Georgia Medicare Medigap Rating Methods 2026 Guide

For a Georgia Medicare beneficiary, the Medigap rating method behind a quote can cost or save tens of thousands of dollars over a lifetime of coverage. The rating method is the system a carrier uses to set and raise premiums over time, and Medicare's official Medigap guide describes three of them:

1. Community-Rated (also called No-Age-Rated): All enrollees pay the same premium regardless of age
2. Attained-Age-Rated: Premium is based on the beneficiary's current age and increases automatically as the beneficiary ages into new age brackets, on top of inflation
3. Issue-Age-Rated (also called Entry-Age-Rated): Premium is based on the beneficiary's age when the policy is first issued and may rise with inflation, but not because the beneficiary enters an older age bracket1

Georgia does not allow all three. State regulation bars a carrier from filing an attained-age rate structure for any Medicare supplement policy issued after the rule's September 2009 amendment, which reaches essentially every policy sold in Georgia today.2 So a Georgian shopping now is choosing between community-rated and issue-age pricing, and the choice still compounds: a 65-year-old who enrolls and lives to 95 holds the policy for three decades, and the gap between the two widens every year.

The Medigap rating method framework rests on:

• Medicare's official Medigap guide (CMS Pub. 02110), which sets out the three rating methods a Medigap policy can be priced under1
• Social Security Act Medigap rate provisions establishing the federal floor for rate-setting practices
• NAIC Model Regulation for Medigap defining the technical implementation of each rating method
• Federal Medigap consumer protection statutes establishing the federal floor of Medigap consumer protections
• Georgia's Medicare Supplement Insurance regulation (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Subject 120-2-8), which adopts the federal framework and then removes one rating method from the menu

For Georgia eldercare specifically, that last point is the one that changes what you shop for. Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 120-2-8-.15(7) provides that "an issuer shall not present for filing or approval a rate structure for its Medicare supplement policies or certificates issued after the effective date of the amendment of this regulation based upon attained age rating as a structure or methodology," and that amendment took effect September 23, 2009, so it reaches essentially every policy sold in Georgia today.2 The same plan letter (e.g., Plan G) carries the same standardized benefits regardless of the insurer, but carriers still differ in price and in which of the two permitted structures they use, and that combination determines the long-term cost trajectory of the coverage.3

Why Rating Method Matters in Georgia

Rating method matters in Georgia because:

Long-term cost trajectory varies dramatically across methods. A 65-year-old beneficiary on Medigap for 30 years can spend significantly different cumulative totals depending on rating method, even when starting premiums are similar.

Initial premium varies by method. Nationally, attained-age has the lowest initial premium for new-65 beneficiaries, community-rated the highest, and issue-age sits in the middle. In Georgia, where attained-age structures are off the table for new policies, the live comparison is a mid-range issue-age premium against a higher community-rated one.2

Georgia does not permit all three methods. An attained-age rate structure cannot be filed for a Georgia Medicare supplement policy issued after the September 2009 amendment of the state's regulation, so a Georgian shopping today should expect a community-rated or issue-age structure and should treat an attained-age quote as a reason to ask questions.2

Carrier-by-carrier variation still matters. Two carriers selling the identical plan letter can price it very differently, and they can use different permitted structures, so ask which structure applies to your quote before you compare premiums.

Switching rating methods later faces underwriting. Once enrolled in a Medigap plan, switching to a different carrier (with a different rating method) outside the Medigap Open Enrollment Period (OEP) or a trial right faces medical underwriting in Georgia, which has no annual "birthday rule" guaranteed-issue window. Rating method choice at OEP is largely irreversible.2

Older Georgia policies can still be attained-age rated. The prohibition reaches policies issued after the regulation's September 2009 amendment. A policy issued before that date can still carry an attained-age structure, and its premium will keep climbing as the holder ages, which is why a long-held Georgia policy is worth checking.2

For Georgia eldercare specifically:

• Georgia has a large Medicare beneficiary population, many enrolled in Original Medicare with Medigap
• Multiple Medigap carriers operate in Georgia, and their premiums for the same plan letter differ
• A new Georgia policy should be community-rated or issue-age rated, not attained-age rated2
• No public source lists which structure each Georgia carrier uses for each plan letter, so it has to come from the carrier in writing
• GeorgiaCares SHIP provides free, unbiased rating method counseling at 1-866-552-44644,5

Federal Legal Framework

The Medigap rating method framework rests on the following federal statutory and regulatory authorities:

Medicare's official Medigap guide (CMS Pub. 02110) sets out the three rating methods a Medigap policy can be priced under: community-rated (no-age-rated), issue-age-rated (entry-age-rated), and attained-age-rated. Which of the three a carrier may actually use is not uniform nationwide: it varies by state, and some states restrict or prohibit attained-age rating.1

Social Security Act Medigap rate provisions establish the federal floor for rate-setting practices. These provisions require carriers to file rates with state insurance regulators and limit unreasonable rate increases.

