[ { "fipsCode": "12086", "state": "FL", "county": "Miami-Dade", "majorCity": "Miami", "population2024": 2716940, "medicareBenes2024": 505044, "maPenetrationPct": 80, "pct65Plus": 19, "tier": 1, "rank": 1, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare MedicareMax FL-0028 (HMO)", "Humana Gold Plus H1036-054C (HMO)", "UnitedHealthcare Preferred FL-0001 (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Miami-Dade", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Among the highest MA penetration of any large U.S. county (~80%, KFF 2024). 46 MA plan options in 2026; 70% rated 4+ stars (medicare.org)." }, { "fipsCode": "12011", "state": "FL", "county": "Broward", "majorCity": "Fort Lauderdale", "population2024": 1944375, "medicareBenes2024": 362930, "maPenetrationPct": 64, "pct65Plus": 17, "tier": 1, "rank": 3, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H1036 (HMO)", "UnitedHealthcare Dual Complete FL-0011 (HMO D-SNP)", "Aetna Medicare Premier Plus (PPO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Broward", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Trilingual EN/ES/Haitian Creole market. '22 Health' (Community Care Network) launched 2026 in Broward only — new on-Marketplace ACA carrier." }, { "fipsCode": "12099", "state": "FL", "county": "Palm Beach", "majorCity": "West Palm Beach", "population2024": 1545968, "medicareBenes2024": 359369, "maPenetrationPct": 53, "pct65Plus": 25, "tier": 1, "rank": 4, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H1036 (HMO)", "UnitedHealthcare Group Medicare Advantage (PPO)", "Aetna Medicare Eagle (PPO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Palm Beach", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Affluent retiree corridor — 25% age 65+. Largest county in FL by FIA/LTC-hybrid demand per AALU 2025 distribution data." }, { "fipsCode": "12057", "state": "FL", "county": "Hillsborough", "majorCity": "Tampa", "population2024": 1505000, "medicareBenes2024": 266645, "maPenetrationPct": 58, "pct65Plus": 14, "tier": 1, "rank": 8, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H1036 (HMO)", "Cigna TotalCare H5410 (HMO D-SNP)", "WellCare Premier (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Hillsborough", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "ACA + MA combo market — Tampa is FL's #2 ACA county after Miami-Dade." }, { "fipsCode": "12103", "state": "FL", "county": "Pinellas", "majorCity": "Clearwater", "population2024": 962003, "medicareBenes2024": 260835, "maPenetrationPct": 55, "pct65Plus": 25, "tier": 1, "rank": 9, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H1036 (HMO)", "UnitedHealthcare Group Medicare Advantage (PPO)", "Aetna Medicare Eagle (PPO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Pinellas", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "FL's second-oldest large county. 25% age 65+. Strong Medigap demand from snowbird population." }, { "fipsCode": "12071", "state": "FL", "county": "Lee", "majorCity": "Cape Coral", "population2024": 822800, "medicareBenes2024": 218994, "maPenetrationPct": 50, "pct65Plus": 30, "tier": 1, "rank": 10, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H1036 (HMO)", "UnitedHealthcare AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 1 (HMO)", "Aetna Medicare Premier (PPO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Lee", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Hurricane Ian rebuild zone (Cape Coral / Fort Myers Beach). 30% age 65+. Term life + final expense positioning around hurricane prep is the natural funnel." }, { "fipsCode": "12095", "state": "FL", "county": "Orange", "majorCity": "Orlando", "population2024": 1494000, "medicareBenes2024": 216535, "maPenetrationPct": 62, "pct65Plus": 12, "tier": 1, "rank": 11, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H1036 (HMO)", "WellCare Premier (HMO)", "Aetna Medicare Premier (PPO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Orange", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Growing Puerto Rican Medicare base (post-Maria migration). Orlando is one of the fastest-growing Hispanic Medicare markets in the U.S." }, { "fipsCode": "12031", "state": "FL", "county": "Duval", "majorCity": "Jacksonville", "population2024": 1011000, "medicareBenes2024": 186978, "maPenetrationPct": 55, "pct65Plus": 14, "tier": 1, "rank": 12, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H1036 (HMO)", "Florida Blue BlueMedicare (HMO)", "UnitedHealthcare AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 1 (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Duval", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Highest veteran population per capita of any large FL county. Mayo Clinic Jacksonville is a major MA-network anchor." }, { "fipsCode": "12105", "state": "FL", "county": "Polk", "majorCity": "Lakeland", "population2024": 818000, "medicareBenes2024": 177515, "maPenetrationPct": 65, "pct65Plus": 19, "tier": 1, "rank": 13, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H1036 (HMO)", "UnitedHealthcare AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 1 (HMO)", "Florida Blue BlueMedicare (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Polk", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "65% MA penetration — Lakeland is one of the highest-MA mid-size counties in FL." }, { "fipsCode": "12009", "state": "FL", "county": "Brevard", "majorCity": "Palm Bay", "population2024": 638000, "medicareBenes2024": 176230, "maPenetrationPct": 50, "pct65Plus": 23, "tier": 1, "rank": 14, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H1036 (HMO)", "Florida Blue BlueMedicare (HMO)", "Aetna Medicare Eagle (PPO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Brevard", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Space Coast retiree corridor — strong Medigap + term life demand from former NASA/aerospace workforce." }, { "fipsCode": "12127", "state": "FL", "county": "Volusia", "majorCity": "Daytona Beach", "population2024": 580000, "medicareBenes2024": 167801, "maPenetrationPct": 55, "pct65Plus": 23, "tier": 1, "rank": 15, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H1036 (HMO)", "Florida Blue BlueMedicare (HMO)", "AdventHealth Advantage (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Volusia", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Daytona retiree market. AdventHealth Advantage is the local provider-owned MA plan." }, { "fipsCode": "12097", "state": "FL", "county": "Osceola", "majorCity": "Kissimmee", "population2024": 468100, "medicareBenes2024": 77099, "maPenetrationPct": 72, "pct65Plus": 13.5, "tier": 2, "rank": 16, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "WellCare", "Freedom Health" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE - Osceola", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Osceola County has one of Florida's highest Medicare Advantage penetration rates — roughly 70-72% of its ~77,000 Medicare beneficiaries, second only to Miami-Dade (~80%); it is also among the state's fastest-growing and most Hispanic counties, with a large Puerto Rican community centered in Kissimmee and St. Cloud." }, { "fipsCode": "12001", "state": "FL", "county": "Alachua", "majorCity": "Gainesville", "population2024": 291800, "medicareBenes2024": 48000, "maPenetrationPct": 40, "pct65Plus": 16, "tier": 2, "rank": 17, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "Florida Blue (BlueMedicare)", "Aetna" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE - Alachua", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Alachua County is anchored by the University of Florida and its flagship UF Health Shands Level I trauma/academic medical center, giving it a younger, university-driven population; its Medicare Advantage penetration (~40%) sits well below Florida's 60% average, leaving Original Medicare plus Medigap unusually common among its ~48,000-51,000 beneficiaries." }, { "fipsCode": "12115", "state": "FL", "county": "Sarasota", "majorCity": "Sarasota", "population2024": 467000, "medicareBenes2024": 161995, "maPenetrationPct": 43, "pct65Plus": 34, "tier": 1, "rank": 18, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H1036 (HMO)", "Florida Blue BlueMedicare (HMO)", "Aetna Medicare Premier (PPO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Sarasota", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "34% age 65+. Medigap-dominant (one of the few FL counties where Medigap outsells MA per AHIP 2024 distribution)." }, { "fipsCode": "12005", "state": "FL", "county": "Bay", "majorCity": "Panama City", "population2024": 199718, "medicareBenes2024": 42521, "maPenetrationPct": 42, "pct65Plus": 18.5, "tier": 2, "rank": 18, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "Florida Blue (BlueMedicare)", "UnitedHealthcare", "WellCare" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE - Bay", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Bay County is a Florida Panhandle Gulf Coast and military community (Tyndall Air Force Base, Naval Support Activity Panama City) that rebuilt after Hurricane Michael's 2018 Category 5 direct hit; about 42% of its 42,521 Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Advantage, below the statewide 60% average." }, { "fipsCode": "12091", "state": "FL", "county": "Okaloosa", "majorCity": "Crestview", "population2024": 220500, "medicareBenes2024": 32000, "maPenetrationPct": 35, "pct65Plus": 17.3, "tier": 2, "rank": 19, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "Florida Blue (BlueMedicare)", "Aetna" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE - Okaloosa", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Okaloosa County is one of Florida's most military-concentrated counties, home to Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field, which drives a large TRICARE-eligible retiree base; its Medicare Advantage penetration is relatively low (~34-35% of ~32,000 beneficiaries, with Fort Walton Beach measured at 33.94%), well under Florida's 60% average." }, { "fipsCode": "12101", "state": "FL", "county": "Pasco", "majorCity": "Spring Hill", "population2024": 622000, "medicareBenes2024": 147690, "maPenetrationPct": 66, "pct65Plus": 24, "tier": 1, "rank": 20, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H1036 (HMO)", "WellCare Premier (HMO)", "Florida Blue BlueMedicare (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Pasco", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Nature Coast retiree belt (Spring Hill / Hudson / Holiday). Heavy snowbird overlap with Pinellas." }, { "fipsCode": "12073", "state": "FL", "county": "Leon", "majorCity": "Tallahassee", "population2024": 300500, "medicareBenes2024": 52524, "maPenetrationPct": 61, "pct65Plus": 15.6, "tier": 2, "rank": 20, "topCarriers": [ "Capital Health Plan", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)", "Florida Blue (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida)", "Humana" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE -- Leon County", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Leon County is anchored by Tallahassee, the state capital and home to Florida State University and Florida A&M, giving it by far the youngest age profile of this batch -- just 15.6% age 65+, well below Florida's ~22%. Despite the college-town demographics, locally based nonprofit HMO Capital Health Plan (a 4.5-star carrier serving the nine-county Big Bend region) dominates Medicare Advantage here, a rarity in a market national carriers usually control." }, { "fipsCode": "12083", "state": "FL", "county": "Marion", "majorCity": "Ocala", "population2024": 397000, "medicareBenes2024": 131618, "maPenetrationPct": 55, "pct65Plus": 30, "tier": 1, "rank": 21, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H1036 (HMO)", "WellCare Premier (HMO)", "Florida Blue BlueMedicare (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Marion", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "30% age 65+. Dual-eligible heavy — strong D-SNP plan demand." }, { "fipsCode": "12019", "state": "FL", "county": "Clay", "majorCity": "Orange Park", "population2024": 236800, "medicareBenes2024": 42000, "maPenetrationPct": 36, "pct65Plus": 17.8, "tier": 2, "rank": 21, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)", "Humana", "Devoted Health", "Aetna" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE -- Clay County", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Clay County, centered on the Jacksonville suburb of Orange Park, is a fast-growing, military-adjacent bedroom community (NAS Jacksonville draws many retirees) with a relatively young 17.8% age-65+ share. Its Medicare Advantage market skews high-quality: the four highest-rated plans in Orange Park are all Devoted Health 5-star HMO products, alongside 4.5-star AARP/UnitedHealthcare and Aetna offerings." }, { "fipsCode": "12089", "state": "FL", "county": "Nassau", "majorCity": "Fernandina Beach", "population2024": 104400, "medicareBenes2024": 26000, "maPenetrationPct": 36, "pct65Plus": 24.9, "tier": 2, "rank": 22, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)", "Aetna", "Humana", "Florida Blue (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE -- Nassau County", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Nassau County pairs the upscale Amelia Island resort economy (Ritz-Carlton and Omni Amelia Island Resort) and Rayonier's historic Fernandina Beach pulp mill with a high 24.9% age-65+ share, reflecting its draw as a coastal retirement and second-home market on the northeast tip of the Jacksonville metro. Baptist Medical Center Nassau is the county's only acute-care hospital, anchoring care for a fast-growing retiree population." }, { "fipsCode": "12069", "state": "FL", "county": "Lake", "majorCity": "Clermont", "population2024": 422000, "medicareBenes2024": 122204, "maPenetrationPct": 55, "pct65Plus": 29, "tier": 1, "rank": 23, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H1036 (HMO)", "WellCare Premier (HMO)", "Florida Blue BlueMedicare (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Lake", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Adjacent to The Villages — significant retiree overflow into Clermont, Leesburg, Tavares." }, { "fipsCode": "12055", "state": "FL", "county": "Highlands", "majorCity": "Sebring", "population2024": 105700, "medicareBenes2024": 37000, "maPenetrationPct": 49, "pct65Plus": 35.1, "tier": 2, "rank": 23, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)", "Humana", "Aetna", "Florida Blue (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE -- Highlands County", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Highlands County, anchored by Sebring and its Sun 'n Lake planned community, has one of the oldest populations in the nation -- about 35.1% of residents are 65 or older. Its economy leans on healthcare and citrus, and AdventHealth Sebring broke ground in 2026 on a roughly $130 million five-story cardiovascular tower to serve the aging Heartland region." }, { "fipsCode": "12081", "state": "FL", "county": "Manatee", "majorCity": "Bradenton", "population2024": 442000, "medicareBenes2024": 120134, "maPenetrationPct": 50, "pct65Plus": 28, "tier": 1, "rank": 25, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H1036 (HMO)", "Florida Blue BlueMedicare (HMO)", "Aetna Medicare Premier (PPO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Manatee", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Bradenton / Lakewood Ranch — affluent retiree growth corridor. FIA + LTC-hybrid is the natural angle." }, { "fipsCode": "12021", "state": "FL", "county": "Collier", "majorCity": "Naples", "population2024": 401000, "medicareBenes2024": 110000, "maPenetrationPct": 40, "pct65Plus": 32, "tier": 2, "rank": 37, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H1036 (HMO)", "Florida Blue BlueMedicare (HMO)", "Aetna Medicare Premier (PPO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Collier", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Naples — one of the highest-income retirement counties in the U.S. Medigap + FIA + LTC-hybrid dominate; almost no MA penetration relative to other FL counties." }, { "fipsCode": "12119", "state": "FL", "county": "Sumter", "majorCity": "The Villages", "population2024": 142000, "medicareBenes2024": 85000, "maPenetrationPct": 62, "pct65Plus": 58.9, "tier": 2, "rank": 38, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare AARP Medicare Advantage The Villages (HMO)", "Humana Gold Plus H1036 (HMO)", "Florida Blue BlueMedicare (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Sumter", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "The Villages — 58.9% age 65+ (2020 Census), the oldest county in the U.S. by median age (68.1, Census 2024). Single highest-density retiree market in America." }, { "fipsCode": "12015", "state": "FL", "county": "Charlotte", "majorCity": "Port Charlotte", "population2024": 197000, "medicareBenes2024": 80000, "maPenetrationPct": 48, "pct65Plus": 41, "tier": 2, "rank": 39, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H1036 (HMO)", "Florida Blue BlueMedicare (HMO)", "Aetna Medicare Premier (PPO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Charlotte", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Port Charlotte / Punta Gorda — 41% age 65+. Hurricane Ian (2022) rebuild ongoing; Term Life + property-loss conversations." }, { "fipsCode": "12017", "state": "FL", "county": "Citrus", "majorCity": "Inverness", "population2024": 165000, "medicareBenes2024": 65000, "maPenetrationPct": 62, "pct65Plus": 38, "tier": 2, "rank": 40, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H1036 (HMO)", "WellCare Premier (HMO)", "Florida Blue BlueMedicare (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Citrus", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Nature Coast retiree county — 38% age 65+. Adjacent to Sumter (Villages overflow). High MA penetration + Medigap demand." }, { "fipsCode": "12053", "state": "FL", "county": "Hernando", "majorCity": "Brooksville", "population2024": 207000, "medicareBenes2024": 70000, "maPenetrationPct": 65, "pct65Plus": 30, "tier": 2, "rank": 41, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H1036 (HMO)", "WellCare Premier (HMO)", "Florida Blue BlueMedicare (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Hernando", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Spring Hill — Nature Coast retiree corridor. 