Blue Shield of California Medicare Supplement Plan G

Plan G is the plan most people turning 65 in California end up comparing first, and Blue Shield of California is one of the carriers we represent for it. Here is what it covers, what it leaves you, and what is specific to Blue Shield. Checked against Blue Shield’s filed 2026 plan documents in August 2026.

What Plan G covers

Plan G is a standardized Medigap plan. The medical benefits are set by federal law and are identical whether you buy Plan G from Blue Shield, Anthem, Mutual of Omaha or anyone else. What changes between carriers is the price, the service and any non-Medicare extras.

Plan G pays:

• Your Part A hospital deductible, which is $1,736 per benefit period in 2026
• Part A coinsurance and hospital costs for up to 365 days after your Medicare days are used up
• Part B coinsurance, normally the 20% Medicare does not pay, with no office visit copays
• Skilled nursing facility coinsurance, which is $217 a day for days 21 to 100 in 2026
• Part A hospice coinsurance and copayments
• The first three pints of blood
• Part B excess charges, which only Plan F and Plan G cover
• Foreign travel emergency care, up to the plan limits

The one thing Plan G does not cover

The annual Part B deductible, $283 in 2026. You pay it once a year and then Plan G picks up essentially everything else that Medicare approves. That single deductible is the entire practical difference between Plan G and the old Plan F, which is closed to anyone who became Medicare eligible on or after 1/1/2020.

If you are eligible for Plan F Extra and weighing it against Plan G, compare like with like. On the medical benefits the difference between the F and G benefit sets is exactly that Part B deductible, $283 in 2026. Anything F Extra costs above that is buying you the Extra package, and whether that package is worth it is a separate question we work through on the Plan G Extra page.

Why Part B excess charges matter

A doctor who does not accept Medicare assignment can bill up to 15% above the Medicare approved amount. That overage is a Part B excess charge, and you pay it yourself unless your Medigap plan covers it. Only Plan F and Plan G do. Plan N does not.

Most California physicians accept assignment, so for many people this is a small risk. It is not a zero risk, and it is one of the two real differences between Plan G and Plan N.

Who Plan G suits

Plan G tends to fit you if you want to walk into any provider who accepts Medicare, pay one deductible a year and then stop thinking about bills. It is the most predictable plan open to people newly eligible for Medicare. You will pay more per month than Plan N for that predictability.

If you are healthy, rarely use care and want the lowest monthly cost, look at Plan N instead and read the copay section carefully. If you want Plan G plus vision, hearing and other non-Medicare extras, see Plan G Extra.

What Blue Shield adds on top of the standardized benefits

• SilverSneakers at no additional cost, including basic gym access.
• A 7% household saving when two people 65 or over at the same address are accepted in the same benefit plan with coverage issued under one plan.
• Attained age rating. Your rate is based on your current age and rises each year as you get older. Blue Shield’s 2026 documents set the annual adjustment at July 1.
• DMHC regulation. Blue Shield Medigap is a Knox-Keene health care service plan regulated by the Department of Managed Health Care at 1-888-466-2219, not by the Department of Insurance. That gives you Independent Medical Review rights. More on why that matters.

The Welcome to Medicare rate saving, for people applying within six months of enrolling in Part B, does apply to Plan G. It does not apply to Plan G Extra or Plan A. We do not publish the amount because it changes with the rate cycle, so ask us what it is today.

Switching later

California’s Birthday Rule lets you change Medigap plans once a year without underwriting, moving to a plan with equal or fewer benefits. Blue Shield’s published materials treat Plan G Extra as equal in value to Plan G, which would let a Plan G holder move to G Extra in their birthday window without a Statement of Health. Confirm it in writing before you count on it. See how the Birthday Rule works in California.

We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (in California, HICAP at 1-800-434-0222) to get information on all of your options.

California Health Agents is a licensed independent insurance agency, NPN 14924332. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by the United States government, the federal Medicare program, Covered California, the California Department of Insurance, or the Department of Managed Health Care. Enrollment in a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan depends on contract renewal. Plan availability, benefits and premiums vary by county. Quotes are estimates and are not a contract, guarantee of coverage, or offer of insurance.