NAIC Model Regulation for Medigap is the National Association of Insurance Commissioners model framework with rating method specifications. It defines the technical implementation of each rating method that federal law incorporates.

Federal Medigap consumer protection statutes established the federal Medigap consumer protection framework. Before these laws, Medigap insurers had wide latitude in rate-setting. Which rating structures a carrier may actually file, though, is settled state by state, which is why the menu is not the same everywhere and why Georgia's is shorter than the three Medicare describes.1,2

Georgia's Medicare Supplement Insurance regulation (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Subject 120-2-8) is the state-level Medigap rulebook, administered by the Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire. Georgia adopts the federal Medigap framework and requires carriers to present their rate structures to the state for filing and approval, and on rating it goes one step further than federal law: R. 120-2-8-.15(7) bars an issuer from filing an attained-age rate structure for policies issued after the rule's September 2009 amendment. Georgia does not, however, mandate issue-age rating. It prohibits one structure rather than requiring another, so community-rated and issue-age policies are both permissible.2 The state insurance office publishes no consumer Medicare supplement guide, so for help confirming how a specific policy is rated, call GeorgiaCares SHIP at 1-866-552-4464.4,5

The Three Rating Methods Explained

All three are worth understanding. National Medicare material describes all three, so that is what most readers arrive having seen, and a Georgia policy issued before September 2009 can still use the one the state has since barred. Which of the three is permitted varies by state, and some states, Georgia among them, restrict or prohibit attained-age rating.1 Only two of the three can be filed for a new Georgia policy.2

Community-Rated (No-Age-Rated)

Mechanism: ALL enrollees pay the SAME premium regardless of age. A 65-year-old and an 85-year-old enrolling in the same Medigap plan from the same community-rated carrier pay the same premium.1

Initial premium: HIGHER than attained-age and issue-age for new-65 beneficiaries (because the carrier averages across all ages).

Premium increases: Only for:

• General inflation
• Claim experience adjustments (if the carrier's claims experience requires it)
• NOT for personal aging

Long-term trajectory: Slowest premium increases over time. For a 30-year Medigap holder, community-rated produces a cumulative cost that falls between attained-age and issue-age.

Best for:

• Long-life-expectancy beneficiaries (family history of longevity, currently very healthy at 65)
• Beneficiaries planning to hold Medigap for 25+ years
• Beneficiaries comfortable with higher initial premium for stable long-term trajectory

Georgia status: Permitted. Community rating is one of the two structures a carrier may file for a new Georgia policy.2

Attained-Age-Rated

Mechanism: Premium is based on the beneficiary's CURRENT age and increases automatically as the beneficiary enters new age brackets, and those age-based increases stack on top of inflation and medical-cost increases. A 65-year-old has the lowest premium; an 85-year-old has the highest premium for the same plan letter.1

Initial premium: LOWEST for new-65 beneficiaries. These policies are typically the cheapest in the first year, which is exactly why the premium has the furthest to climb.1

Premium increases:

• Annual age-based increases (the 65 to 66 increase, 66 to 67 increase, etc.)
• Plus general inflation
• Plus claim experience adjustments

Long-term trajectory: Steepest premium increases over time. Premium rises substantially over a 30-year horizon and becomes the highest-cost method cumulatively despite the lowest initial premium.

Who it suits, in states that allow it:

• Beneficiaries with shorter expected Medigap tenure (early-onset health concerns, short family longevity)
• Beneficiaries prioritizing minimum initial premium
• Beneficiaries who plan to switch to Medicare Advantage (MA) later (though switching back to Medigap faces underwriting in Georgia)

Georgia status: not permitted on a new policy. Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 120-2-8-.15(7) bars an issuer from presenting for filing or approval an attained-age rate structure for Medicare supplement policies or certificates issued after the rule's amendment, which took effect September 23, 2009. A Georgian shopping today should not be quoted an attained-age structure. A policy issued before that date can still use one.2

Issue-Age-Rated

Mechanism: Premium is based on the beneficiary's age when the policy is first issued. A 65-year-old who enrolls pays the 65-year-old's premium for the rest of their life, with inflation adjustments. The premium may rise with inflation, but not because the beneficiary has entered an older age bracket.1

Initial premium: MID-RANGE for new-65 beneficiaries (between attained-age low and community-rated high).