65% MA penetration. Heavy dual-eligible (D-SNP) population." }, { "fipsCode": "12061", "state": "FL", "county": "Indian River", "majorCity": "Vero Beach", "population2024": 167000, "medicareBenes2024": 60000, "maPenetrationPct": 45, "pct65Plus": 34, "tier": 2, "rank": 42, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H1036 (HMO)", "Florida Blue BlueMedicare (HMO)", "Cleveland Clinic Indian River Plan (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Indian River", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Vero Beach / Sebastian — 34% age 65+. Cleveland Clinic anchor draws affluent NE retirees. Medigap + FIA dominant." }, { "fipsCode": "12085", "state": "FL", "county": "Martin", "majorCity": "Stuart", "population2024": 165000, "medicareBenes2024": 55000, "maPenetrationPct": 40, "pct65Plus": 36, "tier": 2, "rank": 43, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H1036 (HMO)", "Florida Blue BlueMedicare (HMO)", "Cleveland Clinic Florida Medicare (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Martin", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Stuart / Palm City — Treasure Coast affluent retirees. Highest median household income on FL East Coast outside Palm Beach. FIA + Medigap-heavy." }, { "fipsCode": "12109", "state": "FL", "county": "St. Johns", "majorCity": "St. Augustine", "population2024": 304000, "medicareBenes2024": 60000, "maPenetrationPct": 50, "pct65Plus": 20, "tier": 2, "rank": 44, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H1036 (HMO)", "Florida Blue BlueMedicare (HMO)", "Aetna Medicare Premier (PPO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — St. Johns", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "St. Augustine / Ponte Vedra Beach — Jacksonville-MSA's affluent retiree growth corridor. Mayo Clinic adjacent." }, { "fipsCode": "12117", "state": "FL", "county": "Seminole", "majorCity": "Sanford", "population2024": 481000, "medicareBenes2024": 75000, "maPenetrationPct": 55, "pct65Plus": 16, "tier": 2, "rank": 45, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H1036 (HMO)", "WellCare Premier (HMO)", "AdventHealth Advantage (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Seminole", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Orlando MSA suburb — AdventHealth-aligned MA plans. Growing PR Medicare base (post-Maria migration)." }, { "fipsCode": "12111", "state": "FL", "county": "St. Lucie", "majorCity": "Port St. Lucie", "population2024": 367000, "medicareBenes2024": 80000, "maPenetrationPct": 58, "pct65Plus": 23, "tier": 2, "rank": 46, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H1036 (HMO)", "Florida Blue BlueMedicare (HMO)", "Cleveland Clinic Florida Medicare (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — St. Lucie", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Port St. Lucie — fastest-growing FL city for under-65 retirees moving from the NE. ACA + early Medicare planning." }, { "fipsCode": "12033", "state": "FL", "county": "Escambia", "majorCity": "Pensacola", "population2024": 322000, "medicareBenes2024": 65000, "maPenetrationPct": 55, "pct65Plus": 18, "tier": 2, "rank": 47, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H1036 (HMO)", "Florida Blue BlueMedicare (HMO)", "Baptist Health Care Medicare (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Escambia", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Pensacola — Florida Panhandle. Heavy military/veteran population (NAS Pensacola). Strong TRICARE-to-Medicare transition market." }, { "fipsCode": "12113", "state": "FL", "county": "Santa Rosa", "majorCity": "Milton", "population2024": 207653, "medicareBenes2024": 34886, "maPenetrationPct": 50, "pct65Plus": 17.5, "tier": 3, "rank": 60, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "Aetna", "Devoted Health" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Santa Rosa", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Santa Rosa County is anchored by Naval Air Station Whiting Field near Milton, one of the Navy's two primary fixed- and rotary-wing pilot-training bases, giving the county a large active-duty, veteran and military-retiree population. It is one of Florida's faster-growing counties, with the Navarre area its largest community; its 65-plus share (about 17.5%) sits well below Florida's 21.8% because of the working-age military presence." }, { "fipsCode": "12035", "state": "FL", "county": "Flagler", "majorCity": "Palm Coast", "population2024": 144436, "medicareBenes2024": 45858, "maPenetrationPct": 55.4, "pct65Plus": 31.8, "tier": 3, "rank": 61, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "Aetna", "Devoted Health" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Flagler", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Flagler County is one of Florida's most retiree-heavy counties — about 31.8% of residents are 65 or older, far above the state's 21.8% — driven by the planned community of Palm Coast. Healthcare is centered on AdventHealth Palm Coast, the first hospital built in the county and one of its largest employers, now joined by a second campus, AdventHealth Palm Coast Parkway." }, { "fipsCode": "12131", "state": "FL", "county": "Walton", "majorCity": "DeFuniak Springs", "population2024": 96480, "medicareBenes2024": 19514, "maPenetrationPct": 42.3, "pct65Plus": 20.6, "tier": 3, "rank": 62, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "Aetna", "Cigna" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Walton", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Walton County's economy is dominated by upscale coastal tourism along the famous Scenic Highway 30A in South Walton, while the inland county seat of DeFuniak Springs remains more rural. Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast in Miramar Beach is the county's first and only acute-care hospital and runs Walton County's only neonatal intensive care unit." }, { "fipsCode": "12087", "state": "FL", "county": "Monroe", "majorCity": "Key West", "population2024": 80900, "medicareBenes2024": 19208, "maPenetrationPct": 19.3, "pct65Plus": 25.9, "tier": 3, "rank": 63, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "Aetna" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Monroe", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Monroe County — the Florida Keys — has the lowest Medicare Advantage penetration of any county in Florida, roughly 19-21% versus a statewide ~60%, because the geographically isolated island chain supports few MA networks, leaving most seniors on Original Medicare plus a supplement. Its hospitals are spread across the Keys: Lower Keys Medical Center in Key West, Baptist Health Mariners Hospital in the Upper Keys, and Baptist Health Fishermen's Community Hospital in Marathon." }, { "fipsCode": "12107", "state": "FL", "county": "Putnam", "majorCity": "Palatka", "population2024": 78295, "medicareBenes2024": 18340, "maPenetrationPct": 56.8, "pct65Plus": 24.4, "tier": 3, "rank": 64, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "Aetna" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Putnam", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Putnam County is a rural, lower-income North Florida county on the St. Johns River whose economy leans on agriculture, forestry/paper production and the county seat of Palatka. About 24.4% of residents are 65 or older, and despite its rural profile Medicare Advantage penetration is high (~57%); HCA Florida Putnam Hospital in Palatka is the county's main acute-care provider." }, { "fipsCode": "12023", "state": "FL", "county": "Columbia", "majorCity": "Lake City", "population2024": 74467, "medicareBenes2024": 18198, "maPenetrationPct": 51.9, "pct65Plus": 18.9, "tier": 3, "rank": 65, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "Preferred Care Partners (UnitedHealth)", "Aetna" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Columbia County", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Lake City, the Columbia County seat, is known as the 'Gateway to Florida' at the I-10/I-75 crossroads; HCA Florida Lake City Hospital, a 141-bed acute-care facility, is the regional medical hub serving Columbia, Hamilton and Suwannee counties, and the Lake City VA Medical Center has provided veteran care for over a century." }, { "fipsCode": "12051", "state": "FL", "county": "Hendry", "majorCity": "Clewiston", "population2024": 49911, "medicareBenes2024": 7505, "maPenetrationPct": 58.5, "pct65Plus": 13.7, "tier": 3, "rank": 66, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "Preferred Care Partners (UnitedHealth)", "UnitedHealthcare", "WellCare (Centene)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Hendry County", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Hendry County is the heart of Florida's sugar belt — Clewiston is branded 'America's Sweetest Town' and U.S. Sugar farms hundreds of thousands of acres across the region, even funding equipment for the 25-bed Hendry Regional Medical Center. The county has the lowest 65-plus share (13.7%) of the five, reflecting a young agricultural workforce." }, { "fipsCode": "12075", "state": "FL", "county": "Levy", "majorCity": "Chiefland", "population2024": 49396, "medicareBenes2024": 13967, "maPenetrationPct": 54.6, "pct65Plus": 24.8, "tier": 3, "rank": 67, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "Preferred Care Partners (UnitedHealth)", "UnitedHealthcare", "WellCare (Centene)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Levy County", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Coastal Levy County is anchored by Cedar Key, which produces the bulk of Florida's farm-raised hard clams — hundreds of millions of clams a year supporting a multimillion-dollar aquaculture economy. Levy is effectively a hospital desert: its last inpatient hospital, Regional General Hospital in Williston, closed in 2019, so its high 65-plus retiree population (24.8%) now travels to Gainesville or Ocala for inpatient care." }, { "fipsCode": "12063", "state": "FL", "county": "Jackson", "majorCity": "Marianna", "population2024": 49321, "medicareBenes2024": 11836, "maPenetrationPct": 51.4, "pct65Plus": 19.5, "tier": 3, "rank": 68, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare", "Humana", "Preferred Care Partners (UnitedHealth)", "WellCare (Centene)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Jackson County", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Marianna, the Jackson County seat in the Florida Panhandle, leans on a public-sector and agricultural economy — a federal correctional institution, state prison facilities, and the 100-bed Jackson Hospital (established 1939) are major employers. The county is still rebuilding from Hurricane Michael's 2018 direct hit." }, { "fipsCode": "12121", "state": "FL", "county": "Suwannee", "majorCity": "Live Oak", "population2024": 48495, "medicareBenes2024": 12352, "maPenetrationPct": 52.8, "pct65Plus": 21.4, "tier": 3, "rank": 69, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "Preferred Care Partners (UnitedHealth)", "WellCare (Centene)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Suwannee County", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Live Oak, the Suwannee County seat, lost its inpatient hospital when Shands Live Oak was acquired by HCA and converted to emergency-only on May 1, 2020; residents now rely on the 12-bed HCA Florida Suwannee Emergency ER (an extension of Lake City Hospital) and travel 25+ miles for inpatient care, making telehealth and Medicare access acute issues in this farming and timber county." }, { "fipsCode": "12039", "state": "FL", "county": "Gadsden", "majorCity": "Quincy", "population2024": 44151, "medicareBenes2024": 8858, "maPenetrationPct": 68, "pct65Plus": 20.9, "tier": 3, "rank": 70, "topCarriers": [ "Capital Health Plan", "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)", "Preferred Care Partners (UnitedHealthcare)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Gadsden County", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Gadsden is the only majority-Black county in Florida, and its seat Quincy was once among the wealthiest towns per capita in the U.S. thanks to the 'Coca-Cola millionaires' who invested local shade-tobacco fortunes into Coca-Cola stock. Medicare Advantage penetration here is the third-highest of any Florida county at roughly 68%, dominated by Tallahassee-based Capital Health Plan." }, { "fipsCode": "12093", "state": "FL", "county": "Okeechobee", "majorCity": "Okeechobee", "population2024": 42369, "medicareBenes2024": 8542, "maPenetrationPct": 61, "pct65Plus": 21, "tier": 3, "rank": 71, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "Preferred Care Partners (UnitedHealthcare)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Okeechobee County", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Okeechobee County, on the north shore of Lake Okeechobee, is one of Florida's leading agribusiness centers — its dairies rank among the largest in the United States and it remains home to many of the state's traditional cattle-ranching families. Acute care is anchored by the 100-bed HCA Florida Raulerson Hospital, which has served the area for more than 40 years." }, { "fipsCode": "12129", "state": "FL", "county": "Wakulla", "majorCity": "Crawfordville", "population2024": 37115, "medicareBenes2024": 6271, "maPenetrationPct": 62, "pct65Plus": 17.6, "tier": 3, "rank": 72, "topCarriers": [ "Capital Health Plan", "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Wakulla County", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Wakulla County functions largely as a coastal bedroom community for Tallahassee, with county seat Crawfordville just 18 miles south of the capital and many residents commuting to government, education and healthcare jobs. Despite its modest size, Medicare Advantage penetration is high at roughly 62%, led by Tallahassee-based Capital Health Plan." }, { "fipsCode": "12027", "state": "FL", "county": "DeSoto", "majorCity": "Arcadia", "population2024": 36744, "medicareBenes2024": 8431, "maPenetrationPct": 58, "pct65Plus": 23.9, "tier": 3, "rank": 73, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "Aetna", "UnitedHealthcare", "Preferred Care Partners (UnitedHealthcare)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — DeSoto County", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "DeSoto County is a rural, agriculture-driven county in south-central Florida built on cattle ranching and citrus, with its historic county seat of Arcadia listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2025 the community hospital, DeSoto Memorial, accepted a lease proposal for Tampa General Hospital to take over its operations." }, { "fipsCode": "12003", "state": "FL", "county": "Baker", "majorCity": "Macclenny", "population2024": 29325, "medicareBenes2024": 4251, "maPenetrationPct": 33, "pct65Plus": 15.1, "tier": 3, "rank": 74, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Baker County", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Rural Baker County, anchored by the seat of Macclenny in northeast Florida, has an unusually low Medicare Advantage penetration of about 33% — far below the Florida average — leaving most beneficiaries in Original Medicare and Medigap. Its economy is heavily tied to two major institutional employers: the 25-bed Ed Fraser Memorial Hospital and the 613-bed Northeast Florida State Hospital." }, { "fipsCode": "12007", "state": "FL", "county": "Bradford", "majorCity": "Starke", "population2024": 28460, "medicareBenes2024": 6350, "maPenetrationPct": 51.5, "pct65Plus": 18.7, "tier": 3, "rank": 75, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)", "Florida Blue Medicare" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Bradford County", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Bradford is one of Florida's smallest counties by land area and home to Florida State Prison and the Reception and Medical Center in Raiford, making state corrections a dominant local employer alongside agriculture. The county has no acute-care inpatient hospital of its own; local care is anchored by HCA Florida Starke Emergency (a freestanding ER tied to HCA Florida North Florida Hospital), with inpatient cases referred to Gainesville in adjacent Alachua County." }, { "fipsCode": "12133", "state": "FL", "county": "Washington", "majorCity": "Chipley", "population2024": 26932, "medicareBenes2024": 4861, "maPenetrationPct": 43, "pct65Plus": 18.8, "tier": 3, "rank": 76, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)", "Florida Blue Medicare" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Washington County", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Washington County is a rural, medically underserved Panhandle county whose only hospital, the 59-bed Northwest Florida Community Hospital in Chipley, is a federally designated Critical Access Hospital. The county sits along I-10 between Panama City and Tallahassee with an economy rooted in agriculture and timber." }, { "fipsCode": "12049", "state": "FL", "county": "Hardee", "majorCity": "Wauchula", "population2024": 25757, "medicareBenes2024": 4659, "maPenetrationPct": 62.7, "pct65Plus": 16.3, "tier": 3, "rank": 77, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)", "WellCare" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Hardee County", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Hardee County is a socio-economically disadvantaged, agriculture-driven county where citrus, cattle and vegetable farming dominate — Wauchula has long been nicknamed the \"Cucumber Capital of the World\" — and Mosaic phosphate mining is among its largest economic engines. AdventHealth Wauchula, a 25-bed rural Critical Access Hospital and Florida's first such designation, operates the county's only emergency department. Hispanic residents make up roughly 42% of the population." }, { "fipsCode": "48201", "state": "TX", "county": "Harris", "majorCity": "Houston", "population2024": 4835125, "medicareBenes2024": 639500, "maPenetrationPct": 61, "pct65Plus": 12, "tier": 1, "rank": 2, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H4007 (HMO)", "WellCare Texan Plus (HMO)", "UnitedHealthcare AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 1 (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "TX HICAP — Houston-Galveston Area Council", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.h-gac.com/area-agency-on-aging" }, "uniqueFact": "Nearly 690,000 residents covered through the ACA in Harris County alone (Episcopal Health Foundation). Houston has the most ACA enrollees of any TX county." }, { "fipsCode": "48113", "state": "TX", "county": "Dallas", "majorCity": "Dallas", "population2024": 2613539, "medicareBenes2024": 395000, "maPenetrationPct": 57, "pct65Plus": 11, "tier": 1, "rank": 5, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H4007 (HMO)", "Cigna TotalCare H4513 (HMO D-SNP)", "Wellpoint Texas Group (PPO)" ], "ship": { "name": "TX HICAP — Dallas Area Agency on Aging", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.dallasaaa.com/" }, "uniqueFact": "Humana holds ≥50% of all MA enrollees in Dallas County — among the most concentrated MA markets in the U.S. per KFF." }, { "fipsCode": "48029", "state": "TX", "county": "Bexar", "majorCity": "San Antonio", "population2024": 2059530, "medicareBenes2024": 331900, "maPenetrationPct": 59, "pct65Plus": 13, "tier": 1, "rank": 6, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H4007 (HMO)", "WellMed Medicare Advantage (HMO)", "Superior HealthPlan STAR+PLUS (D-SNP)" ], "ship": { "name": "TX HICAP — Bexar Area Agency on Aging", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.aacog.com/" }, "uniqueFact": "64% Hispanic population. WellMed is San Antonio's dominant MA-aligned medical group." }, { "fipsCode": "48439", "state": "TX", "county": "Tarrant", "majorCity": "Fort Worth", "population2024": 2185030, "medicareBenes2024": 315400, "maPenetrationPct": 56, "pct65Plus": 13, "tier": 1, "rank": 7, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H4007 (HMO)", "UnitedHealthcare AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 1 (HMO)", "Aetna Medicare Eagle (PPO)" ], "ship": { "name": "TX HICAP — North Central Texas Council of Governments", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.nctcog.org/aging" }, "uniqueFact": "Home county of Boomer Benefits — TX's most-cited Medicare publication (CNBC, Forbes, Yahoo Finance). Strong content competition." }, { "fipsCode": "48453", "state": "TX", "county": "Travis", "majorCity": "Austin", "population2024": 1339000, "medicareBenes2024": 157200, "maPenetrationPct": 48, "pct65Plus": 11, "tier": 1, "rank": 16, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H4007 (HMO)", "UnitedHealthcare AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 1 (HMO)", "Baylor Scott & White Medicare Advantage (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "TX HICAP — Capital Area Council of Governments", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.capcog.org/divisions/aging-services/" }, "uniqueFact": "Austin — TX's highest-income MSA. Strong FIA/LTC-hybrid + IUL demand among affluent tech retirees." }, { "fipsCode": "48085", "state": "TX", "county": "Collin", "majorCity": "Plano", "population2024": 1195602, "medicareBenes2024": 152300, "maPenetrationPct": 43, "pct65Plus": 12, "tier": 1, "rank": 17, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H4007 (HMO)", "UnitedHealthcare AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 1 (HMO)", "Texas Health Aetna Medicare Advantage (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "TX HICAP — North Central Texas Council of Governments", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.nctcog.org/aging" }, "uniqueFact": "Plano/Frisco/McKinney — ACA-heavy under-65 (corporate transplant population). Below-state-average MA penetration." }, { "fipsCode": "48141", "state": "TX", "county": "El Paso", "majorCity": "El Paso", "population2024": 869000, "medicareBenes2024": 148900, "maPenetrationPct": 74, "pct65Plus": 13, "tier": 1, "rank": 19, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H4007 (HMO)", "Amerigroup Texas (HMO D-SNP)", "WellMed Medicare Advantage (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "TX HICAP — Rio Grande Council of Governments", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.riocog.