Two very different philosophies
Plan G is a Medicare Supplement. Original Medicare stays your primary coverage, you keep the right to see any doctor in the country who accepts Medicare, and Plan G pays nearly everything Medicare leaves behind. After the small Part B deductible, your medical bills essentially stop.
Medicare Advantage replaces Original Medicare with a private plan. You trade the go-anywhere freedom for a network, and in exchange you usually get a low or zero premium plus extras like dental, vision, hearing and a gym benefit.
The cost math
Plan G charges more every month, commonly $100 to $300, and in exchange your out-of-pocket exposure is tiny and predictable. Advantage plans flip it: little or nothing monthly, but copays and coinsurance as you go, with an out-of-pocket maximum that can run to several thousand dollars in a bad year.
The question is not which plan is cheaper. It is which risk you would rather carry: a fixed premium, or a variable year.
The trap nobody mentions: underwriting
You can move from Plan G to an Advantage plan almost any year. Moving back is the hard part. Outside your one-time Medigap open enrollment window, a Supplement insurer in most states can review your health and say no.
That means the Advantage-first path can become a one-way door if your health changes. It is the single most important thing to understand before choosing, and the least advertised.
How to actually decide
Travel a lot, want zero network worries, and can budget a monthly premium? Plan G tends to win. Healthy, budget-focused, and happy inside a network with your doctors in it? Advantage can be excellent value.
We run both against your doctors, your medications and your county every day. The comparison takes one conversation and costs nothing.