Plan F vs Plan G in California
Switching From Plan F to Plan G in California
If you are comparing Plan F vs Plan G in California, start here: the two plans are identical in every standardized benefit except one. Plan F pays the annual Part B deductible and Plan G does not. That deductible is $283 in 2026. Everything else, the hospital deductible, the coinsurance, skilled nursing, excess charges, foreign travel emergency coverage, is the same, and so are your doctors, because both plans work with any provider who accepts Original Medicare patients.
So the switch from Plan F to Plan G is not a coverage decision. It is a price decision, and California gives Plan F holders a protected way to make it: the Birthday Rule. This page runs the test, then the steps, then the one warning that matters.
The one difference
| Plan F | Plan G | |
|---|---|---|
| Part B deductible ($283 in 2026) | Covered | You pay it |
| Every other standardized benefit | Covered | Covered, identically |
| Doctors and hospitals | Any provider who accepts Medicare | Any provider who accepts Medicare |
| Who can buy it | Only people eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020 | Anyone on Original Medicare |
| Monthly premium | Usually higher, and rising faster (closed pool) | Usually lower (open pool) |
The break-even test
Take your current Plan F premium for a year. Subtract what Plan G would cost you for the same year, from the carrier you would actually switch to. Compare the answer with the Part B deductible, $283 in 2026.
If the premium gap is larger than $283, Plan G costs you less overall that year even after you pay the deductible yourself, and the switch saves money. If the gap is smaller than $283, staying on Plan F can be the better deal, and there is no reason to move. In monthly terms, a Plan F premium more than about $24 a month above Plan G already fails the test.
An illustration with round numbers, labeled as an example and not a typical result: if Plan F costs $300 a month and Plan G costs $250 a month for the same person, the gap is $600 a year. Paying the $283 deductible on Plan G still leaves that person $317 ahead for the year, with identical coverage otherwise. Your own numbers decide; ask us to run them for your age and ZIP.
Why the gap usually favors Plan G in California
Plan F closed to new buyers on January 1, 2020, so its pool ages every year with no younger members joining, and carriers price that into renewals. Plan G keeps enrolling new 65 year olds. Plan F is still the largest Medigap letter in California, over 47 percent of enrollment in AARP and UnitedHealthcare market data (about 396,000 people in the NAIC reported subset), which is why this one comparison matters to so many California households.
How to switch using the California Birthday Rule
Plan F to Plan G counts as a switch to equal or lesser benefits, because Plan G is lesser in exactly one place: the Part B deductible. That makes the switch protected under California Insurance Code section 10192.11(h). For 60 days starting on your birthday, every year, any carrier must take your application with no medical underwriting and no health-based pricing.
- Step 1: Get the Plan G quote for the effective date you want, priced for your age and ZIP.
- Step 2: Apply inside your 60 day Birthday Rule window, and note on the application that it is a Birthday Rule switch.
- Step 3: Confirm the new Plan G policy is issued, and confirm its effective date in writing.
- Step 4: Only then, cancel the Plan F policy, timed so there is no gap and no overlap beyond the switch month.
One way door: switching from Plan F to Plan G under the Birthday Rule cannot be reversed under the Birthday Rule. Going back from Plan G to Plan F is an upgrade to richer benefits, which the rule does not protect, so it would require medical underwriting, and Plan F can only be sold at all to people who were eligible before January 1, 2020. Run the math carefully before you use the window.
The other downgrade paths from Plan F
Plan G is not the only protected move. Inside the same Birthday Rule window you can also switch from Plan F down to Plan N (lower premium, small copays, no excess charge coverage) or to High Deductible Plan G (the lowest premium, with a $3,050 deductible in 2027 before coverage starts). Each has a full page in this section. And a switch between Medigap plans does not touch your standalone Part D drug plan, which stays as it is.
Compare the plans
What the closed plan still covers, and why its premiums rise faster.
Plan GIdentical coverage except the Part B deductible, in an open and growing pool.
California Medigap Birthday RuleYour annual 60 day window to switch with no health questions.
Back to the full comparison: Medicare Supplement plans in California.
Questions and answers
Can I switch from Plan F to Plan G with a pre-existing condition?
Yes, in California, inside your Birthday Rule window. For 60 days starting on your birthday each year, you may switch to a Medigap plan with equal or lesser benefits, and Plan G qualifies, with no medical underwriting and no health-based pricing, whatever your health history. Outside the window, a carrier can ask health questions except in a guaranteed issue situation.
When is my Birthday Rule window?
It opens on your birthday and lasts at least 60 days. Your current carrier must write to you 30 to 60 days before it opens, and again on any notice about a benefit change or premium increase. Mark the date when that letter arrives; the window does not reopen if you miss it, it comes back next birthday.
Can I switch back to Plan F later?
Not through the Birthday Rule. Plan F is richer than Plan G, so going back is an upgrade the rule does not cover. Outside a guaranteed issue right, returning to Plan F would require passing a carrier's health questions, and only people eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020 can buy Plan F at all. Treat the F to G switch as a one way decision.
Do I keep my Part D plan when I switch from Plan F to Plan G?
Yes. A Medigap to Medigap switch changes only the supplement. Your standalone Part D prescription drug plan is a separate policy and continues unchanged, and your Part B enrollment is not affected.
Run your F to G numbers before your birthday
Call or text, Mon to Thu 9 AM to 8 PM, Fri 9 AM to 3 PM, Sat 9 AM to 2 PM PT
Talk it through with Eric. We will price Plan G at your age and ZIP, apply the $283 test to your actual Plan F premium, and, if the switch wins, time the application to your Birthday Rule window, at no cost to you.
Written by Eric Ullrich, licensed Medicare insurance agent, CA license #4551902, NPN 22200900. Last reviewed October 27, 2026. Medigap benefits on this page follow the federally standardized plan chart published by Medicare.gov. Sources: Medicare.gov, Compare Medigap plan benefits, California Department of Insurance, Medicare Supplement Rate Guide, California Insurance Code section 10192.11 (Birthday Rule). Verify plan details with the carrier or at Medicare.gov before enrolling.