Medicare Supplement Plan G Continues Its Dominance

Telos Actuarial publishes 15th Annual Market Projection.

Beginning in 2013, Plan G began to experience a significant increase in market share.  Around this time, carriers began pricing Plan G much more aggressively.  Despite the only benefit difference being that Plan F covers the Part B deductible ($147 in 2013), carriers were able to support Plan G premium rates that were much lower than Plan F rates.  The difference between the Plan G and Plan F premium rates was significantly greater than the Part B deductible.  This growth in Plan G becomes especially noticeable in 2019 when it accounted for almost 22% of the total in force Medicare supplement policies.  This growth in Plan G was at the expense of a significant drop in the number of in-force polices that include first dollar coverage (including Plan F).  The following graph highlights the total lives by plan group distribution:

The shift in plans for recent years was anticipated, given the introduction of MACRA (Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015) in 2016.  MACRA made it illegal for Medicare supplement policies to provide coverage for the Part B deductible in policies sold to individuals newly eligible for Medicare as of January 1, 2020, or later.  Additionally, MACRA required Plan G to be offered in guaranteed issue situations for those newly eligible individuals where previously Plan F served this role. While Plan F was anticipated to remain viable within the current market, the following graph (for policies issued within 3 years of the data reporting year) shows that Plan F and other first dollar coverage plans reveal a drastic drop off in new issues.

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