He Answered Yes to One Question About Sleep Apnea. At 73, Every Medigap Insurer He Called Said No.

A 73-year-old Ohio retiree decides his Medigap Plan F premium has climbed too far. He calls several insurers hoping to switch to a cheaper Plan G. Then the medical questions begin. He discloses treatment for sleep apnea, and every carrier he approaches declines his application. He still has his Plan F. What he has lost is the easy ability to shop around.

That surprises people because Medigap plans are standardized and heavily regulated. But the federal protection against medical underwriting is largely concentrated in one six-month window. Once it closes, changing carriers can become much harder.

The Six-Month Window Does Not Come Back Every Fall

A person’s federal Medigap open enrollment period begins the first month he is 65 or older and enrolled in Medicare Part B. It lasts six months. During that period, an insurer cannot deny a Medigap application because of pre-existing health problems or charge more because of them. Afterward, federal law generally does not guarantee the right to switch policies unless a specific guaranteed issue protection applies. Insurers may use medical underwriting, and one carrier’s standards can differ from another’s.

Sleep apnea may matter depending on treatment, severity and the company’s underwriting rules; it should not be treated as an automatic nationwide rejection. Another trap is the calendar. Medicare’s October 15 through December 7 annual enrollment period primarily governs Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans. It does not create a fresh Medigap open enrollment period every year.

State Law Can Reopen Some Doors

Federal law is only the floor. A number of states provide protections beyond the federal Medigap rules. Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York offer broad year-round access without medical underwriting. Others, including California, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Nevada, Oklahoma and Oregon, give existing Medigap policyholders annual birthday-related opportunities to change coverage, while Missouri uses the policy anniversary instead. The timing and plans available vary by state, so the local rule matters.

Walking Away From Medigap Has Its Own Price

The temptation is to drop an expensive supplement and rely on Original Medicare alone. That creates a different risk. In 2026, the standard Part B premium is $202.90 a month and the annual deductible is $283. After that deductible, beneficiaries generally remain responsible for 20% of Medicare-approved Part B charges, with no annual out-of-pocket ceiling under Original Medicare itself.

Part A carries a $1,736 inpatient hospital deductible per benefit period in 2026. Hospital days 61 through 90 cost $434 per day, while skilled nursing facility care costs $217 per day from days 21 through 100. Plan G covers many of those gaps, although it does not cover the Part B deductible. So an expensive Medigap premium can still be buying protection that is difficult to replace once health changes.

Protect the Policy Before Shopping for Another

Someone already outside the six-month window still has options, but the order matters.

1. Apply for and secure any replacement Medigap policy before canceling the existing one. Medicare specifically advises keeping the old coverage until the new policy is in place and the free-look period has passed.
2. Check for federal guaranteed issue rights and any additional state protections before accepting an underwriting denial as final.
3. If considering Medicare Advantage instead, remember that certain “trial rights” can protect a return to Medigap, but they apply only in specific circumstances, including some first-time moves into Medicare Advantage.

The Ohio retiree can still keep the Medigap plan he has. What changed is his freedom to shop for another one. At 73, that existing policy is not just coverage. It is coverage he no longer has to qualify for.

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