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "74% MA penetration — third-highest in TX after Starr and Hidalgo. Rio Grande Valley border market." }, { "fipsCode": "48039", "state": "TX", "county": "Brazoria", "majorCity": "Pearland", "population2024": 413200, "medicareBenes2024": 53200, "maPenetrationPct": 43, "pct65Plus": 13.4, "tier": 1, "rank": 21, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage TX-0015 HMO-POS)", "WellCare (TexanPlus Classic Simple HMO-POS)", "Cigna HealthSpring (Preferred Full Savings HMO)", "Humana" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Brazoria County straddles the Houston petrochemical corridor and the Gulf Coast: the Dow Chemical Texas Operations complex at Freeport is one of the largest chemical manufacturing sites in the Western Hemisphere, anchoring a working-age, blue-collar economy. The county's 65+ share (13.4%) sits below the Texas average, while fast-growing Pearland in the north functions as a Houston suburb served by Memorial Hermann Pearland and HCA Houston Healthcare Pearland." }, { "fipsCode": "48121", "state": "TX", "county": "Denton", "majorCity": "Denton", "population2024": 1011775, "medicareBenes2024": 125000, "maPenetrationPct": 46, "pct65Plus": 11, "tier": 1, "rank": 22, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H4007 (HMO)", "UnitedHealthcare AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 1 (HMO)", "Texas Health Aetna Medicare Advantage (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "TX HICAP — North Central Texas Council of Governments", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.nctcog.org/aging" }, "uniqueFact": "DFW north growth corridor — high under-65 ACA demand from corporate transplants." }, { "fipsCode": "48215", "state": "TX", "county": "Hidalgo", "majorCity": "McAllen", "population2024": 880000, "medicareBenes2024": 120500, "maPenetrationPct": 75, "pct65Plus": 12, "tier": 1, "rank": 24, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H4007 (HMO)", "WellMed Medicare Advantage (HMO)", "Amerigroup Texas (HMO D-SNP)" ], "ship": { "name": "TX HICAP — Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.lrgvdc.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "75% MA penetration — Rio Grande Valley. 92% Hispanic population." }, { "fipsCode": "48157", "state": "TX", "county": "Fort Bend", "majorCity": "Sugar Land", "population2024": 916778, "medicareBenes2024": 115000, "maPenetrationPct": 45, "pct65Plus": 11, "tier": 2, "rank": 26, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H4007 (HMO)", "Texas Health Aetna Medicare Advantage (HMO)", "UnitedHealthcare AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 1 (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "TX HICAP — Houston-Galveston Area Council", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.h-gac.com/area-agency-on-aging" }, "uniqueFact": "Most-diverse county in the U.S. per ProximityOne — strong demand for Medicare and ACA guidance; Sugar Land / Missouri City retirees." }, { "fipsCode": "48339", "state": "TX", "county": "Montgomery", "majorCity": "Conroe", "population2024": 749613, "medicareBenes2024": 108500, "maPenetrationPct": 50, "pct65Plus": 14, "tier": 2, "rank": 27, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H4007 (HMO)", "WellCare Texan Plus (HMO)", "UnitedHealthcare AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 1 (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "TX HICAP — Houston-Galveston Area Council", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.h-gac.com/area-agency-on-aging" }, "uniqueFact": "The Woodlands + Conroe — Houston-MSA's fastest-growing retiree corridor. Strong Term Life + Final Expense demand from energy-sector retirees." }, { "fipsCode": "48491", "state": "TX", "county": "Williamson", "majorCity": "Round Rock", "population2024": 696410, "medicareBenes2024": 95000, "maPenetrationPct": 42, "pct65Plus": 13, "tier": 2, "rank": 28, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H4007 (HMO)", "Baylor Scott & White Medicare Advantage (HMO)", "UnitedHealthcare AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 1 (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "TX HICAP — Capital Area Council of Governments", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.capcog.org/divisions/aging-services/" }, "uniqueFact": "Home of Sun City Texas (Georgetown) — TX's largest active-adult retirement community (~17,000 residents). Highest-conversion Medigap county outside Sarasota FL." }, { "fipsCode": "48061", "state": "TX", "county": "Cameron", "majorCity": "Brownsville", "population2024": 425000, "medicareBenes2024": 70000, "maPenetrationPct": 65, "pct65Plus": 14, "tier": 2, "rank": 29, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H4007 (HMO)", "WellMed Medicare Advantage (HMO)", "Amerigroup Texas (HMO D-SNP)" ], "ship": { "name": "TX HICAP — Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.lrgvdc.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Rio Grande Valley border county — 90% Hispanic, very high MA penetration. 'Winter Texan' snowbird inflow." }, { "fipsCode": "48167", "state": "TX", "county": "Galveston", "majorCity": "League City", "population2024": 358000, "medicareBenes2024": 65000, "maPenetrationPct": 55, "pct65Plus": 17, "tier": 2, "rank": 30, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H4007 (HMO)", "UTMB Health Care Choices (HMO)", "WellCare Texan Plus (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "TX HICAP — Houston-Galveston Area Council", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.h-gac.com/area-agency-on-aging" }, "uniqueFact": "Gulf Coast county anchored by UTMB Health system. Hurricane exposure (Ike, Harvey) drives Term Life + Final Expense conversation." }, { "fipsCode": "48245", "state": "TX", "county": "Jefferson", "majorCity": "Beaumont", "population2024": 253900, "medicareBenes2024": 39500, "maPenetrationPct": 43, "pct65Plus": 16.2, "tier": 2, "rank": 30, "topCarriers": [ "WellCare (TexanPlus Classic Simple HMO-POS)", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage TX-0015 HMO-POS)", "Humana (Gold Plus H0028-072 HMO)", "Aetna" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Jefferson County is the heart of the Golden Triangle refining belt, home to the ExxonMobil Beaumont refinery and a Gulf Coast petrochemical workforce. With 16.2% of residents 65 or older it skews notably older than fast-growing Central Texas counties, and Beaumont's Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas and CHRISTUS Southeast Texas-St. Elizabeth are the dominant regional referral hospitals." }, { "fipsCode": "48355", "state": "TX", "county": "Nueces", "majorCity": "Corpus Christi", "population2024": 354000, "medicareBenes2024": 70000, "maPenetrationPct": 60, "pct65Plus": 16, "tier": 2, "rank": 31, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H4007 (HMO)", "WellMed Medicare Advantage (HMO)", "Christus Health Plan (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "TX HICAP — Coastal Bend Council of Governments", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.cbcog98.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Corpus Christi — Coastal Bend market. Energy-sector retirees + Naval Air Station Corpus Christi veteran base." }, { "fipsCode": "48041", "state": "TX", "county": "Brazos", "majorCity": "College Station", "population2024": 249600, "medicareBenes2024": 26100, "maPenetrationPct": 27, "pct65Plus": 10.9, "tier": 2, "rank": 31, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage TX-0015 HMO-POS)", "Baylor Scott & White (BSW SeniorCare Advantage Select Rx HMO-POS)", "Humana (Essentials Plus Giveback H5216-358 PPO)", "WellCare" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Brazos County is dominated by Texas A&M University in College Station, giving it the youngest demographic profile of this group: only 10.9% of residents are 65 or older, well under the 14% Texas average. That university-driven youth keeps Medicare Advantage penetration relatively low (~27%), and Baylor Scott & White-College Station and CHI St. Joseph (Bryan) are the anchor health systems for the Brazos Valley." }, { "fipsCode": "48027", "state": "TX", "county": "Bell", "majorCity": "Killeen", "population2024": 384000, "medicareBenes2024": 55000, "maPenetrationPct": 52, "pct65Plus": 11, "tier": 2, "rank": 32, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H4007 (HMO)", "Baylor Scott & White Medicare Advantage (HMO)", "TRICARE For Life (supplement to Medicare)" ], "ship": { "name": "TX HICAP — Central Texas Council of Governments", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://ctcog.org/area-agency-on-aging/" }, "uniqueFact": "Fort Cavazos (formerly Fort Hood) — largest active-duty Army post in the U.S. Massive TRICARE-to-Medicare transition market; Term Life for younger families." }, { "fipsCode": "48209", "state": "TX", "county": "Hays", "majorCity": "San Marcos", "population2024": 292000, "medicareBenes2024": 35300, "maPenetrationPct": 30, "pct65Plus": 12.6, "tier": 2, "rank": 32, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials TX-12 HMO-POS)", "Humana (Gold Plus H0028-037 HMO)", "Humana (Full Access H5216-432 PPO)", "Baylor Scott & White" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Hays County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States, fueled by the I-35 corridor between Austin and San Antonio and Texas State University in San Marcos. Its rapid in-migration keeps the 65+ share at just 12.6% and Medicare Advantage penetration near 30% (about 10,599 county MA enrollees), with Ascension Seton Hays in Kyle and CHRISTUS Santa Rosa-San Marcos as the principal hospitals." }, { "fipsCode": "48303", "state": "TX", "county": "Lubbock", "majorCity": "Lubbock", "population2024": 320000, "medicareBenes2024": 50000, "maPenetrationPct": 48, "pct65Plus": 13, "tier": 2, "rank": 33, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H4007 (HMO)", "Covenant Medicare Plan (HMO)", "UnitedHealthcare AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 1 (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "TX HICAP — South Plains Association of Governments", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.spag.org/area-agency-on-aging/" }, "uniqueFact": "South Plains regional hub — Covenant Health is the dominant provider-aligned MA plan. Oil + agriculture retiree mix." }, { "fipsCode": "48139", "state": "TX", "county": "Ellis", "majorCity": "Waxahachie", "population2024": 232400, "medicareBenes2024": 29700, "maPenetrationPct": 43, "pct65Plus": 13.3, "tier": 2, "rank": 33, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage Extras TX-27 HMO-POS)", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials TX-22 HMO-POS)", "Baylor Scott & White (BSW SeniorCare Advantage Select Rx HMO-POS)", "Humana" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Ellis County is a southern exurban edge of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex along the I-35E corridor, with Waxahachie and Midlothian absorbing fast suburban growth and Midlothian's cement and steel plants forming an industrial base. UnitedHealthcare's AARP plans dominate the Medicare Advantage market here (the top two plans alone hold over 5,200 enrollees), and the county is served by Baylor Scott & White-Waxahachie and Methodist Midlothian Medical Center." }, { "fipsCode": "48479", "state": "TX", "county": "Webb", "majorCity": "Laredo", "population2024": 270000, "medicareBenes2024": 35000, "maPenetrationPct": 60, "pct65Plus": 10, "tier": 2, "rank": 34, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H4007 (HMO)", "WellMed Medicare Advantage (HMO)", "Amerigroup Texas (HMO D-SNP)" ], "ship": { "name": "TX HICAP — South Texas Development Council", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.stdc.cog.tx.us/" }, "uniqueFact": "Laredo — 95%+ Hispanic. Cross-border family demographics; ACA enrollment heavy." }, { "fipsCode": "48251", "state": "TX", "county": "Johnson", "majorCity": "Cleburne", "population2024": 210500, "medicareBenes2024": 31500, "maPenetrationPct": 47, "pct65Plus": 14.2, "tier": 2, "rank": 34, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare / AARP Medicare Advantage (TX-27 Extras & TX-22 Essentials, HMO-POS)", "Humana Gold Plus H0028-043 (HMO)", "Aetna", "Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Johnson County is a fast-growing exurban Fort Worth county anchored by Cleburne, where blue-collar and working-age households outnumber retirees (only ~14.2% are 65+, at the Texas average). Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Cleburne, a 137-bed Level IV trauma center serving Cleburne, Joshua, Godley and Glen Rose, is the county's main acute-care provider." }, { "fipsCode": "48309", "state": "TX", "county": "McLennan", "majorCity": "Waco", "population2024": 263000, "medicareBenes2024": 45000, "maPenetrationPct": 50, "pct65Plus": 14, "tier": 2, "rank": 35, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H4007 (HMO)", "Baylor Scott & White Medicare Advantage (HMO)", "UnitedHealthcare AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 1 (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "TX HICAP — Heart of Texas Council of Governments", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hotcog.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Waco — Baylor Scott & White system dominates the local MA market. Strong dual-eligible (D-SNP) demand." }, { "fipsCode": "48091", "state": "TX", "county": "Comal", "majorCity": "New Braunfels", "population2024": 201600, "medicareBenes2024": 40000, "maPenetrationPct": 33, "pct65Plus": 19, "tier": 2, "rank": 35, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare / AARP Medicare Advantage (TX-21 Essentials & TX-28 Extras, HMO-POS)", "HumanaChoice H5216-360 (PPO)", "Aetna", "WellCare" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Comal County (New Braunfels/Gruene/Canyon Lake) is one of the fastest-growing counties in the nation and a Hill Country retirement magnet, with about 19% of residents age 65+ - well above the Texas average of 14%. That affluent retiree base keeps Medicare Advantage penetration relatively modest (~33%), as many opt for Medicare Supplement. New Braunfels is served by two competing hospitals: CHRISTUS Santa Rosa-New Braunfels (132 beds) and Resolute Health/Resolute Baptist (128 beds)." }, { "fipsCode": "48423", "state": "TX", "county": "Smith", "majorCity": "Tyler", "population2024": 240000, "medicareBenes2024": 50000, "maPenetrationPct": 55, "pct65Plus": 18, "tier": 2, "rank": 36, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Gold Plus H4007 (HMO)", "UT Health East Texas Medicare Advantage (HMO)", "UnitedHealthcare AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 1 (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "TX HICAP — East Texas Council of Governments", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.etcog.