Medicare Supplement Plans in Texas: 6-Month Window and 63-Day Rights

What does a Medicare Supplement plan do for a Texas resident?

A Medicare Supplement policy, also called Medigap, pays part of what Original Medicare leaves you owing. The Texas Department of Insurance describes it as coverage you buy to help pay out-of-pocket costs Medicare will not pay, which is why it is called Medigap.

You pay the Medigap premium in addition to your monthly Part B premium, and a policy covers one person, so spouses each buy their own. Medigap works alongside Original Medicare, not with a Medicare Advantage plan. If you are new to the whole structure, start with our beginner’s walkthrough of how supplement plans work, then come back for the Texas timing.

One more piece that trips people up in Texas: Medigap policies sold after 2005 do not include drug coverage. Most people pair a supplement with a standalone drug plan, and our Part D hub covers how that side works.

Which standardized plans are sold in Texas?

Medigap benefits are standardized by plan letter, so a Plan G sold by one company covers the same services as a Plan G sold by another. What differs is price, rate history and service. Texas carriers sell the standardized letters, and during your open enrollment period the Texas Department of Insurance says you can buy any plan offered in the state.

Two eligibility rules narrow the menu. Plan C and Plan F are limited by when you first became eligible for Medicare, and they are closed to people who became eligible on or after January 1, 2020. Plans F and G are also sold in high-deductible versions; CMS set that deductible at $2,950 for 2026, and the 2027 amount is announced each fall [VERIFY: CMS 2027 Medigap high deductible F, G and J announcement].

Plan G and Plan N draw most of the volume for people new to Medicare, largely because Plan F is closed to them. Our side-by-side breakdown of what each plan letter actually pays is the fastest way to narrow the list before you look at premiums.

When is your Texas Medigap enrollment window?

Your Medigap open enrollment period is six months long. It starts the first month you are covered under Medicare Part B and you are 65 or older, and it does not repeat. During it, a company cannot deny you a policy it sells or charge you more because of past or present health problems.

The Texas Department of Insurance states the same rule plainly for Texans: companies must sell you a policy during that six-month period even if you have health problems, and you only get one such period. That is the difference between applying and being accepted, versus applying and being reviewed.

If you are turning 65 soon, the Medigap clock is tied to your Part B start date, which is set during your 7-month Initial Enrollment Period. Our turning-65 checklist lays out how those two calendars line up.

What guaranteed issue rights do Texans have after that window?

Texas recognizes guaranteed issue rights when you lose certain coverage. For people over 65, the Texas Department of Insurance says the right applies to Medicare supplement Plans A, B, C, F including high-deductible F, K and L. Note that Plan G is not on the state’s list, and that C and F are closed to people first eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020, so ask the carrier which letters your specific right covers.

The clock is 63 days from the date coverage ends or from the date of the notice that it will end, whichever is later. Companies may not add preexisting condition waiting periods or exclusions to these policies, and you must show proof that you lost coverage, usually the termination letter. Losing Medicaid because your finances changed also triggers a right, and COBRA loss opens a 63-day path to some plans.

Medicare.gov applies the same 63-day deadline when a Medicare Advantage plan ends, and notes rights can last an extra 12 months in certain circumstances. That matters this fall, because some carriers are ending Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Keep every letter, notice and claim denial.

Texans under 65

Texas requires carriers to offer Plan A on a guaranteed issue basis to people under 65 who qualify for Medicare because of a disability, during a six-month period beginning the day they enroll in Part B. A second open enrollment period opens in the first six months after turning 65, and it is not limited to Plan A.

House Bill 2516 changed the picture for a smaller group. Starting September 1, 2025, a person under 65 with ESRD or ALS must be offered the same coverage offered to people 65 and older, at the same rates for Plans A, B and D, and at no more than 200 percent higher rates for other plans, with no medical underwriting, waiting period or preexisting condition limitation.

How are Texas Medigap premiums priced?

Texas allows more than one pricing method, and the method decides how your premium behaves for the next 20 years. With an issue-age policy, premiums are based on your age when you bought it; companies may increase the premium once during your first year of coverage, and after that may not increase it for 12 months.

With an attained-age policy, the premium could increase within the first 12 months and will increase on your birthday. A company may raise your premium once a year in either case, and with attained-age pricing it may also raise it on your birthday. A community-rated policy does not use your age to set the base premium.

So the lowest first-year quote is not automatically the lowest ten-year cost. Ask which method a policy uses before you compare two premiums, and ask how that carrier has adjusted Texas rates in recent years. Our overview of how to weigh supplement plan options explains what to ask for in writing.

Why does December 7 matter if Medigap has no annual window?

Medigap applications are accepted year-round in Texas, so December 7 is not a Medigap deadline. It is the deadline for Medicare Advantage and Part D changes that take effect January 1, and those choices can affect whether a supplement is even available to you later.

Here is the sequence people miss. A Medigap policy only pairs with Original Medicare, so leaving Advantage is a prerequisite, and once you are outside your six-month window and outside a guaranteed issue right, a Texas carrier can review your health and decline you. That risk runs in one direction, which is the core of our Advantage versus Medigap comparison.

The practical move is to confirm your Medigap eligibility before you make any Advantage or Part D change, not after. Nothing here tells you to end coverage you have; it tells you to know the order of operations.

If you want a second set of eyes on the dates, our team reviews Texas cases by phone and video; you can also reach us through our contact page or read more on the Medicare hub. Bring your Part B effective date and any notice letters, and the timing question usually resolves in one call.