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How do I compare Medigap rates from different companies?

Coverage is identical by law, so this is purely a price exercise. Here are the four things to compare besides the monthly quote.

Updated August 17, 2026 · 3 min read

Medicare Supplement plans are standardized by federal law. A Plan G from one carrier covers exactly what a Plan G from any other carrier covers. Nothing about the benefits differs.

That makes this the cleanest comparison in all of Medicare, and it means paying more for the same letter buys you nothing except possibly better service.

Compare the same letter across carriers

First choose your plan letter, then compare. Comparing a Plan G quote against a Plan N quote is comparing different products. See choosing a plan letter.

The four things beyond the monthly quote

1. The pricing method. Attained age premiums rise as you age. Issue age premiums are locked to your age at purchase. Community rated is the same for everyone. An attained age quote that looks cheapest at 65 can be the most expensive at 80.
2. Rate increase history. Ask what the carrier has done over the last five to ten years. Some price low and raise sharply. This tells you more about your long term cost than the opening premium.
3. Household discount. Many carriers reduce the premium when two people in the same home hold policies, often meaningfully. It is frequently unmentioned unless you ask.
4. Financial strength and service. You may hold this policy for thirty years. A carrier you cannot reach on the phone is a real cost.

Other discounts to ask about

• Non tobacco rates
• Paying annually rather than monthly
• Electronic funds transfer for the premium
• Enrollment discounts in the first year, which sometimes disappear in year two

That last one matters. A first year discount that vanishes is not a lower price, it is a deferred increase. Ask what the premium becomes in year two.

How to actually do it

1. Decide your plan letter.
2. Get quotes for that letter from several carriers licensed in Texas, using your exact age, gender, ZIP and tobacco status.
3. Ask each for the pricing method and the recent rate increase history.
4. Ask about household and payment discounts.
5. Compare year one, and then estimate year ten under each pricing method.
6. Apply to the winner and get written approval before cancelling anything you hold.

The timing point

Comparing is easy. Moving requires passing underwriting in Texas outside a protected window. That means the best time to shop is while you are healthy, not when the premium finally becomes painful.

If you are inside your six month open enrollment period, every carrier must accept you. That is the moment when this comparison has the most leverage. See your open enrollment window.

Why an independent agency helps here

Since the product is identical, the value is entirely in seeing many carriers' rates and knowing their underwriting standards and rate histories. A captive agent sees one. We can run the comparison across the carriers available to you at no cost.

See what supplements cost and why identical plans differ in price.