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "East Texas regional medical hub — UT Health East Texas system. Higher 65+ rate than TX average; classic retiree market." }, { "fipsCode": "48187", "state": "TX", "county": "Guadalupe", "majorCity": "Seguin", "population2024": 195200, "medicareBenes2024": 31500, "maPenetrationPct": 32, "pct65Plus": 15.3, "tier": 2, "rank": 36, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare / AARP Medicare Advantage (TX-21 Essentials & TX-28 Extras, HMO-POS)", "Humana Gold Plus H0028-030 (HMO)", "Aetna", "WellCare" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Guadalupe County, anchored by Seguin and the booming Schertz/Cibolo corridor northeast of San Antonio, is among Texas's fastest-growing counties. Seguin's not-for-profit Guadalupe Regional Medical Center (700+ employees, 100+ physicians, 35+ specialties) is the county's lead community hospital, and Medicare Advantage penetration sits near 32%." }, { "fipsCode": "48257", "state": "TX", "county": "Kaufman", "majorCity": "Forney", "population2024": 197800, "medicareBenes2024": 22500, "maPenetrationPct": 39, "pct65Plus": 10.3, "tier": 2, "rank": 37, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare / AARP Medicare Advantage (TX-27 Extras & TX-22 Essentials, HMO-POS)", "Humana Gold Plus H0028-043 (HMO)", "Aetna", "Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Kaufman County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the U.S., driven by Forney's explosive eastern-DFW suburban boom - it has the youngest age profile of this group (only ~10.3% are 65+). Texas Health Resources is building Forney's first full-service acute-care hospital, a 60-bed facility on Highway 80 due to open in 2027; today Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Kaufman anchors local care." }, { "fipsCode": "48397", "state": "TX", "county": "Rockwall", "majorCity": "Rockwall", "population2024": 137000, "medicareBenes2024": 18800, "maPenetrationPct": 30, "pct65Plus": 13, "tier": 2, "rank": 38, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare / AARP Medicare Advantage (TX-27 & TX-22 HMO-POS, TX-0005 PPO)", "Humana", "Aetna", "Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Rockwall is the smallest county in Texas by land area yet one of the wealthiest and fastest-growing, on Lake Ray Hubbard east of Dallas. Its affluent, higher-income Medicare population keeps Medicare Advantage penetration the lowest in this group (~30%). Texas Health Hospital Rockwall is the lead hospital after a ~$104M expansion that nearly doubled the facility to a four-story tower with a Level II NICU and cardiac cath lab." }, { "fipsCode": "48367", "state": "TX", "county": "Parker", "majorCity": "Weatherford", "population2024": 179700, "medicareBenes2024": 29000, "maPenetrationPct": 34, "pct65Plus": 16.2, "tier": 2, "rank": 39, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare / AARP", "Humana", "Cigna HealthSpring", "Aetna" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Parker County is one of the fastest-growing exurban counties west of Fort Worth (population ~179,700, about 29,200 residents age 65+). Because Weatherford straddles the Parker/Hood line, area Medicare Advantage figures (connieHealth shows ~45% for the Weatherford ZIPs) overstate the Parker-only rate, which lands nearer one-third as many DFW-transplant retirees keep employer or Medigap coverage. The 103-bed Medical City Weatherford anchors local acute care." }, { "fipsCode": "48485", "state": "TX", "county": "Wichita", "majorCity": "Wichita Falls", "population2024": 129996, "medicareBenes2024": 26206, "maPenetrationPct": 36, "pct65Plus": 16.1, "tier": 2, "rank": 40, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare / AARP", "Humana", "WellCare", "Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Wichita Falls, home of Sheppard Air Force Base, gives Wichita County a sizable military-retiree and TRICARE-for-Life population that holds commercial Medicare Advantage uptake to about 36% (connieHealth: roughly 9,278 of 25,961 eligible beneficiaries), below the 54% national average. United Regional Health Care System is the dominant hospital serving the north Texas region." }, { "fipsCode": "48135", "state": "TX", "county": "Ector", "majorCity": "Odessa", "population2024": 170000, "medicareBenes2024": 17350, "maPenetrationPct": 45, "pct65Plus": 9.9, "tier": 2, "rank": 41, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare / AARP", "Aetna", "Humana", "WellCare" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Ector County/Odessa sits in the heart of the Permian Basin oil patch, where a young blue-collar energy workforce holds the 65+ share to roughly 9-10% (USAFacts/Census), the lowest of these five counties. Medicare Advantage still runs high (~45% among Ector seniors, with Odessa-ZIP figures over 50%), led heavily by UnitedHealthcare/AARP. The publicly owned Medical Center Health System is the county's primary hospital." }, { "fipsCode": "48329", "state": "TX", "county": "Midland", "majorCity": "Midland", "population2024": 183600, "medicareBenes2024": 21722, "maPenetrationPct": 41, "pct65Plus": 10.8, "tier": 2, "rank": 42, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare / AARP", "Humana", "Aetna", "Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Midland is the white-collar headquarters city of the Permian Basin oil economy, with one of the lowest 65+ shares in Texas (about 10.8%, ~19,900 residents) reflecting a high-earning, in-migrating workforce; of roughly 21,722 Medicare beneficiaries about 40.6% choose Medicare Advantage (connieHealth). The 474-bed Midland Memorial Hospital (Midland Health) is the regional acute-care anchor." }, { "fipsCode": "48441", "state": "TX", "county": "Taylor", "majorCity": "Abilene", "population2024": 148800, "medicareBenes2024": 27528, "maPenetrationPct": 43, "pct65Plus": 15.3, "tier": 2, "rank": 43, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare / AARP", "Humana", "WellCare", "Aetna" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Taylor County/Abilene is the regional medical and university hub for the Big Country of west-central Texas, with about 22,800 residents 65+ (15.3%) and ~27,500 Medicare beneficiaries, roughly 43% in Medicare Advantage — UnitedHealthcare/AARP alone covers more than half of MA enrollees. Hendrick Health, a multi-hospital not-for-profit system, is the dominant care provider for surrounding rural counties." }, { "fipsCode": "48451", "state": "TX", "county": "Tom Green", "majorCity": "San Angelo", "population2024": 120103, "medicareBenes2024": 24186, "maPenetrationPct": 48.1, "pct65Plus": 16.6, "tier": 2, "rank": 44, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare (Sierra Health and Life)", "Aetna", "WellCare" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Tom Green County anchors the Concho Valley around San Angelo, where the locally owned Shannon Medical Center is effectively the sole hospital system after it acquired its only competitor, San Angelo Community Medical Center, in 2020 (now operated as Shannon South Campus) and holds a state Certificate of Public Advantage. Roughly 48% of the county's ~24,000 Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Advantage, with Humana and UnitedHealthcare (Sierra) leading." }, { "fipsCode": "48375", "state": "TX", "county": "Potter", "majorCity": "Amarillo", "population2024": 114649, "medicareBenes2024": 20439, "maPenetrationPct": 50.8, "pct65Plus": 14.9, "tier": 2, "rank": 45, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare (Sierra Health and Life)", "Aetna", "Prominence Health Plan" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Potter County is the urban core of Amarillo and the medical anchor of the Texas Panhandle: Northwest Texas Healthcare System is the state-designated lead Level II trauma center serving the top 26 Panhandle counties, and BSA Health System is the other major hospital. Just over half (50.8%) of the county's ~20,400 Medicare beneficiaries are in Medicare Advantage, with Humana the clear leader." }, { "fipsCode": "48381", "state": "TX", "county": "Randall", "majorCity": "Amarillo", "population2024": 150547, "medicareBenes2024": 27145, "maPenetrationPct": 40.9, "pct65Plus": 15.7, "tier": 2, "rank": 46, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (Sierra Health and Life)", "Humana", "Aetna", "Prominence Health Plan" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Randall County is the suburban, faster-growing southern half of metro Amarillo (Canyon plus south Amarillo) and the most populous county in this batch at ~150,500 residents. Its Medicare Advantage penetration of roughly 41% runs about ten points below neighboring Potter County across the city line, leaving a comparatively larger Original-Medicare and Medigap-oriented population." }, { "fipsCode": "48183", "state": "TX", "county": "Gregg", "majorCity": "Longview", "population2024": 126700, "medicareBenes2024": 26641, "maPenetrationPct": 54.2, "pct65Plus": 16.7, "tier": 2, "rank": 47, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "Aetna", "WellCare" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Gregg County sits in the heart of the historic East Texas Oil Field around Longview, and its Medicare Advantage penetration of roughly 54% is the highest in this batch across more than 26,000 beneficiaries. Longview Regional Medical Center and CHRISTUS Good Shepherd Medical Center are the competing hospital systems, and Humana's HumanaChoice PPO is among the most heavily enrolled local Medicare Advantage plans." }, { "fipsCode": "48037", "state": "TX", "county": "Bowie", "majorCity": "Texarkana", "population2024": 92115, "medicareBenes2024": 20471, "maPenetrationPct": 43.7, "pct65Plus": 17.8, "tier": 2, "rank": 48, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "Aetna", "WellCare" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Bowie County straddles the Texas-Arkansas state line, with Texarkana split across two states. CHRISTUS Health became the dominant local system after finalizing its November 1, 2024 purchase of the former Wadley Regional Medical Center (now CHRISTUS Health Pine Street, at 1000 Pine St) out of Steward Health Care's bankruptcy, joining its existing CHRISTUS St. Michael hospital. With ~17.8% of residents 65+, Bowie skews older than the Texas average, and about 44% of its ~20,000 Medicare beneficiaries choose Medicare Advantage." }, { "fipsCode": "48291", "state": "TX", "county": "Liberty", "majorCity": "Liberty", "population2024": 115042, "medicareBenes2024": 16000, "maPenetrationPct": 46, "pct65Plus": 13.1, "tier": 2, "rank": 49, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage)", "Humana (HumanaChoice PPO)", "Cigna HealthSpring Preferred (HMO)", "WellCare" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Liberty County is one of the youngest counties in this batch — its median age is in the mid-30s and about 13.1% of residents are 65+ (vs. ~26% in neighboring retiree counties like Hood), reflecting rapid exurban spillover from northeast Houston via Dayton and Cleveland. That young, working-family profile (the 2020 population of 91,628 has surged past 115,000) makes ACA marketplace and term-life demand unusually strong relative to its Medicare base of roughly 16,000 beneficiaries, served locally by the 25-bed Liberty Dayton Regional Medical Center." }, { "fipsCode": "48199", "state": "TX", "county": "Hardin", "majorCity": "Lumberton", "population2024": 58670, "medicareBenes2024": 11500, "maPenetrationPct": 44, "pct65Plus": 18.1, "tier": 2, "rank": 50, "topCarriers": [ "Humana (HumanaChoice PPO)", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage)", "WellCare TexanPlus (HMO-POS)", "Aetna" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Hardin County is a blue-collar Piney Woods county in the Beaumont-Port Arthur metro where Lumberton, Silsbee and Kountze residents commute to Golden Triangle refineries and timber jobs. It went more than 20 years without a hospital until the freestanding Altus Lumberton facility gained full hospital licensing at the end of 2019; most acute and inpatient care is still delivered through Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas in Beaumont, about 15 miles south. Medicare Advantage take-up runs high (HumanaChoice PPO is the single largest plan), suiting a working-class retiree base that values $0-premium bundled coverage." }, { "fipsCode": "48361", "state": "TX", "county": "Orange", "majorCity": "Orange", "population2024": 86115, "medicareBenes2024": 16000, "maPenetrationPct": 44, "pct65Plus": 17.1, "tier": 2, "rank": 51, "topCarriers": [ "Humana (HumanaChoice PPO)", "WellCare TexanPlus (HMO-POS)", "Humana Gold Plus (HMO)", "UnitedHealthcare" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Orange County sits on the Texas-Louisiana line in the Golden Triangle petrochemical corridor and went seven years without a hospital after Baptist Orange closed its ER in January 2017 — CHRISTUS Hospital-Orange finally reopened 24/7 emergency and extended-stay care to the county on February 1, 2024, with direct transfer to CHRISTUS St. Elizabeth in Beaumont for complex inpatient needs. Humana and WellCare TexanPlus dominate the local Medicare Advantage market, and proximity to Louisiana refineries gives the county a heavy union-retiree and working-age insurance profile." }, { "fipsCode": "48221", "state": "TX", "county": "Hood", "majorCity": "Granbury", "population2024": 69126, "medicareBenes2024": 19860, "maPenetrationPct": 48, "pct65Plus": 26.5, "tier": 2, "rank": 52, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage)", "Humana (HumanaChoice PPO)", "Sierra Health and Life (Humana)", "Cigna HealthSpring" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Hood County is a genuine retirement destination — its median age is about 45 and roughly 26.5% of residents are 65+, more than double the Texas average, anchored by the lake-and-golf community around Granbury. With about 20,050 Medicare beneficiaries and nearly half (about 9,750, ~48.6%) already enrolled in Medicare Advantage, it has the deepest senior-insurance market of this batch, with the 73-bed Lake Granbury Medical Center serving Hood, Somervell and Erath counties." }, { "fipsCode": "48223", "state": "TX", "county": "Hopkins", "majorCity": "Sulphur Springs", "population2024": 37784, "medicareBenes2024": 8419, "maPenetrationPct": 44, "pct65Plus": 19.1, "tier": 2, "rank": 53, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage)", "Wellpoint (Anthem)", "Molina Healthcare" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Hopkins County is the dairy-and-agriculture seat of Northeast Texas, with Sulphur Springs as its hub — about 19.1% of its ~37,800 residents are 65+. Of roughly 8,400-8,700 Medicare beneficiaries, about 3,950 (mid-40% range) are in Medicare Advantage, leaving meaningful room for Medicare Supplement and Part D. CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital-Sulphur Springs, a 96-bed acute-care hospital that marked its 75th anniversary in 2024, is the county's lone hospital and is undergoing a $25M two-phase expansion adding eight operating rooms and a new specialty clinic." }, { "fipsCode": "48213", "state": "TX", "county": "Henderson", "majorCity": "Athens", "population2024": 87467, "medicareBenes2024": 20000, "maPenetrationPct": 42, "pct65Plus": 23.1, "tier": 2, "rank": 54, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials, HMO-POS)", "Cigna HealthSpring Preferred Savings (HMO)", "Humana Gold Plus (HMO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Henderson County is one of the oldest counties in East Texas: 23.1% of residents are 65+, far above the Texas average of about 14%, driven by retirees ringing the Cedar Creek Lake reservoir near Athens. Roughly 8,400 of its Medicare beneficiaries are already enrolled in Medicare Advantage, led by UnitedHealthcare's AARP plans and Cigna HealthSpring." }, { "fipsCode": "48231", "state": "TX", "county": "Hunt", "majorCity": "Greenville", "population2024": 118700, "medicareBenes2024": 18300, "maPenetrationPct": 34, "pct65Plus": 15.3, "tier": 2, "rank": 55, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage Extras, HMO-POS)", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials, HMO-POS)", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage, PPO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Hunt County is a fast-growing, working-age county anchored by Greenville and the L3Harris defense plant; its 65+ share is just 15.3%, below the U.S. average, so many residents still hold employer or ACA coverage rather than Medicare. UnitedHealthcare's AARP plans are unusually dominant, holding roughly 64% of the county's ~6,200-person Medicare Advantage book across its top three contracts." }, { "fipsCode": "48097", "state": "TX", "county": "Cooke", "majorCity": "Gainesville", "population2024": 43046, "medicareBenes2024": 8500, "maPenetrationPct": 29, "pct65Plus": 20, "tier": 2, "rank": 56, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage Extras, HMO-POS)", "Humana Value Choice (PPO)", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage, PPO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Cooke County sits on the Oklahoma border at the I-35 gateway to Gainesville and skews older, with about 20% of residents 65+. Yet county-wide Medicare Advantage penetration is relatively low at roughly 29%, leaving most of its ~8,500 Medicare beneficiaries on Original Medicare and open to Medigap or MA switching; its sole hospital, the 60-bed North Texas Medical Center, is owned by the Gainesville Hospital District." }, { "fipsCode": "48181", "state": "TX", "county": "Grayson", "majorCity": "Sherman", "population2024": 150532, "medicareBenes2024": 27000, "maPenetrationPct": 37, "pct65Plus": 18.3, "tier": 2, "rank": 57, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage Extras, HMO-POS)", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials, HMO-POS)", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage, PPO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Grayson County is the population and healthcare hub of the Texoma region, home to the 414-bed Texoma Medical Center in Denison and AHS Sherman Medical Center (formerly Wilson N. Jones); about 27,000 Medicare beneficiaries coexist with a booming Sherman semiconductor corridor (Texas Instruments, GlobiTech) that is reshaping the county's retiree-and-worker mix." }, { "fipsCode": "48497", "state": "TX", "county": "Wise", "majorCity": "Decatur", "population2024": 81275, "medicareBenes2024": 13000, "maPenetrationPct": 41, "pct65Plus": 15.9, "tier": 2, "rank": 58, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage Extras, HMO-POS)", "Humana Gold Plus (HMO)", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials, HMO-POS)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Wise County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the Barnett Shale / Fort Worth exurbs, with a younger blue-collar oil-and-gas workforce (only 15.9% are 65+). Its main hospital in Decatur, formerly Wise Health System (originally Decatur Community Hospital), was acquired by HCA's Medical City Healthcare in December 2023 and rebranded Medical City Decatur." }, { "fipsCode": "48053", "state": "TX", "county": "Burnet", "majorCity": "Marble Falls", "population2024": 55700, "medicareBenes2024": 14976, "maPenetrationPct": 45, "pct65Plus": 24.2, "tier": 2, "rank": 59, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "Aetna", "Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Burnet County sits in the Texas Hill Country Highland Lakes (Lake Buchanan, Inks Lake, Lake LBJ), a retiree magnet where 24.2% of residents are 65 or older versus the 14% Texas average; roughly 45% of its ~15,000 Medicare beneficiaries have chosen Medicare Advantage, below Texas's 54% state average." }, { "fipsCode": "48469", "state": "TX", "county": "Victoria", "majorCity": "Victoria", "population2024": 93124, "medicareBenes2024": 19843, "maPenetrationPct": 54.2, "pct65Plus": 17.9, "tier": 3, "rank": 78, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)", "WellCare", "Cigna HealthSpring" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Victoria is the commercial hub of Texas's Crossroads region, anchored by the DeTar Healthcare System (DeTar Hospital Navarro and DeTar Hospital North) and the county-owned Citizens Medical Center, a ~300-bed acute-care hospital serving a 12-county region. The local economy leans on petrochemical, oil-and-gas services and manufacturing, and Hispanic residents make up roughly 49% of the population." }, { "fipsCode": "48005", "state": "TX", "county": "Angelina", "majorCity": "Lufkin", "population2024": 88350, "medicareBenes2024": 18942, "maPenetrationPct": 50.7, "pct65Plus": 17.6, "tier": 3, "rank": 79, "topCarriers": [ "Cigna HealthSpring", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)", "Humana", "WellCare" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Angelina County sits in the East Texas Pineywoods and is the regional medical and forest-products hub of \"deep East Texas,\" historically built on timber and sawmills (the legacy Lufkin Industries and Southland Paper Mill). Lufkin hosts CHI St. Luke's Health Memorial — home to the largest emergency department in East Texas with 32 private rooms and a Joint Commission Primary Stroke Center — alongside Woodland Heights Medical Center." }, { "fipsCode": "48471", "state": "TX", "county": "Walker", "majorCity": "Huntsville", "population2024": 80209, "medicareBenes2024": 10857, "maPenetrationPct": 52, "pct65Plus": 14.1, "tier": 3, "rank": 80, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare / AARP", "Humana", "Cigna" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Walker County is the headquarters of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and home to more state prisons than any other Texas county; the TDCJ is the county's largest employer (roughly 6,700 jobs) with Sam Houston State University second, giving Huntsville a corrections-and-education economy. A large incarcerated, non-Medicare population holds the share of residents 65 and over to about 14%, below the Texas average." }, { "fipsCode": "48473", "state": "TX", "county": "Waller", "majorCity": "Hempstead", "population2024": 