Medicare Supplement Cost Comparison Calculator™

Step 1 — Select Your Health Profile

Your health profile is the single biggest driver of which Medicare plan makes mathematical sense for you. Select the profile that best describes you today.

🟢

Truly Healthy

Zero chronic conditions. Active lifestyle. See a doctor 1–2 times a year.

🟩

Well-Managed

1 controlled condition. Well-managed with medication. 3–5 visits per year.

🟡

Average

1–2 chronic conditions. Typical Medicare beneficiary. 7–10 visits per year.

🔴

High Utilizer

3+ chronic conditions or major illness. Frequent specialist care. 12–20+ visits per year.

🟢 Truly Healthy — What This Means for Your Plan Choice

1–2

Doctor visits/yr

<0.05

Hospital stays/yr

1–2

Lab encounters/yr

<$500

Typical annual OOP

~$115

Monthly savings vs Plan G

HD-G ✓

Recommended plan

Why HD-G wins for you: With zero chronic conditions, your annual out-of-pocket exposure under HD-G is typically well under $500 — far below the $2,950 deductible. You're saving $115+/month from day one, and that gap widens every year. The HD-G math has never been stronger than for someone in your position.

🟩 Well-Managed — What This Means for Your Plan Choice

3–5

Doctor visits/yr

~0.10

Hospital stays/yr

3–5

Lab encounters/yr

$750–$1,500

Typical annual OOP

~$115

Monthly savings vs Plan G

HD-G ✓

Likely best plan

Why HD-G still likely wins: Even with one managed condition, your annual OOP is typically $750–$1,500 — well below the deductible. Premium savings still outpace exposure over time. HD-G crossover vs Plan N typically occurs around Year 5–7. A modest savings cushion removes the deductible risk entirely.

🟡 Average — What This Means for Your Plan Choice

7–10

Doctor visits/yr

~0.23

Hospital stays/yr

8–12

Lab encounters/yr

$1,500–$3,000

Typical annual OOP

~$115

Monthly savings vs Plan G

Nuanced

Depends on situation

The nuanced case: HD-G can still win mathematically over 20 years, but requires a savings cushion for bad years. The crossover vs Plan N typically comes around Year 7–8. Key question: can you comfortably handle a $2,950 expense in a high-utilization year? If yes — HD-G is worth serious consideration.

🔴 High Utilizer — What This Means for Your Plan Choice

12–20+

Doctor visits/yr

0.5–1.0+

Hospital stays/yr

20+

Lab encounters/yr

$3,000+

Typical annual OOP

~$115

Monthly savings vs Plan G

Plan G ✓

Recommended plan

Why Plan G wins for you: With 3+ chronic conditions, you may hit the HD-G deductible every year. The premium savings don't overcome that exposure. Plan G's structure — no deductible beyond Part B, no copays, no coinsurance — provides complete predictability when your care is complex and frequent.

Step 2 — Enter Your Local Premium Rates

These premiums are shared across all calculator tabs. Enter rates from actual quotes in your area. Premiums vary significantly by state — North Carolina is on the low end, New York on the high end.

Plan G — starting monthly premium

$160/mo

Plan N — starting monthly premium

$120/mo

HD-G — starting monthly premium

$45/mo

After entering your rates, use the tabs above to explore each comparison. Your rates will be pre-filled everywhere.

20-Year Cost Summary

Plan G

—

20-yr total

Plan N

—

20-yr total

HD-G

—

20-yr total

HD-G saves vs Plan G

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HD-G saves vs Plan N

—

Fine-Tune Medigap Assumptions

Plan G annual increase

10%

Plan N annual increase

HD-G annual increase

HD-G full deductible every N years

every 5 yrs

HD-G partial OOP (other years)

$750

HD-G deductible growth/yr (CPI-U avg: 2.57%)

2.5%

Part B deductible growth/yr (20-yr avg: 4.21% | worst yr: 14.81% in 2010)

