at the rate of inflation. If this keeps up, in less than a decade G will cost more than HDG even when paying the full HDG deductible (which is rare unless dealing with very major issues), and N won't be far behind. Want to be locked into G or N for the rest of your life and at the mercy of insurance companies? I don't.

The math for G: assume a 12% annual premium increase in G and HDG, and 3% annual inflation. In my area, G is $160/mo and HDG is $50/mo for a 65 year old nonsmoker. When will total cost of G exceed HDG when the full deductible is used? [12*($160-$50)*(1.12^n)]-[($2950-$283)*(1.03^n)]=0, where n is the number of years. As you can see, it is just 8.4 years from now. N isn't far behind.

@RobertPeru2749 1 month ago

I combine a plan G-HD plan with a hospital indemnity plan to cover the hospital deductible from part A.

@BBCWatcher 1 month ago

Excess charges are not banned in New York. New York still allows Medicare excess charges of up to 5%.

@ph5915 1 month ago

I've seen other videos that show over the past couple of years, the yearly premium increase for Plan N has been double digits as well...HDG is where I will likely end up in 2 yrs...

@David-o6f3y 11 days ago

If your healthy than yes very likely you will save money by going with HDG. One caution about HDG though is that many people on it might avoid or ration healthcare services that are needed. So your health result might end up worse on HDG than on G or N.

@loral10311 9 days ago

except it's not cheap when you go from an employer insurance to Medicare. Medicare 2 deductibles and having to buy a prescription drug plan, the costs are outrageous to me.