73619, "medicareBenes2024": 9117, "maPenetrationPct": 50, "pct65Plus": 12.9, "tier": 3, "rank": 81, "topCarriers": [ "Cigna", "WellCare", "UnitedHealthcare / AARP" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Waller County is one of the fastest-growing counties on Houston's northwest edge, anchored by Prairie View A&M University, a historically Black university whose statewide economic impact runs into the hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Hempstead, the county seat, was historically a leading watermelon shipper and still hosts an annual Watermelon Festival, and the young university population keeps the 65-and-over share near 13%." }, { "fipsCode": "48409", "state": "TX", "county": "San Patricio", "majorCity": "Portland", "population2024": 72572, "medicareBenes2024": 10938, "maPenetrationPct": 64, "pct65Plus": 15.7, "tier": 3, "rank": 82, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare / AARP", "Humana (Gold Plus)", "WellCare" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "San Patricio County sits across Corpus Christi Bay in the Coastal Bend and has one of the highest Medicare Advantage penetration rates in Texas, around 64% of beneficiaries. Its economy is driven by petrochemical, steel and energy projects around Gregory-Portland (including the Steel Dynamics Sinton mill), and the county has lacked a full-service hospital since CARE Regional Medical Center in Aransas Pass closed after Hurricane Harvey." }, { "fipsCode": "48203", "state": "TX", "county": "Harrison", "majorCity": "Marshall", "population2024": 72502, "medicareBenes2024": 11902, "maPenetrationPct": 50, "pct65Plus": 17.1, "tier": 3, "rank": 83, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare / AARP", "Humana (Gold Plus)", "Cigna" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Harrison County in deep East Texas centers on Marshall, a historic rail and pottery town where Marshall Pottery was founded in 1895. Oil and gas, lumber and manufacturing remain the economic backbone, and about 17% of residents are 65 or older, served by CHRISTUS Good Shepherd Medical Center - Marshall, the principal hospital for Harrison County." }, { "fipsCode": "48467", "state": "TX", "county": "Van Zandt", "majorCity": "Canton", "population2024": 66994, "medicareBenes2024": 13635, "maPenetrationPct": 50, "pct65Plus": 21.2, "tier": 3, "rank": 84, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare / AARP", "Cigna", "Humana" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Van Zandt County is a retiree-heavy East Texas county where roughly one in five residents is 65 or older. Its county seat, Canton, hosts First Monday Trade Days, billed as one of the world's largest outdoor flea markets, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors monthly; that tourism supplements a farming-and-salt-mining economy anchored by salt production in Grand Saline." }, { "fipsCode": "48427", "state": "TX", "county": "Starr", "majorCity": "Rio Grande City", "population2024": 66240, "medicareBenes2024": 10250, "maPenetrationPct": 81, "pct65Plus": 11.4, "tier": 3, "rank": 85, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (Physicians Health Choice of Texas)", "Humana", "Aetna Better Health of Texas", "WellCare (Centene) of Texas" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Starr County has one of the very highest Medicare Advantage penetration rates in the continental United States: per KFF's 2024 analysis it is one of only three continental U.S. counties at or above 80% MA enrollment (alongside Miami-Dade, FL and Monroe, NY). The county is overwhelmingly Hispanic (about 97%) and is an agricultural producer in the lower Rio Grande Valley." }, { "fipsCode": "48347", "state": "TX", "county": "Nacogdoches", "majorCity": "Nacogdoches", "population2024": 66107, "medicareBenes2024": 12480, "maPenetrationPct": 51, "pct65Plus": 16.2, "tier": 3, "rank": 86, "topCarriers": [ "Cigna HealthSpring", "UnitedHealthcare / AARP", "Humana", "Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas (HCSC)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Nacogdoches is home to Stephen F. Austin State University, the dominant regional employer, and bills itself as the oldest town in Texas. The county is a leading East Texas blueberry producer and hosts an annual Texas Blueberry Festival each June in its historic downtown." }, { "fipsCode": "48001", "state": "TX", "county": "Anderson", "majorCity": "Palestine", "population2024": 60037, "medicareBenes2024": 11250, "maPenetrationPct": 52, "pct65Plus": 16.3, "tier": 3, "rank": 87, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare / AARP", "Humana", "Aetna", "Cigna HealthSpring" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Anderson County hosts one of the densest concentrations of Texas Department of Criminal Justice prisons in the state — the Coffield, Beto, Michael, and Powledge units plus the Gurney transfer facility sit on shared land west of the county seat, Palestine, making corrections a defining local employer." }, { "fipsCode": "48071", "state": "TX", "county": "Chambers", "majorCity": "Mont Belvieu", "population2024": 59200, "medicareBenes2024": 7100, "maPenetrationPct": 52, "pct65Plus": 12.5, "tier": 3, "rank": 88, "topCarriers": [ "Cigna HealthSpring", "UnitedHealthcare / AARP", "Humana", "WellCare (Centene) of Texas" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Chambers County's largest city, Mont Belvieu, sits atop massive underground salt-dome caverns that form one of the world's largest natural gas liquids (NGL) storage and fractionation hubs, anchoring the county to the Gulf Coast petrochemical economy. The historic county seat is Anahuac on Galveston Bay." }, { "fipsCode": "48323", "state": "TX", "county": "Maverick", "majorCity": "Eagle Pass", "population2024": 59066, "medicareBenes2024": 11549, "maPenetrationPct": 76, "pct65Plus": 12, "tier": 3, "rank": 89, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (Physicians Health Choice of Texas)", "Humana", "Aetna Better Health of Texas", "WellCare (Centene) of Texas" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Maverick County's seat and largest city, Eagle Pass, is a major U.S.-Mexico border crossing directly across the Rio Grande from Piedras Negras, Coahuila, and the population is roughly 95% Hispanic. The county posts an unusually high Medicare Advantage penetration — roughly three-quarters of its Medicare beneficiaries are in MA plans." }, { "fipsCode": "48325", "state": "TX", "county": "Medina", "majorCity": "Hondo", "population2024": 58151, "medicareBenes2024": 9490, "maPenetrationPct": 38, "pct65Plus": 17, "tier": 3, "rank": 90, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)", "Devoted Health", "WellCare" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Medina County's economy is rooted in agriculture, ranking among Texas's leading producers of Spanish peanuts and onions, with Devine long dubbed the 'Onion Capital'; the 1913 Medina Dam, then the fourth-largest in the U.S., irrigates roughly 60,000 acres. The county seat moved from Castroville to Hondo by election in 1892." }, { "fipsCode": "48349", "state": "TX", "county": "Navarro", "majorCity": "Corsicana", "population2024": 57865, "medicareBenes2024": 9610, "maPenetrationPct": 39, "pct65Plus": 17.3, "tier": 3, "rank": 91, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)", "Humana", "Aetna", "WellCare" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Corsicana, the Navarro County seat midway between Dallas and Waco on I-45, is home to the oldest commercial oil field in Texas — the 1894 Corsicana field that launched the Texas oil boom — and to the original Collin Street Bakery (est. 1896), famous for its mail-order fruitcakes." }, { "fipsCode": "48055", "state": "TX", "county": "Caldwell", "majorCity": "Lockhart", "population2024": 57361, "medicareBenes2024": 8206, "maPenetrationPct": 30, "pct65Plus": 14.9, "tier": 3, "rank": 92, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)", "Humana", "Devoted Health", "BCBS of Texas (HCSC)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Lockhart, the Caldwell County seat, was named 'Barbecue Capital of Texas' by the Texas House in 1999 (with a Senate resolution in 2003) and is a magnet for BBQ tourists; Caldwell County was among the fastest-growing U.S. counties in 2024, posting a 4.6% population jump from 2023 to 2024 as an Austin-San Antonio corridor commuter county." }, { "fipsCode": "48493", "state": "TX", "county": "Wilson", "majorCity": "Floresville", "population2024": 56957, "medicareBenes2024": 9295, "maPenetrationPct": 37, "pct65Plus": 17, "tier": 3, "rank": 93, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)", "Humana", "Devoted Health", "Cigna HealthSpring" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Floresville, the Wilson County seat about 30 miles southeast of San Antonio, is the self-styled 'Peanut Capital of Texas' and has celebrated its peanut harvest with the annual Floresville Peanut Festival since 1938 (originally the 'Peanut Pow Wow'); the county sits on the northern edge of the oil- and gas-rich Eagle Ford Shale and is increasingly a San Antonio bedroom community." }, { "fipsCode": "48401", "state": "TX", "county": "Rusk", "majorCity": "Henderson", "population2024": 55078, "medicareBenes2024": 9623, "maPenetrationPct": 40, "pct65Plus": 18.2, "tier": 3, "rank": 94, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)", "Humana", "Cigna HealthSpring", "WellCare" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Rusk County sits atop the East Texas Oil Field; the October 1930 oil strike near Joinerville set off a boom that swelled the county from about 32,000 residents to roughly 65,000 by 1936. County seat Henderson is served by UT Health Henderson, a 42-bed hospital with a Level IV Trauma Center." }, { "fipsCode": "48259", "state": "TX", "county": "Kendall", "majorCity": "Boerne", "population2024": 54601, "medicareBenes2024": 10012, "maPenetrationPct": 39.8, "pct65Plus": 19.1, "tier": 3, "rank": 95, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare", "Humana", "Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (HCSC)", "Devoted Health" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Centered on Boerne in the Texas Hill Country about 25 miles northwest of San Antonio, Kendall County is consistently ranked among the wealthiest counties in Texas and one of the fastest-growing in the nation, drawing affluent retirees and professionals; its median age of roughly 43 reflects a relatively older, high-income population." }, { "fipsCode": "48013", "state": "TX", "county": "Atascosa", "majorCity": "Pleasanton", "population2024": 54243, "medicareBenes2024": 8124, "maPenetrationPct": 63.9, "pct65Plus": 15.6, "tier": 3, "rank": 96, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare", "Humana", "WellCare (Centene)", "Devoted Health" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Atascosa County sits in the oil window of the Eagle Ford Shale just south of San Antonio, blending an energy and cattle-ranching economy; its proximity to the Bexar County metro pushes Medicare Advantage penetration well above the rural-Texas norm. Jourdanton is the county seat while Pleasanton is the largest city." }, { "fipsCode": "48265", "state": "TX", "county": "Kerr", "majorCity": "Kerrville", "population2024": 54060, "medicareBenes2024": 14376, "maPenetrationPct": 35.6, "pct65Plus": 27.7, "tier": 3, "rank": 97, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "Aetna", "Devoted Health" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Kerrville and the surrounding Hill Country make Kerr County one of the oldest-skewing counties in Texas, with roughly 28% of residents age 65+ and a median age near 49; it is a long-established retirement and ranch-country destination anchored by Peterson Health, the county's largest employer." }, { "fipsCode": "48073", "state": "TX", "county": "Cherokee", "majorCity": "Jacksonville", "population2024": 53496, "medicareBenes2024": 9450, "maPenetrationPct": 52.5, "pct65Plus": 18.4, "tier": 3, "rank": 98, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare", "Humana", "CHRISTUS Health Plan", "WellCare (Centene)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "In East Texas's Piney Woods, Cherokee County's economy runs on timber, nursery stock, poultry and cattle, plus public employers including Rusk State Hospital and state prison units; Jacksonville, the county's largest city, was once the self-styled 'Tomato Capital of the World' while Rusk serves as the county seat." }, { "fipsCode": "48373", "state": "TX", "county": "Polk", "majorCity": "Livingston", "population2024": 53363, "medicareBenes2024": 12346, "maPenetrationPct": 46.2, "pct65Plus": 24.1, "tier": 3, "rank": 99, "topCarriers": [ "Cigna (HealthSpring)", "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "WellCare (Centene)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Polk County wraps Lake Livingston, one of the largest lakes in Texas, drawing a large early-retiree population (about 24% of residents are 65+, median age 47.7) and the Escapees RV Club headquartered in Livingston; it is also home to the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas reservation." }, { "fipsCode": "48277", "state": "TX", "county": "Lamar", "majorCity": "Paris", "population2024": 51664, "medicareBenes2024": 9622, "maPenetrationPct": 25, "pct65Plus": 19.4, "tier": 3, "rank": 100, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage)", "Humana", "WellCare (Centene)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Lamar County sits between the Red River and the Sulphur River in far northeast Texas, with Paris its county seat and a manufacturing hub. Campbell's opened its 1.5-million-square-foot Paris plant in 1964 and ended namesake soup production there in 2024, refocusing the facility on Prego pasta sauce and Pace salsa; the 154-bed Paris Regional Health system is the county's largest employer." }, { "fipsCode": "48499", "state": "TX", "county": "Wood", "majorCity": "Mineola", "population2024": 50223, "medicareBenes2024": 13404, "maPenetrationPct": 43.6, "pct65Plus": 27.8, "tier": 3, "rank": 101, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage)", "Humana", "WellCare (Centene)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Wood County is a retiree-heavy East Texas lake county: roughly 27.8% of residents are 65 or older, nearly double the Texas average of about 14%, drawn by Lake Fork, Lake Hawkins and Holly Lake Ranch. Critical-access UT Health Quitman (25 inpatient beds, Level IV trauma) anchors local care, with Quitman the county seat and Mineola its largest commercial center." }, { "fipsCode": "48465", "state": "TX", "county": "Val Verde", "majorCity": "Del Rio", "population2024": 47891, "medicareBenes2024": 6621, "maPenetrationPct": 33.2, "pct65Plus": 14.4, "tier": 3, "rank": 102, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage)", "Humana", "WellCare (Centene)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Val Verde is a sprawling US-Mexico border county on the Rio Grande whose economy leans on Laughlin Air Force Base (the Air Force's busiest pilot-training base), cross-border trade with Ciudad Acuna and tourism at Amistad National Recreation Area. The population is heavily Hispanic and relatively young (about 14% are 65+), with the 93-bed, Level IV-trauma Val Verde Regional Medical Center in Del Rio the lone hospital for the area." }, { "fipsCode": "48459", "state": "TX", "county": "Upshur", "majorCity": "Gilmer", "population2024": 44796, "medicareBenes2024": 7827, "maPenetrationPct": 46.9, "pct65Plus": 18.2, "tier": 3, "rank": 103, "topCarriers": [ "Cigna HealthSpring", "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Upshur County's seat, Gilmer, hosts the 80-plus-year East Texas Yamboree each October, a four-day sweet-potato festival drawing about 100,000 visitors and rooted in the area's yam-farming heritage. The county has had no in-county hospital since ETMC-Gilmer closed in 2014, so residents rely on CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital-Winnsboro and UT Health Pittsburg, with Longview's hospitals about 22 miles away." }, { "fipsCode": "48143", "state": "TX", "county": "Erath", "majorCity": "Stephenville", "population2024": 43827, "medicareBenes2024": 6564, "maPenetrationPct": 26.6, "pct65Plus": 15.6, "tier": 3, "rank": 104, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage)", "Humana", "Baylor Scott & White Health Plan" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Erath County's seat, Stephenville, is a leading dairy-producing county in Texas and styles itself the 'Cowboy Capital of the World,' with agriculture its dominant industry. It is home to Tarleton State University and its 13,000-plus students, keeping the county's median age relatively young. The 98-bed, Level IV-trauma Texas Health Stephenville (Texas Health Harris Methodist) has anchored local care since 1926." }, { "fipsCode": "48481", "state": "TX", "county": "Wharton", "majorCity": "El Campo", "population2024": 41794, "medicareBenes2024": 6861, "maPenetrationPct": 40, "pct65Plus": 17.1, "tier": 3, "rank": 105, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)", "Aetna", "Humana" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Wharton County sits in the Gulf Coast rice-and-row-crop belt southwest of Houston; the 49-bed El Campo Memorial Hospital (Mid Coast Health System), a Level IV trauma facility, is the county's only acute-care hospital, making rural access a key Medicare concern for its aging farming population." }, { "fipsCode": "48217", "state": "TX", "county": "Hill", "majorCity": "Hillsboro", "population2024": 37328, "medicareBenes2024": 6991, "maPenetrationPct": 47, "pct65Plus": 19.5, "tier": 3, "rank": 106, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)", "Humana", "Aetna" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Hill County straddles Interstate 35 between Waco and Dallas-Fort Worth, with Hillsboro as its county seat; healthcare access leans on Hill Regional Hospital, a CMS-designated 25-bed Critical Access Hospital, and the county's 65-and-over share (roughly 1 in 5 residents) runs well above the Texas average." }, { "fipsCode": "48147", "state": "TX", "county": "Fannin", "majorCity": "Bonham", "population2024": 37326, "medicareBenes2024": 6631, "maPenetrationPct": 33, "pct65Plus": 18.5, "tier": 3, "rank": 107, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)", "Humana", "Aetna" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Fannin County is a fast-growing rural county on the Red River north of Dallas, anchored by Bonham; its sole hospital, the 25-bed TMC Bonham Hospital, is a Critical Access Hospital affiliated with Texoma Medical Center (a Universal Health Services facility), serving a population where roughly 1 in 5 residents is 65 or older." }, { "fipsCode": "48477", "state": "TX", "county": "Washington", "majorCity": "Brenham", "population2024": 36647, "medicareBenes2024": 7634, "maPenetrationPct": 29, "pct65Plus": 21.7, "tier": 3, "rank": 108, "topCarriers": [ "Baylor Scott & White (SeniorCare Advantage)", "Aetna", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Washington County, home to Brenham and near the birthplace of Texas independence at Washington-on-the-Brazos, has one of the higher 65-plus shares in Central Texas (~22%); its market is unusual in that the locally based Baylor Scott & White SeniorCare