MEDICARE FOR THE LAZY MAN
Making Medicare Almost Fun Since 2013
By Douglas B. Jones, CLU, RHU
Dear Doug: my cousin and I are both turning 65 this year and we’ve been comparing notes. She wants to buy the most comprehensive plan available because she hates financial surprises. I’m more of a risk-taker and would rather save money each month. Are there really options for both of us, or is Medicare one-size-fits-all?
— The Conservative Cousin in Chattanooga
Dear Cousin, the answers are “yes” and “yes”. Medicare is one-size-fits-all but the Medicare supplements you will purchase can accommodate both of you.
Actually, I love this question because it gives me an excuse to talk about classic American cars. For your cousin, I recommend the Cadillac. For you, the Pontiac GTO. Neither one is a mistake, they’re just built for different drivers.
When it comes to Medicare supplement plans, there are only two I recommend. All others are merely weak sisters compared to Plan G or High Deductible Plan G.
Plan G is the Cadillac of Medicare supplements — luxurious, comprehensive, and priced accordingly. With Plan G supplementing both parts of Medicare, your annual out-of-pocket cost sharing expense is precisely $283. That is the Medicare Part B deductible for 2026. Pay that once, and you’re done for the year. Every Medicare-approved expense after that is covered. No surprises. No invoices arriving in the mail months later. Your cousin should love this.
High Deductible Plan G — which I prefer to call the High Value Plan, because “high deductible” is a spectacular misnomer — is the Pontiac GTO of Medicare supplements. It’s the high-performance choice for those willing to assume a small part of the cost in exchange for dramatically lower monthly premiums. Think $40 to $60 per month in many states versus $150 to $300-plus for Plan G.
Here’s what “high deductible” actually means in practice. Medicare doesn’t know or care which supplement you have. It simply pays 80% of your outpatient bills after that same $283 Part B deductible. HDG then watches the remaining 20% accumulate. If your 20% share reaches $2,950 in a given year — meaning your total approved medical bills exceeded roughly $13,600 — HDG kicks in and pays the missing 20% for the rest of that calendar year. Just like Plan G.
In a year with modest medical expenses, which describes most years for most people, HDG owners save $100 or more per month in premiums and barely notice the small co-insurance payments. In a disastrous year of serious illness, the worst-case math works out to that $2950 limit minus the substantial premium savings. That’s a much more manageable number.
Both plans share the greatest advantage of any Medicare supplement: complete freedom of choice. No networks, no lists of approved doctors, no permission required to see a specialist and no prior authorization tragedies. Any doctor anywhere in the United States who accepts Medicare will happily accept your supplement, regardless of which company’s card you carry.
Your cousin gets peace of mind — at a premium. You get a larger bank account. Both of you get the finest protection available. Medicare actually does offer something for each of you — it’s just that you may have to search a little harder to find the HDG High Value plan that I recommend.
Douglas B. Jones, CLU, RHU is the author of Medicare for the Lazy Man, now in its 2026 edition, and host of the Medicare for the Lazy Man Podcast. His services as a Medicare insurance agent are always free of charge. Contact him at www.MedicareForTheLazyMan.com
