How Medigap Is Priced: Community, Issue-Age and Attained-Age
Two Plan G policies have identical benefits, but their premiums can follow very different paths as you age. Each insurer picks one of three pricing methods, and the method decides whether getting older raises your premium.
The three pricing methods
| Method | How the premium is set | What happens as you age |
|---|---|---|
| Community-rated (“no-age-rated”) | Generally the same premium for everyone who buys the policy, whatever their age or gender. | Age alone never raises it. It can still rise for inflation and other factors. |
| Issue-age-rated (“entry-age-rated”) | Based on your age on the day you buy. Buying younger locks in a lower age bracket. | Getting older doesn’t raise it. It can still rise for inflation and other factors. |
| Attained-age-rated | Based on your current age. | Goes up as you get older, on top of increases for inflation. Often the cheapest at 65 and can become the most expensive later. |
Source: CMS, Choosing a Medigap Policy (March 2026), “How do insurance companies set prices for Medigap policies?”
Why the first-year price can mislead
At 65, an attained-age policy is often the lowest quote on the table, because its price is built to climb. A community-rated or issue-age policy may cost more at first and less later. Since switching Medigap policies after your Open Enrollment Period usually means passing medical underwriting, the policy you buy at 65 may be the one you keep for decades. Compare the price path, not just this year’s premium.
Questions CMS suggests asking every insurer before you buy:
- Do you price this policy by community rating, issue-age rating or attained-age rating?
- At my age, what is the premium? If attained-age, how often does it go up because of age?
- Has the premium gone up in the last 3 years because of inflation or other reasons, and by how much?
- Do you use medical underwriting, and is there a waiting period for pre-existing conditions?
- Do you offer discounts or additional benefits?
Other things that move the premium
- Discounts: some insurers discount for women, non-smokers, married people or households, paying yearly, paying by automatic transfer, or holding several policies.
- Medical underwriting: outside your Medigap Open Enrollment Period or a guaranteed-issue right, an insurer can charge more because of your health, or turn you down. During those windows it can’t. When you have those rights.
- Medicare SELECT: network-based versions of the standard plans usually cost less, but you pay more for non-emergency care outside the network.
- High-deductible option: high-deductible Plan F or G costs much less each month; you pay up to $2,950 (2026) of covered costs before the policy pays.
- Where you live: premiums vary by state and often by ZIP code or rating area.
State rules can override the method
Some states require every insurer to community-rate Medigap, or limit how insurers can age-rate; others let insurers choose. Many states also add enrollment rights beyond the federal ones, such as yearly birthday-rule switches. The Medigap by state guide lists each state’s rules with its official source, plus the insurance department’s shopper’s guide, which in many states lists real premiums by insurer.
Check prices with the source. Medicare.gov’s Medigap policy search shows which companies sell each plan in your ZIP code. Your state insurance department’s shopper’s guide and your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (free, unbiased counseling) can tell you how each company prices its policies. Only the insurer can give you an official quote.
Questions
Which Medigap pricing method is best?
There’s no single answer. Attained-age policies are often cheapest at 65 but rise with every year of age. Community-rated and issue-age policies don’t rise because of age, so they can cost less over a long retirement. Compare the expected premium at 65, 75 and 85, not just today’s price.
Can a community-rated or issue-age premium go up?
Yes. Age alone won’t raise it, but insurers can raise premiums for inflation, rising claims and other factors, subject to each statesubject to state approval.rsquo;s rate-filing rules.
Does my health affect my Medigap premium?
Not during your Medigap Open Enrollment Period or when you have a guaranteed-issue right. At other times, insurers in most states can use medical underwriting to charge more or decline you.
Why do quotes for the same plan differ so much?
Benefits are standardized, so insurers compete on price. Their pricing method, discounts, claims experience and rating areas all differ, which is why CMS tells shoppers to compare the same letter across several companies.
Sources
Official sources only, checked October 17, 2026.
- CMS and NAIC, “Choosing a Medigap Policy” (CMS Product No. 02110, March 2026) — medicare.gov.
- Medicare.gov, “Get Medigap costs” — medicare.gov.
Educational information, not medical, legal or financial advice. We are not an insurance agent or broker, and we are not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program. · Advertiser disclosure