Premium increases:

• General inflation only
• Plus claim experience adjustments
• NOT for personal aging

Long-term trajectory: Moderate premium increases over time. For most beneficiaries with average or long life expectancy, issue-age produces the lowest cumulative cost across the three methods.

Best for:

• New-65 beneficiaries with average or long life expectancy
• Beneficiaries who want predictable cost trajectory

Georgia status: Permitted. Issue-age is the other structure a carrier may file for a new Georgia policy. Note that permitted is not the same as required: Georgia prohibits attained-age rating without mandating issue-age rating.2

Long-Term Cost Trajectory Overview

For a 65-year-old enrolling in Plan G who holds the policy for 30 years, the three rating methods produce meaningfully different cost trajectories. Only two of them, issue-age and community-rated, can apply to a new Georgia policy.2

Attained-age starts with the lowest monthly premium but compounds most steeply, because age-based increases stack on top of general inflation and medical-cost increases.1 That combination makes it the highest-cost option cumulatively for long-tenure beneficiaries.

Issue-age starts with a mid-range premium and increases only with inflation and claims experience. Over 30 years, this method typically produces the lowest cumulative cost because age-based increases never apply.

Community-rated starts with the highest premium but increases only for inflation and claims experience. The cumulative cost falls between attained-age and issue-age for most long-tenure scenarios.

Critical insight: For most healthy 65-year-olds with average or longer life expectancy, issue-age provides the best long-term value. Attained-age's initial low premium is a deceptive signal, and in Georgia it is a signal you should not be seeing at all on a new policy: the state bars that structure, leaving issue-age and community-rated as the real comparison.2

Strategic Implications by Beneficiary Profile

Profile 1: Healthy New-65 with Long Life Expectancy

Best choice: Community-rated or issue-age Rationale: Long Medigap tenure means slow-trajectory methods win cumulatively. Higher initial premium is offset by slower increases over decades.

Profile 2: Healthy New-65 with Average Life Expectancy

Best choice: Issue-age Rationale: Issue-age has the lowest cumulative cost and a predictable trajectory. Mid-range initial premium is the price for long-term stability.

Profile 3: New-65 with Health Concerns or Short Family Longevity

Best choice: Whichever permitted structure quotes lower at 65, usually issue-age Rationale: A shorter expected Medigap tenure argues for the lowest initial premium. In another state that would point to attained-age; in Georgia that structure cannot be filed on a new policy, so compare issue-age and community-rated quotes for the same plan letter and take the cheaper one that comes from a carrier with a moderate rate-increase history.2

Profile 4: Older First-Time Enrollee (Delayed Part B at 70)

Best choice: Community-rated is often competitive here Rationale: Issue-age locks in the OLDER issue age (70 in this scenario), making the issue-age starting premium higher. Community-rated may win because the premium is the same regardless of enrollment age. The math is genuinely close, so get both quotes.

Profile 5: Beneficiary Planning to Switch to MA Later

Best choice: The lower-priced permitted structure at your issue age Rationale: A shorter Medigap tenure before switching to MA makes the initial premium dominate, so compare issue-age and community-rated quotes and take the lower. Switching back from MA to Medigap faces underwriting in Georgia (no state birthday rule); the federal trial right only covers 12 months.

Profile 6: Long-Life-Expectancy Beneficiary Already on Medigap

Best choice: If you hold an older policy that is still attained-age rated, which is possible only for policies issued before the September 2009 rule change, consider switching during OEP or a trial right2 Rationale: Outside OEP and trial right, switching faces underwriting and may not be possible if health has changed.

How to Confirm a Carrier's Rating Structure in Georgia

Because benefits are identical for a given plan letter, the rating structure behind a quote is one of the few things that genuinely varies between two Plan G policies. Georgia narrows the field for you: on a policy issued today the structure should be community-rated or issue-age, not attained-age.2

No authoritative public source lists which Georgia carrier uses which structure for which plan letter, and any such list would go stale. A carrier's structure can differ by plan letter, change over time, and vary from state to state, and national marketing material often describes what a company does somewhere other than Georgia. Get the answer from the policy, not from a list.

Ask each carrier or agent, and get the answer in writing before you sign:

1. Which rating structure applies to this exact plan letter in Georgia: community-rated or issue-age?
2. Is that structure stated in the policy or in the outline of coverage you will give me?
3. What is this plan letter's rate-increase history in Georgia over the past five to ten years?
4. Will my premium change on my birthday for any reason?

