Medicare Supplement · Florida
The plan you buy at 65 is the plan you will most likely have at 85.
Medicare Supplement insurance — also called Medigap — fills the gaps Original Medicare leaves behind. For people who want predictable costs, freedom to see any doctor, and protection against the years they cannot anticipate, it is the most durable answer Medicare offers.
It is also the most expensive month-to-month, and the most misunderstood. Below is what it actually is, what it actually costs, and how to think about whether it is right for you.
The basics
What a Supplement plan actually does.
Original Medicare — Parts A and B together — covers about 80% of approved medical costs after deductibles. The other 20% is on you, and it has no ceiling. A bad year with a hospitalization, a serious surgery, or an extended cancer treatment can produce medical bills in the tens of thousands, even with Medicare in place.
A Medicare Supplement plan — sold by a private insurance company — pays the gaps. With the most comprehensive plan available to new enrollees today (Plan G), after you pay the small annual Part B deductible, the plan covers almost everything else. Hospital costs. Doctor copays. Skilled nursing. Blood transfusions. The 20% Medicare leaves behind.
You pay a monthly premium for the Supplement plan. In return, you get predictability. Most years, you will pay your premium and effectively nothing else for medical care. In bad years, you will pay your premium and the small Part B deductible. There is no $8,000 worst-case exposure the way there is with Advantage.
What actually matters when you choose
Three things drive the right Supplement choice.
01
The carrier, not just the plan letter.
Every Plan G covers the same medical costs. What varies is the premium and how aggressively the carrier raises rates over time. The cheapest Plan G today may have the steepest annual increases. We compare both current premiums and historical rate trajectories.
02
The household discount.
Many Florida carriers offer a discount — typically 5% to 12% — when both spouses or members of the same household enroll in the same carrier. This is rarely surfaced in online quotes. We always check.
03
The enrollment window.
Your guaranteed-issue right to buy a Supplement plan without medical underwriting lasts six months from the start of your Part B coverage. Outside that window, in Florida, carriers can ask about your health and deny applications. The window matters more than most people realize.
What it costs
South Florida Plan G premiums in 2025.
Premiums vary by zip code, age, gender, tobacco use, and the carrier you choose. Below are typical 2025 ranges for a 65-year-old non-smoker. Premiums increase with age.
County
Plan G range
Plan N range
Miami-Dade
$230 – $360 / mo
$170 – $280 / mo
Broward
$200 – $320 / mo
$150 – $250 / mo
Palm Beach
$200 – $310 / mo
$150 – $245 / mo
On top of the Supplement premium, you pay the standard Medicare Part B premium ($185/month in 2025) and a Part D drug plan premium ($0–$80/month typical). The all-in monthly cost for a 65-year-old in Broward on Plan G with a modest Part D plan is typically $400–$525 per month.
When it is the right answer
Who chooses Supplement, and why.
People who want predictability.
The premium is the cost. There are no surprise bills, no out-of-pocket maximums to hit, no copays to track. You pay your premium and use medical care as needed. For people on a fixed retirement income who do not want to plan around an $8,000 worst-case year, Supplement removes the variance.
People who travel.
Supplement plans have no network. Any provider in the United States who accepts Medicare accepts your Supplement plan. For snowbirds splitting time between Florida and another state, this is not optional — it is the only Medicare option that travels with you cleanly. Supplement plans also include foreign travel emergency coverage; Advantage plans rarely do.
People with specialists they want to keep.
If you have an oncologist, a cardiologist, or a primary care doctor you have built a relationship with, Supplement is the plan that lets you keep seeing them — with no referrals, no prior authorization, no risk that they will leave the network next year.
People with family medical history.
If your parents had heart disease, cancer, or other conditions that required specialized care, you have reason to value flexibility you cannot anticipate needing yet. The 65 enrollment window is the only time you can lock in that flexibility without medical underwriting.
How we work
What an independent advisor actually does.