4.5%

Plan N office visits per year

7 visits

Cumulative Cost Over 20 Years

Plan GPlan NHD-G

Annual Total Cost by Year

Plan GPlan NHD-G

Year 20 Breakdown (Age 85)

Year-by-Year Detail

Yr	Age	G $/mo	G Annual	G Cumulative	N $/mo	N Annual	N Cumulative	HDG $/mo	HDG OOP	HDG Annual	HDG Cumulative

Monthly Premium Savings (Year 1)

Plan G → Plan N

—

20-yr invested value

Plan N → HD-G

—

20-yr invested value

Plan G → HD-G

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20-yr invested value

Investment Method

Choose whether to invest the full growing savings gap each year, or a fixed monthly amount you choose.

Rate of Return

Annual rate of return on invested savings

6.0%

Investment Growth Over 20 Years

G→N investedN→HDG investedG→HDG invested

Summary at Fixed Return Rates

Comparison	Mo. Savings Yr 1	4%	6%	8%

What Could the G → HD-G Savings Fund?

Two grouped panels — the larger G→HD-G savings and the G→N savings — showing what each could become or fund over 20 years.

Insurance Products the Savings Could Fund

How growth projections work: Monthly savings are reinvested as they grow each year. This is a simplified illustration — does not account for taxes, inflation, or fees. Past returns do not guarantee future results. The investment projections shown are for illustrative purposes only and do not constitute investment advice. Please consult a qualified financial planner or tax advisor before making investment decisions.

Want to discuss putting your premium savings to work? Chris Prang is a licensed Medicare and insurance broker serving Virginia and beyond.

Get a Free Consultation

Annual Utilization by Health Profile

Based on CMS claims data, RAND/CMS Medicare utilization analysis, and published Medicare research. Your selected profile (from Tab 1) is highlighted.

Category	🟢 Truly Healthy 0 conditions	🟩 Well-Managed 1 condition	🟡 Average 1–2 conditions	🔴 High Utilizer 3+ conditions
Doctor / Outpatient VisitsPrimary care + specialists	1–2 /yr	3–5 /yr	7–10 /yr	12–20+ /yr10–20×
ER VisitsEmergency department	<0.1 /yr	~0.15 /yr	~0.5 /yr	~2.0 /yr20×
Hospital Inpatient StaysOvernight admissions	<0.05 /yr	~0.10 /yr	~0.23 /yr	0.5–1.0+ /yr10–20×
30-Day Readmission RateRe-hospitalized within 30 days	~5%	~8%	~15%	~25%5×
Surgeries / ProceduresPer 100 beneficiaries per year	<3 per 100	~5 per 100	7–9 per 100	10–15 per 1005×
Lab EncountersBlood work, panels, tests	1–2 /yr	3–5 /yr	8–12 /yr	20+ /yr10–20×
Imaging StudiesX-ray, CT, MRI, ultrasound	<1 /yr	1–2 /yr	2–3 /yr	4–6+ /yr6–8×

20-Year Cumulative Encounters

Truly HealthyWell-ManagedAverageHigh Utilizer

Key Insights

Health status is your #1 cost driverA truly healthy beneficiary with zero chronic conditions may have just 1–2 doctor visits and 1 lab draw per year. A high utilizer has 10–20× more encounters annually.

68% of beneficiaries have 2+ conditionsMost people enrolling at 65 already qualify as Average or higher. Only about 1 in 3 Medicare beneficiaries is truly in the healthy/low-utilization category.

Hospital stays are the highest-cost eventsA single inpatient stay averages $17,000+ in total cost. Healthy beneficiaries face less than a 5% annual chance vs 50–100% for high utilizers.

Truly healthy = HD-G territoryA beneficiary with zero chronic conditions may spend under $500 out-of-pocket in a typical year — well below the HD-G deductible — while saving $115+/month in premiums.

Want to talk through which plan fits your health profile and your numbers? Chris Prang is a licensed Medicare broker serving Virginia and beyond.

Get a Free Consultation