If a quote is described as attained-age, or as rising each year "as you get older," stop and ask questions. Georgia bars that structure on a new policy, so what you are looking at may be an out-of-state rate sheet, a quote for a different product, or a garbled description of ordinary approved rate increases.2 A GeorgiaCares SHIP counselor will read the paperwork with you, free, at 1-866-552-4464.4,5

Premium Increases: Beyond Rating Method

Rating method determines the FRAMEWORK for premium adjustments. Beyond the rating method, premiums increase due to:

General inflation: Annual cost-of-living adjustments tied to Medicare cost inflation. Applies to all three rating methods.

Claim experience adjustments: When a carrier's claims experience requires rate increases (claims paid out exceed projections). These adjustments can vary significantly by year and carrier.

Medicare program changes: Changes to Medicare reimbursement and program structure affect Medigap costs.

Insurance regulator approval: Carriers must present their Medicare supplement rate structures to the Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire for filing and approval, and that review is also where the state's bar on attained-age structures bites.2

Carrier-specific factors: Some carriers have stronger underwriting discipline and lower rate increases over time. Others raise rates more aggressively.

Best Practices for Rating Method Selection

1. Understand the three methods before shopping premium. The initial premium signal is deceptive without rating method context.

2. Project 10, 20, and 30-year cost trajectory. Ask each carrier for its typical age-based premium table and rate increase history, since past 5-to-10-year patterns reveal carrier discipline.

3. Match method to expected Medigap tenure and longevity. Long life expectancy and long tenure favor slow-trajectory methods, and both structures Georgia permits (community-rated and issue-age) are slow-trajectory ones; a shorter expected tenure simply favors whichever of the two quotes lower today.2

4. Do not pick the lowest initial premium alone. Attained-age looks cheapest at 65 but is often the most expensive cumulatively for long-tenure beneficiaries, and Georgia bars it as a structure on new policies. Within the permitted structures the same discipline applies: compare each carrier's rate-increase history, not just the opening premium.2

5. Consider switching limitations. Outside Medigap OEP or a trial right, switching to a different rating method faces medical underwriting in Georgia, which has no annual birthday-rule window.2

6. Compare across carriers using the same method. The same rating method can have different premiums across carriers, so shop within a method category.

7. Verify the rating method on your application. Confirm in writing which method applies to your policy, and budget for annual inflation increases, which apply under every method.

8. Get GeorgiaCares SHIP counseling. Free, unbiased rating method counseling is available through GeorgiaCares SHIP at 1-866-552-4464.4,5

Common Issues with Rating Method Selection

1. Picking the lowest initial premium without method context. Attained-age looks cheapest but compounds steepest over a long tenure.

2. Confusing rating method with carrier financial strength. These are different concepts; community-rated from a weak carrier can be worse than attained-age from an A+ carrier.

3. Assuming one method is always best or worst. Community-rated is not always best and issue-age is not always cheapest; between the two structures Georgia permits, the answer depends on your age at issue, your expected tenure, and the carrier's rate-increase history.

4. Not asking carriers which method they use. Some carriers offer multiple methods, and not all materials clearly state which applies to a given plan.

5. Confusing rating method with a rate guarantee. A rate guarantee is a short-term (often 1-year) promise; rating method is the long-term structural framework.

6. Picking issue-age at an older issue-age (70+). Issue-age locks in the age at issue, so enrolling later locks in a higher starting premium.

7. Confusing rating method with plan letter. Plan letter determines benefits; rating method determines premium trajectory. Both matter.

8. Taking a national explainer's word for what is sold in Georgia. National Medigap articles usually present all three methods as available everywhere. Georgia's regulation bars attained-age as a rate structure on policies issued after September 2009, so a Georgia quote that behaves like attained-age needs an explanation from the carrier before you sign.2

Worked Examples

Example 1: Fulton 65 Margaret, Quoted a Premium That Rises With Age

Margaret turns 65 on April 15, 2026. Part B effective April 1. Medigap OEP April 1 through September 30. Margaret has Type 2 diabetes (controlled) and hypertension, so she wants to buy inside the window while health cannot be used against her. An agent quotes her a Plan G premium and explains that it "goes up a little each year as you get older."