We are independent, which means we represent multiple Supplement carriers — typically five to eight — and can compare their plans side by side. We are not contracted with every carrier in the Florida market, and we will tell you which ones we offer and which we do not.
For each client we work with, we pull live quotes for the specific zip code, age, gender, and tobacco status. We compare current premiums, historical rate increase patterns, and carrier financial strength. We check for household discounts. We help select a Part D drug plan that matches the medications you actually take.
We do this in person, at your home or our office or a coffee shop, because the conversation deserves more than a phone call. There is no fee for the consultation. We are paid by the insurance carrier when a policy is placed, and only then.
After you enroll, we stay your point of contact for as long as you have the plan. Annual reviews. Rate increase questions. Help when something does not work. The relationship continues past the sale.
Questions
Common questions about Supplement plans
What is the difference between a Supplement plan and Original Medicare?
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Original Medicare (Parts A and B) is the federal program that covers about 80% of approved medical costs after deductibles. The remaining 20% has no cap, which means a serious illness or hospitalization can cost tens of thousands out of pocket. A Medicare Supplement plan, sold by private insurers, fills the gaps Original Medicare leaves behind. With Plan G, after you pay the small annual Part B deductible (around $257 in 2025), the plan covers nearly everything else — copays, coinsurance, hospital stays, the works.
Why is Plan G the most popular Supplement plan?
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Plan G is the most comprehensive Supplement plan available to people newly eligible for Medicare. It covers everything except the Part B deductible. Plan F was historically the most popular plan, but federal law no longer allows it to be sold to anyone who became eligible for Medicare after January 1, 2020. Plan G is the closest equivalent and the natural anchor for most new enrollees today. Plan N is a slightly cheaper option with small copays at doctor visits — worth considering if you want to lower the premium and do not mind copays.
Are Supplement plans the same across carriers?
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The benefits are. The premiums are not. By federal law, every Plan G covers exactly the same things — Aetna Plan G, Cigna Plan G, Mutual of Omaha Plan G all cover identical medical costs. What differs is what each carrier charges. The same Plan G in the same Florida zip code can vary by 30% or more between carriers. The carrier you choose also affects the rate increase pattern over time. This is the work an independent advisor does — comparing identical benefits across carriers to find the lowest-priced one for your specific zip code, age, and gender.
How do premiums change as I age?
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In Florida, Supplement premiums are typically attained-age rated, meaning they increase as you get older. A Plan G premium at 65 is meaningfully lower than the same plan at 75. This is normal and expected. The right strategy is to choose a financially stable carrier with a history of moderate rate increases, not just the lowest current premium. We review historical rate increase patterns when comparing carriers.
Can I keep my Supplement plan if I move out of Florida?
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Yes. Supplement plans are not tied to a network or service area. If you move to North Carolina, your Plan G stays with you. The premium may be recalculated based on your new zip code, but you do not lose coverage and you do not need to re-apply. This is one of the reasons Supplement plans work well for people who plan to relocate or who split time between states.
What about prescription drugs?
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Supplement plans do not include drug coverage. You purchase a stand-alone Medicare Part D plan separately, typically $0–$80 per month depending on your medications. We help select the right Part D plan in the same meeting where we compare Supplement options. The combined cost (Supplement + Part D + Part B premium) is what you compare against the all-in cost of a Medicare Advantage plan.
What happens if I delay enrolling in a Supplement plan?
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You have a six-month guaranteed-issue window starting the month your Part B becomes effective. During that window, insurance companies cannot deny you, charge more for health conditions, or impose waiting periods. After the window closes, in Florida, carriers can require medical underwriting. This means they can ask about your health, deny applications, or charge higher rates if you have chronic conditions. The 65 enrollment window is the cleanest opportunity you will get to lock in Supplement coverage, which is why we recommend most people make the decision then rather than starting on Advantage and trying to switch later.
Next step
Get a Supplement comparison for your zip code.
We will pull live quotes from the carriers we represent, run the math against a Medicare Advantage alternative, and walk through the trade-offs in person. The first call is fifteen minutes.