Advantage plan out-enrolls national carriers, anchored by Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Brenham, the only full-service hospital on US 290 between Houston and Austin." }, { "fipsCode": "48249", "state": "TX", "county": "Jim Wells", "majorCity": "Alice", "population2024": 38850, "medicareBenes2024": 5707, "maPenetrationPct": 65, "pct65Plus": 15.3, "tier": 3, "rank": 109, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)", "Humana", "Aetna" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Jim Wells County, a majority-Hispanic South Texas oil-and-ranching county seated at Alice, shows the region's hallmark high Medicare Advantage penetration (~65%, far above the Texas average); CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Alice, a 159-bed Level IV trauma center, is its main acute-care facility." }, { "fipsCode": "48049", "state": "TX", "county": "Brown", "majorCity": "Brownwood", "population2024": 38693, "medicareBenes2024": 9937, "maPenetrationPct": 39.1, "pct65Plus": 21.5, "tier": 3, "rank": 110, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "WellCare (Centene)", "Aetna" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Brown County's economy is rooted in ranching, cotton and oil, with Brownwood serving as the regional commercial hub of the Central Texas 'Heart of Texas' region. Its acute-care anchor, the 188-bed former Brownwood Regional Medical Center, was rebranded Hendrick Medical Center Brownwood and is one of the county's largest employers." }, { "fipsCode": "48321", "state": "TX", "county": "Matagorda", "majorCity": "Bay City", "population2024": 36736, "medicareBenes2024": 7951, "maPenetrationPct": 53.3, "pct65Plus": 17.6, "tier": 3, "rank": 111, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "Aetna", "Wellpoint (Anthem/BCBS)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Matagorda County's coastal Gulf economy spans rice farming, turf-grass production, offshore oil and gas, the Celanese petrochemical complex, and the South Texas Project nuclear station near Bay City. Healthcare is anchored by the 58-bed nonprofit Matagorda Regional Medical Center, which opened in July 2009 on the county hospital district campus in Bay City." }, { "fipsCode": "48185", "state": "TX", "county": "Grimes", "majorCity": "Navasota", "population2024": 35161, "medicareBenes2024": 6347, "maPenetrationPct": 50, "pct65Plus": 18.8, "tier": 3, "rank": 112, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare", "Humana", "WellCare (Centene)", "Devoted Health" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Grimes County straddles the rural corridor between Bryan/College Station and Houston, with Navasota (the self-styled 'Blues Capital of Texas' and largest city) the commercial center while Anderson remains the historic county seat. The county's only hospital is the 25-bed CHI St. Joseph Health Grimes Hospital in Navasota, a critical access facility with a Level IV trauma designation." }, { "fipsCode": "48015", "state": "TX", "county": "Austin", "majorCity": "Bellville", "population2024": 34372, "medicareBenes2024": 7842, "maPenetrationPct": 44.9, "pct65Plus": 20.7, "tier": 3, "rank": 113, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "WellCare (Centene)", "Aetna" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Austin County is a retiree-leaning rural county about 50 miles west-northwest of Houston where Bellville is the county seat (named for colonist Thomas B. Bell) and Sealy is the largest city. Its sole hospital, Mid Coast Medical Center-Bellville, traces to a small facility born of the 1920s Raccoon Bend oil boom and is now a locally operated acute-care hospital." }, { "fipsCode": "48241", "state": "TX", "county": "Jasper", "majorCity": "Jasper", "population2024": 33194, "medicareBenes2024": 9092, "maPenetrationPct": 50.5, "pct65Plus": 21.6, "tier": 3, "rank": 114, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "WellCare (Centene)", "Aetna" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Jasper County sits in the Deep East Texas Piney Woods, with an economy built on timber, forestry and lakeside recreation around Sam Rayburn Reservoir and B.A. Steinhagen Lake. The 59-bed CHRISTUS Southeast Texas - Jasper Memorial Hospital serves the rural region about 65 miles north of Beaumont." }, { "fipsCode": "48025", "state": "TX", "county": "Bee", "majorCity": "Beeville", "population2024": 32379, "medicareBenes2024": 4072, "maPenetrationPct": 42, "pct65Plus": 13.1, "tier": 3, "rank": 115, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "WellCare (Centene)", "Aetna" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Bee County, anchored by Beeville in the South Texas brush country, has one of the younger senior shares in the region (about 13% age 65+) and a heavily Hispanic, agriculture- and corrections-linked workforce. CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Beeville, a roughly 69-bed Level IV Trauma Center, is the county's primary acute-care facility." }, { "fipsCode": "48189", "state": "TX", "county": "Hale", "majorCity": "Plainview", "population2024": 31558, "medicareBenes2024": 4484, "maPenetrationPct": 38, "pct65Plus": 14.8, "tier": 3, "rank": 116, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "WellCare (Centene)", "Baylor Scott & White Health Plan" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Hale County, centered on Plainview on the South Plains, is an agricultural powerhouse known for cotton, grain, dairy and cattle feeding; its economy was reshaped after the 2013 closure of the Cargill beef plant. Covenant Health Plainview, a 100-bed faith-based hospital in the Providence/Covenant system, is the county's main provider." }, { "fipsCode": "48449", "state": "TX", "county": "Titus", "majorCity": "Mount Pleasant", "population2024": 31511, "medicareBenes2024": 4749, "maPenetrationPct": 40, "pct65Plus": 15.7, "tier": 3, "rank": 117, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "WellCare (Centene)", "Aetna" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Titus County in Northeast Texas, anchored by Mount Pleasant, has a poultry- and manufacturing-driven economy (Pilgrim's Pride is a major employer) with a large Hispanic population. Its 174-bed Titus Regional Medical Center, an advanced-level trauma center, became CHRISTUS Health - Mount Pleasant Hospital on May 1, 2026, ending its run as the last independent hospital in Northeast Texas." }, { "fipsCode": "48363", "state": "TX", "county": "Palo Pinto", "majorCity": "Mineral Wells", "population2024": 31240, "medicareBenes2024": 6058, "maPenetrationPct": 45, "pct65Plus": 20.2, "tier": 3, "rank": 118, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "Aetna", "WellCare (Centene)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Palo Pinto County, west of Fort Worth and home to Mineral Wells and Possum Kingdom Lake, is notably retiree-heavy with about one in five residents age 65+ (median age ~41.6). Palo Pinto General Hospital, the county's lone full-service hospital, serves its lake-and-recreation-oriented population." }, { "fipsCode": "48227", "state": "TX", "county": "Howard", "majorCity": "Big Spring", "population2024": 30440, "medicareBenes2024": 4062, "maPenetrationPct": 40, "pct65Plus": 13.9, "tier": 3, "rank": 119, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "WellCare (Centene)", "Aetna" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Howard County, with Big Spring as its seat in the Permian Basin, is an oil-and-gas and energy county whose workforce skews younger (about 14% age 65+). Its primary hospital, the 146-bed Scenic Mountain Medical Center, was acquired by Shannon Health and rebranded as Shannon Medical Center Big Spring in a merger finalized April 1, 2026." }, { "fipsCode": "48273", "state": "TX", "county": "Kleberg", "majorCity": "Kingsville", "population2024": 30301, "medicareBenes2024": 5438, "maPenetrationPct": 63, "pct65Plus": 14.5, "tier": 3, "rank": 120, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "Aetna" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Kleberg County is home to the legendary 825,000-acre King Ranch and Texas A&M University-Kingsville, giving it a comparatively young median age and a heavily Hispanic, working-age population unusual among Texas retiree counties (only about 14.5% are 65 or older). CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital - Kleberg, an acute-care facility in Kingsville, anchors local Medicare care." }, { "fipsCode": "48407", "state": "TX", "county": "San Jacinto", "majorCity": "Coldspring", "population2024": 29648, "medicareBenes2024": 6148, "maPenetrationPct": 36, "pct65Plus": 21.6, "tier": 3, "rank": 121, "topCarriers": [ "Cigna", "UnitedHealthcare", "Humana" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "San Jacinto County is a rural, heavily forested county on the eastern shore of Lake Livingston within the Sam Houston National Forest, functioning partly as an outer-ring retreat and retirement area for the Houston metro, with a median age near 45. With no hospital inside its borders, residents rely on CHI St. Luke's Health Memorial Livingston in neighboring Polk County." }, { "fipsCode": "48171", "state": "TX", "county": "Gillespie", "majorCity": "Fredericksburg", "population2024": 28928, "medicareBenes2024": 8998, "maPenetrationPct": 38, "pct65Plus": 32.4, "tier": 3, "rank": 122, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "Devoted Health", "UnitedHealthcare" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Gillespie County, anchored by the German heritage town of Fredericksburg, is the heart of Texas Hill Country wine country and one of the state's premier retirement destinations, with roughly a third of residents aged 65 or older and a median age of 50.7. Methodist Hospital Hill Country (formerly Hill Country Memorial) in Fredericksburg is a licensed acute-care hospital serving eight surrounding counties." }, { "fipsCode": "48067", "state": "TX", "county": "Cass", "majorCity": "Atlanta", "population2024": 28616, "medicareBenes2024": 6126, "maPenetrationPct": 40, "pct65Plus": 22.3, "tier": 3, "rank": 123, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare", "Humana", "BCBS of Texas" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Cass County is a rural Northeast Texas county on the Louisiana and Arkansas borders, with an economy rooted in timber, poultry, and cattle; the county seat is Linden though Atlanta is its largest city. CHRISTUS St. Michael Hospital - Atlanta is the only hospital located within the county." }, { "fipsCode": "48007", "state": "TX", "county": "Aransas", "majorCity": "Rockport", "population2024": 26606, "medicareBenes2024": 7331, "maPenetrationPct": 54, "pct65Plus": 28.7, "tier": 3, "rank": 124, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare", "Humana", "WellCare" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Aransas County, on the Texas Coastal Bend around the resort town of Rockport-Fulton, is one of the state's most age-skewed counties, with roughly 28.7% of residents 65 or older and a median age above 52, driven by coastal retirees and Winter Texans. The county has no full-service hospital; ER 24/7 Rockport (a department of Corpus Christi Medical Center) provides emergency care, with full inpatient care in Corpus Christi." }, { "fipsCode": "48331", "state": "TX", "county": "Milam", "majorCity": "Cameron", "population2024": 26262, "medicareBenes2024": 5598, "maPenetrationPct": 40, "pct65Plus": 22.2, "tier": 3, "rank": 125, "topCarriers": [ "BSW SeniorCare Advantage (Baylor Scott & White)", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)", "Humana" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Milam County's economy was reshaped by the 2008 idling and later sale of Alcoa's Rockdale aluminum smelter and its lignite holdings, with the roughly 31,000-acre Sandow Lakes Ranch site now redeveloped for industry and a large Riot Platforms cryptocurrency/data-center campus. After Little River Healthcare closed its Cameron and Rockdale hospitals in December 2018, the 25-bed Critical Access Richards Memorial Hospital in Rockdale is the county's sole inpatient facility." }, { "fipsCode": "48149", "state": "TX", "county": "Fayette", "majorCity": "La Grange", "population2024": 25417, "medicareBenes2024": 7877, "maPenetrationPct": 18, "pct65Plus": 27.4, "tier": 3, "rank": 126, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "BSW SeniorCare Advantage (Baylor Scott & White)", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)", "Aetna" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Fayette County is a heavily German- and Czech-heritage rural county anchored by La Grange and the Schulenburg-area 'Painted Churches,' with an economy built on beef cattle, corn, oil and gas, and power generation. Its older population (27.4% age 65+) skews strongly toward Original Medicare; St. Mark's Medical Center in La Grange, the county's only hospital, closed in October 2023 and the facility was acquired in August 2025 to relaunch as Progressive Health of Fayette." }, { "fipsCode": "48021", "state": "TX", "county": "Bastrop", "majorCity": "Bastrop", "population2024": 114931, "medicareBenes2024": 19013, "maPenetrationPct": 55, "pct65Plus": 15, "tier": 4, "rank": 127, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)", "Baylor Scott & White Health Plan" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Bastrop County's two hospitals are both Ascension Seton facilities; the rural Ascension Seton Smithville (capped at 25 inpatient beds) earned federal Critical Access Hospital designation from CMS in August 2025, securing the county's rural emergency and inpatient services with enhanced Medicare cost-based reimbursement." }, { "fipsCode": "48099", "state": "TX", "county": "Coryell", "majorCity": "Gatesville", "population2024": 84748, "medicareBenes2024": 9500, "maPenetrationPct": 39, "pct65Plus": 12, "tier": 4, "rank": 128, "topCarriers": [ "Baylor Scott & White Health Plan (BSW SeniorCare Advantage)", "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Coryell County's only hospital, the 25-bed critical-access Coryell Health in Gatesville, has had no obstetrics/labor-and-delivery unit since 1991, so expecting mothers must drive roughly 45 minutes to Waco or Temple to deliver; the county's unusually young median age (~33) and low 65+ share are skewed by Fort Cavazos military families and several large TDCJ state prison units in Gatesville (including the Patrick L. O'Daniel Unit, formerly the Mountain View Unit, which houses Texas's female death row)." }, { "fipsCode": "48463", "state": "TX", "county": "Uvalde", "majorCity": "Uvalde", "population2024": 24960, "medicareBenes2024": 5851, "maPenetrationPct": 28, "pct65Plus": 17, "tier": 4, "rank": 129, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage)", "Humana", "Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield (Wellpoint)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Uvalde Memorial Hospital is a county-owned, 25-bed Critical Access Hospital (one of more than 80 CAHs in Texas), operated by the Uvalde County Hospital Authority, that serves as the sole hospital for Uvalde County and draws patients from a five-county area, making it the anchor of local Medicare-covered acute and emergency care." }, { "fipsCode": "48165", "state": "TX", "county": "Gaines", "majorCity": "Seminole", "population2024": 22232, "medicareBenes2024": 2203, "maPenetrationPct": 40, "pct65Plus": 9, "tier": 4, "rank": 130, "topCarriers": [ "Humana (HumanaChoice Regional PPO, contract R4182)", "UnitedHealthcare (Medicare Advantage Choice Regional PPO & SNPs, contract R6801)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Gaines County is one of Texas's youngest counties (median age about 29.3; only roughly 9.4% are 65+ versus about 17% nationally), driven by its large Low German-speaking Old Colony Mennonite community and high birth rates. Despite this small senior base, CMS reports that 887 of its 2,203 Medicare beneficiaries (about 40%) are enrolled in Medicare Advantage as of December 2024, a market dominated by Humana's HumanaChoice Regional PPO (contract R4182), with UnitedHealthcare's Regional PPO and Special Needs Plans (contract R6801) also serving the county." }, { "fipsCode": "48419", "state": "TX", "county": "Shelby", "majorCity": "Center", "population2024": 24155, "medicareBenes2024": 5364, "maPenetrationPct": 52, "pct65Plus": 19, "tier": 4, "rank": 131, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare / AARP", "Humana" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Shelby County has had no acute-care inpatient hospital within its borders since the 54-bed Shelby Regional Medical Center in Center closed in 2013 after CMS terminated its Medicare/Medicaid certification; residents now rely on a freestanding 24/7 ER in Center (opened 2014, operated by Nacogdoches Medical Center) and must drive roughly 30 miles to Nacogdoches for hospital admission. Despite this rural setting, Medicare Advantage penetration is unusually high at about 52% of beneficiaries (2,761 of 5,364 in 2024), well above the rate of many comparable East Texas timber-and-poultry counties." }, { "fipsCode": "48281", "state": "TX", "county": "Lampasas", "majorCity": "Lampasas", "population2024": 22715, "medicareBenes2024": 6293, "maPenetrationPct": 42, "pct65Plus": 22, "tier": 4, "rank": 132, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (incl. AARP/Sierra Health & Life and Care Improvement Plus)", "Humana", "Scott & White / Baylor Scott & White Health Plan (BSW SeniorCare Advantage)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Lampasas County borders Fort Cavazos (formerly Fort Hood) and sits within the Killeen-Temple metro's military-retiree belt - roughly 18,000 military retirees live across Bell, Coryell, and Lampasas counties - so an unusually large share of the county's seniors carry TRICARE For Life alongside Medicare and can use the on-post Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, which tempers commercial Medicare Advantage and Medigap demand relative to typical rural Texas counties (MA penetration ~42% in Dec 2024)." }, { "fipsCode": "48299", "state": "TX", "county": "Llano", "majorCity": "Llano", "population2024": 22424, "medicareBenes2024": 8718, "maPenetrationPct": 43, "pct65Plus": 37, "tier": 4, "rank": 133, "topCarriers": [ "Baylor Scott & White Health Plan (BSW SeniorCare Advantage Select Rx HMO-POS, H8142-007)", "UnitedHealthcare / AARP (Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC TX-12 HMO-POS, H4527-002)", "Humana (Essentials Plus Giveback PPO, H5216-358)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Llano County is one of Texas's oldest counties by age - a median age of 57.4 and 37.3% of residents 65+ - yet it is served by a single 25-bed critical-access hospital (Llano Regional Hospital, which earned its CMS critical-access designation on December 30, 2020 to keep Medicare patients' costs covered), and roughly 43% of its 8,718 Medicare beneficiaries chose Medicare Advantage over Original Medicare in 2024." }, { "fipsCode": "48365", "state": "TX", "county": "Panola", "majorCity": "Carthage", "population2024": 22726, "medicareBenes2024": 5486, "maPenetrationPct": 48, "pct65Plus": 20, "tier": 4, "rank": 134, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (UnitedHealth Group)", "Humana", "Aetna (CVS Health)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Medicare Advantage penetration in Panola County