That description is a stop sign in Georgia. An attained-age rate structure cannot be filed for a policy issued today, so Margaret asks the agent to put the rating structure in writing and to point to it in the outline of coverage.2

Margaret's takeaway: She takes the written answer to a GeorgiaCares SHIP counselor before she signs, and in the meantime collects two more Plan G quotes whose structures she can confirm.4

Example 2: DeKalb 67 James, Chose Issue-Age for Predictable Trajectory

James retired at 67 with continuous prior employer coverage. Part B effective March 1 via SEP. Medigap OEP March 1 through August 31. James wants a predictable long-term cost trajectory, so he asks every carrier he calls to state the rating structure in writing. He ends up with two Plan G quotes he can verify: one issue-age at age 67, one community-rated.

James selects the issue-age Plan G. The structure fixes his premium to his age at issue, so it will move with approved rate increases but not because he has had another birthday. Effective March 1, 2026.

James's insight: Neither structure Georgia permits will raise his premium simply because he ages. What separates them is the starting premium and each carrier's rate-increase history.2

Example 3: Cobb 65 Robert, Chose Community-Rated for Long-Life-Expectancy

Robert turns 65 on May 15, 2026. Part B effective May 1. Medigap OEP May 1 through October 31. Robert's parents are 92 and 90, both still healthy. Robert is currently very healthy with no chronic conditions. He expects to be on Medigap for 30+ years.

Robert gathers Plan G quotes and confirms in writing which structure each uses. His shortlist comes down to a community-rated policy (highest initial premium, slowest trajectory) and an issue-age policy at 65 (mid-range initial premium).

Robert selects the community-rated Plan G after comparing both carriers' rate-increase histories. Effective May 1, 2026.

Robert's insight: For a 30-year horizon with strong longevity, the carrier's rate-increase discipline mattered more to him than the difference in opening premium.

Example 4: Bibb 70 David, Issue-Age Locks in Late-Enrollment Age

David delayed Part B due to employer coverage. Retires at 70, Part B effective March 1, 2026 via SEP. Medigap OEP March 1 through August 31, 2026. David is 70 at issue, so his issue-age premium would be set at the 70-year-old rate rather than the 65-year-old rate. He compares:

• A community-rated Plan G (same premium regardless of enrollment age)
• An issue-age Plan G at age 70

David's 70-year-old issue-age premium comes in above the community-rated premium, and community rating does not penalize his late start. He selects the community-rated Plan G. Effective March 1, 2026.

David's insight: Issue-age rewards enrolling early. Enroll at 70 and the advantage it usually holds over community rating can disappear.

Example 5: Hall 65 Sarah, Long-Term Projection Comparison

Sarah turns 65 on March 15, 2026. Part B effective March 1. Medigap OEP March 1 through August 31. Sarah works with a GeorgiaCares SHIP counselor to project long-term cost across the structures available to her, using each carrier's actual rate-increase history.4

Because attained-age is off the table in Georgia, the projection is a two-way comparison: an issue-age Plan G starting in the middle of the range, and a community-rated Plan G starting higher. Neither rises with her age; both rise with approved rate increases.2

Sarah's family longevity is strong (mother 88, father lived to 92). She expects 30 years of Medigap and selects the issue-age Plan G, whose lower starting premium compounds in her favor over that horizon. Effective March 1, 2026.

Get Help with Medigap Rating Method Selection in Georgia

Why This Article Matters

A Medigap policy is priced under one of three rating methods: community-rated, issue-age-rated, and attained-age-rated. Which of the three a state permits varies, and some states restrict or prohibit attained-age rating.1 Each method has different implications for initial premium, long-term trajectory, and cumulative cost over decades of Medigap coverage.

Rating method selection is the critical long-term premium trajectory decision that can cost or save tens of thousands of dollars over decades. For a 65-year-old enrolling in Medigap who lives to 95, the difference between rating methods compounds significantly over 30 years. Attained-age has the lowest initial premium but worst long-term trajectory. Community-rated has the highest initial premium but slowest trajectory. Issue-age combines mid-range initial premium with no age-based increases, often providing the best long-term value for beneficiaries with average or long life expectancy.

For Georgia eldercare specifically, the state narrows that menu. An attained-age rate structure cannot be filed for a Medicare supplement policy issued after the September 2009 amendment of Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 120-2-8-.15, so a Georgian shopping today is choosing between community-rated and issue-age pricing, and a quote that rises with age is a reason to ask the carrier for the structure in writing.2 Knowing that before you shop is what keeps a national explainer's three-way comparison from sending you looking for a product Georgia does not allow. Combined with plan letter selection, enrollment timing (Medigap OEP and trial rights), and pre-existing condition rules, rating method completes the Medigap consumer decision framework in Georgia.

Learn More

Find personalized help choosing a Medigap rating method in Georgia at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.