reached about 48% in 2024 (2,623 of 5,486 beneficiaries), unusually high for a rural Northeast Texas county, and the market is heavily concentrated: UnitedHealthcare's AARP HMO-POS and PPO plans alone account for roughly 1,529 of the county's MA enrollees, about 60% of MA membership, with Humana a distant second." }, { "fipsCode": "48019", "state": "TX", "county": "Bandera", "majorCity": "Bandera", "population2024": 22021, "medicareBenes2024": 7854, "maPenetrationPct": 47, "pct65Plus": 30, "tier": 4, "rank": 135, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)", "Wellcare (Centene)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Bandera County has no acute-care hospital within its borders; its only local healthcare facility is the charitable Arthur Nagel Community Clinic, so the county's older-than-average residents (median age 53.5, nearly 30% age 65+) must travel roughly 25 miles to Peterson Regional Medical Center in Kerrville or farther to San Antonio for emergency and inpatient care." }, { "fipsCode": "48293", "state": "TX", "county": "Limestone", "majorCity": "Mexia", "population2024": 22283, "medicareBenes2024": 5419, "maPenetrationPct": 50, "pct65Plus": 22, "tier": 4, "rank": 136, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare", "Humana", "Aetna (CVS Health)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Despite being a rural Central Texas county, Limestone has unusually high Medicare Advantage penetration of about 50% of its 5,419 Medicare beneficiaries (CMS 2024, MA_AND_OTH = 2,725), with UnitedHealthcare the dominant carrier and offering multiple Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs). The county has roughly 959 dual-eligible (Medicare + Medicaid) residents per CMS 2024 (550 full-dual, 410 partial-dual), and 65+ residents make up about 21.7% of the population, well above the Texas average of about 14%." }, { "fipsCode": "48225", "state": "TX", "county": "Houston", "majorCity": "Crockett", "population2024": 22051, "medicareBenes2024": 5700, "maPenetrationPct": 27, "pct65Plus": 23, "tier": 4, "rank": 137, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP/UHC)", "Humana", "Aetna" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Houston County's only hospital sits in Crockett and has been a textbook rural-access story: it abruptly closed in 2017, reopened in 2018 as Crockett Medical Center, and since 2023 has been operated by Mid Coast Medical Center as a 25-bed critical-access hospital, meaning local Medicare beneficiaries depend on a single facility for inpatient and emergency care." }, { "fipsCode": "48341", "state": "TX", "county": "Moore", "majorCity": "Dumas", "population2024": 21373, "medicareBenes2024": 2660, "maPenetrationPct": 37, "pct65Plus": 11, "tier": 4, "rank": 138, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (incl. Care Improvement Plus / AARP / Sierra Health & Life)", "Humana (incl. Emphesys)", "Prominence HealthFirst of Texas" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Despite ~21,400 residents, Moore County has only about 2,660 Medicare beneficiaries (roughly 11-12% of its population versus ~18-20% typical for Texas) because it is a young, heavily Hispanic (about 59%) meatpacking and agriculture community anchored by the JBS (former Swift & Co.) beef plant near Dumas that employs roughly 3,600 people, with a median age of about 31.9; UnitedHealthcare dominates the local Medicare Advantage market with about three-quarters of MA enrollees (roughly 770 of about 1,000 per CMS March 2026 contract data), and the locally governed Moore County Hospital District hosts a free 'Medicare for Moore' education and enrollment event in Dumas to help residents understand and select Medicare plans." }, { "fipsCode": "48337", "state": "TX", "county": "Montague", "majorCity": "Bowie", "population2024": 21046, "medicareBenes2024": 5795, "maPenetrationPct": 35, "pct65Plus": 22, "tier": 4, "rank": 139, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (UnitedHealth Group)", "Humana", "Aetna (CVS Health)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Montague County's largest city, Bowie (~5,200-5,400 residents), has had no full-service hospital since Bowie Memorial Hospital closed in 2015; the Faith Community Health System ER that opened in Bowie in October 2023 shut down on October 6, 2024 after less than a year, leaving Nocona General Hospital in the north of the county as the only hospital actually located in Montague County. This thin local inpatient infrastructure pushes many of the county's roughly 5,800 Medicare beneficiaries toward United Regional in Wichita Falls (~35-40 miles away), and Medicare Advantage penetration here (~35%) sits below the Texas statewide average." }, { "fipsCode": "48219", "state": "TX", "county": "Hockley", "majorCity": "Levelland", "population2024": 21363, "medicareBenes2024": 4161, "maPenetrationPct": 52, "pct65Plus": 15, "tier": 4, "rank": 140, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (UnitedHealth Group)", "Humana", "Wellcare (Centene)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Despite being a rural West Texas cotton-and-oil county, Hockley County has unusually high Medicare Advantage penetration - about 51.6% of its 4,161 Medicare beneficiaries are in MA plans (CMS 2024), driven largely by UnitedHealthcare and Humana PPO products that work with the local 49-bed Covenant Hospital Levelland; the county's roughly 50% Hispanic population also fuels strong demand for dual-eligible Special Needs Plans like Wellcare's H5294." }, { "fipsCode": "48089", "state": "TX", "county": "Colorado", "majorCity": "Columbus", "population2024": 21006, "medicareBenes2024": 5830, "maPenetrationPct": 39, "pct65Plus": 24, "tier": 4, "rank": 141, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare", "Humana", "Aetna (CVS Health)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Colorado County's roughly 5,800 Medicare beneficiaries depend on a single 40-bed nonprofit critical-access facility, Columbus Community Hospital, for all local inpatient care, and Medicare Advantage take-up (about 39%) trails the Texas statewide average; UnitedHealthcare (841) and Humana (826) are nearly tied as the top MA carriers, with Humana's single H5216 contract enrolling almost as many county members as all of UnitedHealthcare's plans combined." }, { "fipsCode": "48051", "state": "TX", "county": "Burleson", "majorCity": "Caldwell", "population2024": 20200, "medicareBenes2024": 5127, "maPenetrationPct": 53, "pct65Plus": 23, "tier": 4, "rank": 142, "topCarriers": [ "Baylor Scott & White Health Plan (BSW SeniorCare Advantage Select Rx, HMO-POS)", "Aetna (Medicare Value Plus + Medicare Signature, PPO)", "Devoted Health (Devoted Core / Devoted Giveback, TX)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Despite being a rural county, Burleson County had 52.9% Medicare Advantage penetration in 2024 (2,711 of 5,127 beneficiaries per CMS) - well above the typical rural threshold - and its single largest individual MA plan is Baylor Scott & White Health Plan's SeniorCare Advantage, reflecting the Bryan-College Station (Brazos Valley) health system's strong reach into the county." }, { "fipsCode": "48161", "state": "TX", "county": "Freestone", "majorCity": "Fairfield", "population2024": 20049, "medicareBenes2024": 4749, "maPenetrationPct": 46, "pct65Plus": 21, "tier": 4, "rank": 143, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Despite being a rural East Texas county anchored by the single 37-bed Freestone Medical Center in Fairfield, Freestone County has unusually high Medicare Advantage uptake for a rural area — roughly 46% of its 4,749 Medicare beneficiaries (2,197 people) are enrolled in MA plans, with Humana offering the most plans (14) of any carrier in the county." }, { "fipsCode": "48253", "state": "TX", "county": "Jones", "majorCity": "Anson", "population2024": 20304, "medicareBenes2024": 3463, "maPenetrationPct": 44, "pct65Plus": 15, "tier": 4, "rank": 144, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Jones County's Medicare market is shaped by two factors. First, the county is home to two adjacent TDCJ state prison units on FM 3522 northeast of Abilene (the maximum-security French M. Robertson Unit, total capacity ~2,984, and the co-located John Middleton Transfer Facility, capacity ~2,128); their large incarcerated working-age population holds the county's age-65+ share to about 15% and the Medicare-beneficiary share to roughly 17% of total population (3,463 of ~20,300), low for rural Texas. Second, in March 2023 the county seat's Anson General Hospital became the second hospital in the nation to convert to the new federal Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation, dropping inpatient beds to focus on emergency and outpatient care in order to stay open." }, { "fipsCode": "48179", "state": "TX", "county": "Gray", "majorCity": "Pampa", "population2024": 21045, "medicareBenes2024": 4187, "maPenetrationPct": 38, "pct65Plus": 18, "tier": 4, "rank": 145, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "Wellpoint (Anthem)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Gray County's Medicare population is served by a single 25-bed critical-access hospital, Pampa Regional Medical Center (a member of the Prime Healthcare Foundation), and its Medicare Advantage market is unusually concentrated: of the roughly 14 MA plans available, Humana offers the majority, reflecting the carrier's long-standing dominance across the oil-and-gas Texas Panhandle. About 38% of the county's ~4,187 Medicare beneficiaries are in Medicare Advantage, below the ~54% national rate (and below the ~42% rural-county average), with the remaining majority in Original Medicare." }, { "fipsCode": "48285", "state": "TX", "county": "Lavaca", "majorCity": "Hallettsville", "population2024": 20552, "medicareBenes2024": 5896, "maPenetrationPct": 35, "pct65Plus": 24, "tier": 4, "rank": 146, "topCarriers": [ "Humana (HumanaChoice H0473-005 PPO)", "UnitedHealthcare (UHC Medicare Advantage TX-0030 Regional PPO)", "Aetna (Aetna Medicare Choice PPO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Lavaca County is a Texas senior-heavy rural market where roughly one in four residents (24.3%) is age 65 or older - well above state and national averages - and CMS reports about 5,896 Medicare beneficiaries, with Medicare Advantage penetration near 35% (2,056 in MA/other plans vs. 3,840 in Original Medicare); the county seat Hallettsville is a historic Czech- and German-heritage farming and ranching community anchored medically by the single 25-bed critical-access Lavaca Medical Center." }, { "fipsCode": "48457", "state": "TX", "county": "Tyler", "majorCity": "Woodville", "population2024": 20238, "medicareBenes2024": 5303, "maPenetrationPct": 49, "pct65Plus": 23, "tier": 4, "rank": 147, "topCarriers": [ "Humana (HumanaChoice H5216-043 PPO)", "Cigna HealthSpring Preferred (H4513 HMO)", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC, HMO-POS)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Tyler County is a rural East Texas timber county in the Piney Woods (timber sales are its top income producer, per the Texas State Historical Association), served by a single 25-bed critical-access hospital (Tyler County Hospital in Woodville). With a 65-and-older share of about 22.9%, well above the Texas average of roughly 14%, Medicare Advantage enrollment has climbed to roughly half of the county's ~5,300 Medicare beneficiaries, approaching the point where it rivals Original Medicare." }, { "fipsCode": "48123", "state": "TX", "county": "DeWitt", "majorCity": "Cuero", "population2024": 20016, "medicareBenes2024": 4644, "maPenetrationPct": 44, "pct65Plus": 21, "tier": 4, "rank": 148, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage)", "Humana (HumanaChoice)", "WellCare (Centene / Superior HealthPlan)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Medicare Advantage penetration in DeWitt County quadrupled from about 11% in 2013 (455 of 4,193 beneficiaries) to roughly 44% in 2024 (2,062 of 4,644), an unusually fast and high MA shift for a rural Eagle Ford Shale county. UnitedHealthcare's AARP HMO-POS and Humana's HumanaChoice PPO are among the carriers serving the county, but the majority of MA enrollees are spread across other plans (notably WellCare/Centene), so no single insurer dominates the local market." }, { "fipsCode": "48177", "state": "TX", "county": "Gonzales", "majorCity": "Gonzales", "population2024": 19851, "medicareBenes2024": 4576, "maPenetrationPct": 45, "pct65Plus": 22, "tier": 4, "rank": 149, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (UnitedHealth Group)", "Humana", "Aetna Medicare (CVS Health)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Medicare Advantage penetration in Gonzales County tripled from 14.9% in 2013 to 45.2% in 2024, and the market is unusually Hispanic for a rural county: 29% of its 4,576 Medicare beneficiaries (1,333 people) are Hispanic, with 14% dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, per CMS enrollment data." }, { "fipsCode": "48489", "state": "TX", "county": "Willacy", "majorCity": "Raymondville", "population2024": 20139, "medicareBenes2024": 3400, "maPenetrationPct": 69, "pct65Plus": 15, "tier": 4, "rank": 150, "topCarriers": [ "Cigna / HealthSpring (Cigna Preferred Medicare HMO plans, contract H4513) - dominant MA carrier in the county; 417 reflects Cigna's combined HMO enrollment (Cigna Preferred Medicare HMO 294 + Cigna Preferred Full Savings HMO 123)", "UnitedHealthcare / AARP Medicare Advantage (TX-0014 HMO-POS, contract H4527)", "Humana (Gold Plus HMO, contract H0028) - confirmed active in Willacy County (e.g. H0028-046); listed enrollment is approximate and not independently confirmed at the county level" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Willacy County has no operating acute-care hospital of its own - the Willacy County Hospital District in Raymondville stopped running a hospital in October 1986 and now only administers an indigent health-care program, so residents drive about 21 miles south to Harlingen (Cameron County) for inpatient care. Despite this, the county posts one of the highest Medicare Advantage penetration rates in Texas at roughly 69%, ranking among the state's top MA-enrollment counties (alongside neighbors like Starr, Hidalgo, and Cameron)." }, { "fipsCode": "48233", "state": "TX", "county": "Hutchinson", "majorCity": "Borger", "population2024": 20184, "medicareBenes2024": 4230, "maPenetrationPct": 40, "pct65Plus": 19, "tier": 4, "rank": 151, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare", "Humana", "Provider Partners Health Plans" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Hutchinson County's economy and its Medicare-age population are anchored by the Phillips 66 Borger Refinery and the adjacent Chevron Phillips Chemical complex (one of the world's largest inland petrochemical operations, with the broader Phillips 66 / Chevron Phillips / Solvay complex employing roughly 1,400 workers), so many local seniors are retirees of the oil-and-gas industry whose coverage transitioned from employer petrochemical plans into Medicare; the county's lone hospital, Golden Plains Community Hospital, is a 25-bed critical-access facility in Borger that became a locally owned, not-for-profit organization on January 1, 2023." }, { "fipsCode": "48057", "state": "TX", "county": "Calhoun", "majorCity": "Port Lavaca", "population2024": 19868, "medicareBenes2024": 4582, "maPenetrationPct": 47, "pct65Plus": 20, "tier": 4, "rank": 152, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage)", "Humana (HumanaChoice)", "Aetna (CVS Health)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Despite being a rural Gulf Coast county, Calhoun County has seen Medicare Advantage flip the market: MA enrollment climbed from just 347 beneficiaries (about 9% penetration) in 2013 to 2,152 (about 47%) of its 4,582 Medicare beneficiaries in 2024, with UnitedHealthcare's AARP HMO-POS plans (notably the 4.5-star TX-0011 plan) and Humana's HumanaChoice PPO leading enrollment, while the entire county is served by a single 25-bed critical-access hospital, Memorial Medical Center in Port Lavaca." }, { "fipsCode": "48003", "state": "TX", "county": "Andrews", "majorCity": "Andrews", "population2024": 18610, "medicareBenes2024": 2389, "maPenetrationPct": 49, "pct65Plus": 11, "tier": 4, "rank": 153, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare / AARP (AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC TX-0001, H1278-003)", "Humana (HumanaChoice / USAA Honor PPO)", "Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas (HCSC)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Andrews County is a young, Hispanic-majority Permian Basin oil-and-gas county (only ~10.7% age 65+), so despite a small Medicare population of roughly 2,389 beneficiaries, Medicare Advantage penetration is unusually high for rural West Texas at about 49% (CMS 2024: 1,165 of 2,389 benes in MA), with UnitedHealthcare/AARP's flagship TX-0001 PPO (H1278-003) alone covering over 400 local enrollees." }, { "fipsCode": "48287", "state": "TX", "county": "Lee", "majorCity": "Giddings", "population2024": 17971, "medicareBenes2024": 4023, "maPenetrationPct": 46, "pct65Plus": 21, "tier": 4, "rank": 154, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare (Sierra Health and Life)", "Aetna" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.tdi.texas.gov/consumer/hicap/" }, "uniqueFact": "Lee County has no hospital within its own borders - the county seat of Giddings is served only by clinics and urgent care - and the nearest hospital it historically relied on, St. Mark's Medical Center about 18 miles south near La Grange (Fayette County), closed in October 2023, leaving Lee County's Medicare beneficiaries to travel to hospitals in Smithville, Caldwell, or Brenham for inpatient and emergency care." }, { "fipsCode": "48035", "state": "TX", "county": "Bosque", "majorCity": "Clifton", "population2024": 18687, "medicareBenes2024": 5615, "maPenetrationPct": 51, "pct65Plus": 25, "tier": 4, "rank": 155, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (UnitedHealth Group)", "Humana", "Baylor Scott & White Health Plan" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Bosque County skews notably older than the U.S. (about 25% of residents are 65+ vs. ~17% nationally), and despite being rural its Medicare Advantage penetration is unusually high at roughly 50% in 2024 - close to the Texas statewide rate - with the local market led by UnitedHealthcare and Humana but also serving a large enrollment block through regional system Baylor Scott & White Health Plan. The sole in-county hospital is Goodall-Witcher, a 25-bed critical-access facility in Clifton (the legislatively designated 'Norwegian Capital of Texas') operated by the Bosque County Hospital District." }, { "fipsCode": "48163", "state": "TX", "county": "Frio", "majorCity": "Pearsall", "population2024": 18582, "medicareBenes2024": 3700, "maPenetrationPct": 52, "pct65Plus": 13, "tier": 4, "rank": 156, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)", "Devoted Health" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Frio County's Medicare market is unusually young and small for its population: a median age of roughly 32 and a 65-plus share near 13 percent (below Texas's statewide ~14 percent) reflect the Eagle Ford oil-and-gas workforce and the ~1,216-bed Dolph Briscoe state prison (TDCJ), located near Dilley in southern Frio County. Yet the county sits in the South Texas corridor where Medicare Advantage PPOs from Humana and UnitedHealthcare dominate enrollment." }, { "fipsCode": "48117", "state": "TX", "county": "Deaf Smith", "majorCity": "Hereford", "population2024": 18460, "medicareBenes2024": 2769, "maPenetrationPct": 45, "pct65Plus": 14, "tier": 4, "rank": 157, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)", "Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield (Wellpoint)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Hispanic residents make up about 54% of Deaf Smith County's 2,769 Medicare beneficiaries (1,498 of them, per CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment 2024 county data), making this one of the few Hispanic-majority Medicare markets in rural Texas — a reflection of Hereford's cattle-feedlot and beef-processing workforce in the 'Beef Capital of the World.'" }, { "fipsCode": "48395", "state": "TX", "county": "Robertson", "majorCity": "Franklin", "population2024": 17167, "medicareBenes2024": 4250, "maPenetrationPct": 52, "pct65Plus": 21, "tier": 4, "rank": 158, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage)", "Baylor Scott & White SeniorCare Advantage", "Aetna (CVS Health)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Robertson County has no acute-care hospital within its borders, so its roughly 4,250 Medicare beneficiaries rely on CHI St. Joseph Health's regional hospital in neighboring Bryan-College Station, with St. Joseph operating local outpatient HealthPoint clinics in Hearne and Franklin; the county's economy is anchored by Luminant's Oak Grove lignite-coal power generation (north of Franklin) alongside cattle ranching and oil and gas." }, { "fipsCode": "48503", "state": "TX", "county": "Young", "majorCity": "Graham", "population2024": 18029, "medicareBenes2024": 4589, "maPenetrationPct": 29, "pct65Plus": 21, "tier": 4, "rank": 159, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare", "Humana", "Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas (HCSC)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Although Medicare Advantage holds only about 29% penetration in this rural North Texas county, a single insurer, UnitedHealthcare, controls roughly 62% of Young County's MA enrollment (766 of about 1,236 members) primarily through its Care Improvement Plus regional PPO (UHC Medicare Advantage TX-0030, contract R6801), leaving Original Medicare with Medigap as the prevailing coverage choice for the county's roughly 4,600 beneficiaries." }, { "fipsCode": "48145", "state": "TX", "county": "Falls", "majorCity": "Marlin", "population2024": 17752, "medicareBenes2024": 3792, "maPenetrationPct": 60, "pct65Plus": 19, "tier": 4, "rank": 160, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "Aetna" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Falls County's only hospital, Falls Community Hospital & Clinic in Marlin, is one of just a handful of Texas hospitals to adopt the federal Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation (effective 2023), so it now provides emergency and outpatient care without traditional inpatient beds, pushing Medicare patients needing hospitalization to Waco's Ascension Providence and Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest about 25-30 miles north." }, { "fipsCode": "48133", "state": "TX", "county": "Eastland", "majorCity": "Eastland", "population2024": 18011, "medicareBenes2024": 4944, "maPenetrationPct": 44, "pct65Plus": 22, "tier": 4, "rank": 161, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare", "Humana", "Anthem (WellPoint)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Medicare Advantage in rural Eastland County has grown explosively, with MA enrollment nearly tripling from 809 beneficiaries in 2013 to 2,196 in 2024 (about 44% of the county's 4,944 Medicare beneficiaries) - and the county's lone critical-access facility, Eastland Memorial Hospital, runs its own dialysis clinic serving local ESRD beneficiaries who would otherwise drive to Abilene." }, { "fipsCode": "48289", "state": "TX", "county": "Leon", "majorCity": "Centerville", "population2024": 16263, "medicareBenes2024": 5555, "maPenetrationPct": 49, "pct65Plus": 24, "tier": 4, "rank": 162, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC TX-0007 PPO, H1278-015)", "Humana (Gold Plus HMO, H0028 contract)", "Aetna (Medicare PPO, H5521)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Leon County has no hospital within its borders, so residents rely on regional facilities in Bryan/College Station (CHI St. Joseph) and Palestine; Medicare Advantage penetration has climbed to roughly 49% of the county's 5,555 Medicare beneficiaries (about 2,748 enrollees) by 2024 per CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment data, high for a rural Texas county." }, { "fipsCode": "48415", "state": "TX", "county": "Scurry", "majorCity": "Snyder", "population2024": 16488, "medicareBenes2024": 3101, "maPenetrationPct": 41, "pct65Plus": 17, "tier": 4, "rank": 163, "topCarriers": [ "Humana (HumanaChoice Regional PPO, R4182)", "UnitedHealthcare (UHC Medicare Advantage TX-0030 Regional PPO, R6801)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Medicare Advantage in Scurry County is offered only through Regional PPO products from Humana and UnitedHealthcare - there are no local HMO plans - reflecting this sparsely populated West Texas oil-and-cotton county where roughly 41% of the ~3,100 Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in MA and residents depend on the single 25-bed critical-access Cogdell Memorial Hospital in Snyder." }, { "fipsCode": "48239", "state": "TX", "county": "Jackson", "majorCity": "Edna", "population2024": 15152, "medicareBenes2024": 3371, "maPenetrationPct": 44, "pct65Plus": 21, "tier": 4, "rank": 164, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare (incl. WellMed/Optum)", "Aetna (CVS Health)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Despite being a rural Gulf Coast county of ~15,000, Jackson County has unusually high Medicare Advantage penetration for rural Texas: 1,487 of its 3,371 Medicare beneficiaries (44%) were in MA/other health plans in 2024, up sharply from just 422 of 2,644 (16%) in 2013, reflecting aggressive Humana and UnitedHealthcare/WellMed expansion into the Victoria-Edna corridor." }, { "fipsCode": "48255", "state": "TX", "county": "Karnes", "majorCity": "Karnes City", "population2024": 14968, "medicareBenes2024": 2916, "maPenetrationPct": 49, "pct65Plus": 16, "tier": 4, "rank": 165, "topCarriers": [ "Aetna Medicare Signature (PPO) - contract H5521", "HumanaChoice R4182-004 (Regional PPO)", "AARP Medicare Advantage from UnitedHealthcare (HMO-POS) - contract H4527" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Unlike most rural Texas counties, Karnes County has a high Medicare Advantage penetration of roughly 49% (1,431 of 2,916 beneficiaries in 2024), near the national average; its total Medicare beneficiary count grew from about 2,590 in 2016 to 2,916 in 2024, reflecting population gains from the Eagle Ford Shale oil-and-gas boom that began with ConocoPhillips' 2008 strike." }, { "fipsCode": "48093", "state": "TX", "county": "Comanche", "majorCity": "Comanche", "population2024": 13950, "medicareBenes2024": 3674, "maPenetrationPct": 40, "pct65Plus": 24, "tier": 4, "rank": 166, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (UnitedHealth Group)", "Humana", "Aetna (CVS Health)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Comanche County is one of Texas's top dairy-producing counties (roughly $99M in average annual milk sales from about a dozen family dairies), yet it also posts unusually high Medicare Advantage penetration for a rural county at about 40% of its ~3,674 Medicare beneficiaries. Humana's HumanaChoice PPO (contract H5216), one of the MA plans serving the county, had its CMS Star Rating cut from 4.5 to 3.5 for the 2025 plan year." }, { "fipsCode": "48059", "state": "TX", "county": "Callahan", "majorCity": "Baird", "population2024": 14241, "medicareBenes2024": 3833, "maPenetrationPct": 42, "pct65Plus": 22, "tier": 4, "rank": 167, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "Wellcare (Centene)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Callahan County has no hospital within its borders; its roughly 3,800 Medicare beneficiaries (about 27% of residents) rely on Hendrick Health hospitals in neighboring Abilene (Taylor County) for inpatient and emergency care, while the county's economy centers on ranching, oil and gas, and large wind farms along the Callahan Divide ridge, including the 400 MW Lone Star Wind Farm (shared with Shackelford County) and the Ranchland Wind + Storage facility (shared with Eastland County)." }, { "fipsCode": "48371", "state": "TX", "county": "Pecos", "majorCity": "Fort Stockton", "population2024": 14896, "medicareBenes2024": 2416, "maPenetrationPct": 47, "pct65Plus": 13, "tier": 4, "rank": 168, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (Sierra Health and Life Insurance Company)", "Humana (Humana Insurance Company)", "Wellpoint (WellPoint Texas / Anthem-Elevance, formerly Amerigroup)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Despite being a remote ~4,765-square-mile Permian Basin frontier county (the second-largest county by area in Texas) served by a single 25-bed critical-access hospital, Pecos County has relatively high Medicare Advantage uptake for rural Texas: roughly 47-49% of its ~2,400-2,460 Medicare beneficiaries were in MA plans in 2024, led by UnitedHealthcare (Sierra Health and Life) and Humana regional PPO products, even though only 13.3% of residents are 65+ (versus 16.8% nationally) because of the young oil-and-gas and construction workforce." }, { "fipsCode": "48455", "state": "TX", "county": "Trinity", "majorCity": "Trinity", "population2024": 14046, "medicareBenes2024": 5630, "maPenetrationPct": 49, "pct65Plus": 27, "tier": 4, "rank": 169, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare / AARP (incl. Sierra Health and Life)", "Humana", "Aetna (CVS Health)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Trinity County lost its only hospital when Mid Coast Medical Center-Trinity closed on April 25, 2025, just 14 months after reopening a long-vacant facility, leaving its heavily Medicare-dependent population (median age ~50, 27%+ age 65+, and 100% rural per the 2020 Census) to drive roughly 30 miles to Crockett or Huntsville for inpatient care." }, { "fipsCode": "48313", "state": "TX", "county": "Madison", "majorCity": "Madisonville", "population2024": 13648, "medicareBenes2024": 2587, "maPenetrationPct": 53, "pct65Plus": 15, "tier": 4, "rank": 170, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "Aetna" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Madison County's share of residents age 65+ is only about 15.5%, unusually low for a rural Texas county, because the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Jim Ferguson Unit prison near Midway (capacity ~2,417 inmates) inflates the county's working-age population; even so, Medicare Advantage penetration is high at roughly 52%, with Humana and UnitedHealthcare the dominant carriers." }, { "fipsCode": "48353", "state": "TX", "county": "Nolan", "majorCity": "Sweetwater", "population2024": 14454, "medicareBenes2024": 3256, "maPenetrationPct": 47, "pct65Plus": 19, "tier": 4, "rank": 171, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage)", "Humana (HumanaChoice PPO)", "Aetna" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Nolan County is the self-styled \"Wind Turbine Capital of Texas\" with one of the highest concentrations of wind turbines in North America; the wind boom anchors a stable, older-skewing local workforce that funds the county tax base and supports its single hospital, Rolling Plains Memorial, which serves a Medicare population where roughly 47% of beneficiaries have chosen Medicare Advantage despite the area's rural West Texas setting." }, { "fipsCode": "48031", "state": "TX", "county": "Blanco", "majorCity": "Johnson City", "population2024": 12446, "medicareBenes2024": 4250, "maPenetrationPct": 38, "pct65Plus": 26, "tier": 4, "rank": 172, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (UnitedHealth Group)", "Humana", "Aetna (CVS Health)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Blanco County has no hospital within its borders, so its roughly 4,250 Medicare beneficiaries must drive to acute-care facilities in neighboring counties - Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Marble Falls (Burnet County) or Methodist Hospital Hill Country in Fredericksburg (Gillespie County); this rural-access gap helps explain why Medicare Advantage penetration sits near 38%, with PPO products from UnitedHealthcare, Humana, and Aetna - whose broader out-of-network access suits residents who routinely cross county lines for care - prominent in the market." }, { "fipsCode": "48379", "state": "TX", "county": "Rains", "majorCity": "Emory", "population2024": 12775, "medicareBenes2024": 3577, "maPenetrationPct": 46, "pct65Plus": 25, "tier": 4, "rank": 173, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (UnitedHealth Group)", "Humana", "Aetna (CVS Health)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Rains County has no general acute-care hospital within its borders; its roughly 3,577 Medicare beneficiaries must drive about 25-30 miles to Hunt Regional Medical Center in Greenville or CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital in Sulphur Springs, with only local clinics (such as Hunt Regional Family Medicine at Emory) providing in-county primary care. Like most rural Northeast Texas counties, it carries Health Professional Shortage Area designations." }, { "fipsCode": "48505", "state": "TX", "county": "Zapata", "majorCity": "Zapata", "population2024": 13841, "medicareBenes2024": 2123, "maPenetrationPct": 69, "pct65Plus": 14, "tier": 4, "rank": 174, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)", "Humana", "Molina Healthcare" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.tlsc.org/hicap" }, "uniqueFact": "Zapata County has no hospital within its borders; residents rely on the Gateway Community Health Center clinic in the town of Zapata for primary care and travel to the critical-access Starr County Memorial Hospital in Rio Grande City or to acute-care hospitals in Laredo for inpatient and emergency services. The county skews younger than Texas overall (about 13.7% of residents are 65+), yet sits in a South Texas border region with very high Medicare Advantage uptake: per CMS, roughly 69% of Zapata County's ~2,100 Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Advantage in 2024, and neighboring Starr County reaches 81% MA enrollment, one of only three U.S. counties above 80% (KFF, 2024)." }, { "fipsCode": "48063", "state": "TX", "county": "Camp", "majorCity": "Pittsburg", "population2024": 13164, "medicareBenes2024": 3240, "maPenetrationPct": 49, "pct65Plus": 19, "tier": 4, "rank": 175, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (UnitedHealth Group)", "Humana", "Aetna (CVS Health)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Pittsburg, the Camp County seat, is the birthplace of Pilgrim's Pride: Lonnie \"Bo\" Pilgrim and his brother Aubrey started the business as a Pittsburg feed store in 1946, growing it into one of the world's largest poultry producers. After Pilgrim's Pride filed for bankruptcy in 2008 and was acquired by Brazil's JBS, the company moved its corporate headquarters from Pittsburg to Greeley, Colorado in 2011; it still operates facilities in the Pittsburg/Mount Pleasant area, and poultry processing remains central to the local economy, though area employment has lagged the broader Texas economy." }, { "fipsCode": "48279", "state": "TX", "county": "Lamb", "majorCity": "Littlefield", "population2024": 12687, "medicareBenes2024": 2689, "maPenetrationPct": 46, "pct65Plus": 18, "tier": 4, "rank": 176, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (UnitedHealth Group)", "Wellcare by Allwell (Centene)", "Humana" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Lamb County's Medicare population is unusually Hispanic for a rural Texas county: per CMS 2024 enrollment, about 971 of its 2,689 beneficiaries (roughly 36%) are Hispanic, reflecting a farm-labor economy that lost its largest employer when Littlefield's American Cotton Growers denim mill closed in 2015 and was later repurposed into the Continental Dairy Facilities Southwest plant." }, { "fipsCode": "48487", "state": "TX", "county": "Wilbarger", "majorCity": "Vernon", "population2024": 12616, "medicareBenes2024": 2820, "maPenetrationPct": 42, "pct65Plus": 20, "tier": 4, "rank": 177, "topCarriers": [ "Humana (HumanaChoice H0473-005 PPO)", "UnitedHealthcare (UHC Medicare Advantage TX-0030 Regional PPO, contract R6801-012)", "Humana USAA Honor Giveback (PPO, contract H5216)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Despite being a rural agricultural county anchored by the historic Waggoner Ranch (the largest U.S. ranch under one fence, headquartered just south of Vernon), Health Care & Social Assistance is Wilbarger County's single largest employment sector (roughly 1,200 workers), centered on the county-district-owned Wilbarger General Hospital, a 28-bed acute-care facility and Level IV Trauma Center in Vernon; CMS/KFF data show Medicare Advantage penetration of roughly 42% in 2024, near the rural average, with Humana and UnitedHealthcare the dominant carriers (the only carriers in the county's top individual-market MA plans by enrollment)." }, { "fipsCode": "48389", "state": "TX", "county": "Reeves", "majorCity": "Pecos", "population2024": 12664, "medicareBenes2024": 2099, "maPenetrationPct": 39, "pct65Plus": 13, "tier": 4, "rank": 178, "topCarriers": [ "Humana (HumanaChoice H7617-027 PPO / R4182 Regional PPO)", "UnitedHealthcare (UHC Medicare Advantage TX-0030 Regional PPO, R6801-012)", "Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Value (HMO, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas / HCSC, H9706)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Despite a young median age of 34.4 (driven by oil-field workers and a large federal prison complex), Reeves County's Medicare Advantage penetration of roughly 38-39% is unusually high for rural West Texas, with Humana and UnitedHealthcare regional PPOs dominating because no broad local HMO network exists; the county's sole hospital, Reeves Regional Health in Pecos, is a self-financed $115 million, 25-bed Critical Access facility that opened debt-free in November 2022 (paid for with oil-and-gas and sales-tax proceeds, with no bonds or tax increase)." }, { "fipsCode": "48343", "state": "TX", "county": "Morris", "majorCity": "Daingerfield", "population2024": 12076, "medicareBenes2024": 3825, "maPenetrationPct": 48, "pct65Plus": 23, "tier": 4, "rank": 179, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "Aetna (CVS Health)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Morris County has no hospital of its own; its lone Daingerfield hospital closed years ago, so its ~3,825 Medicare beneficiaries rely on the Mount Pleasant hospital (formerly Titus Regional Medical Center, now Christus Health – Mount Pleasant Hospital) about 18 miles away, while Medicare Advantage still reaches a relatively high 47.8% of beneficiaries for a rural East Texas county. The county's older-skewing population (22.6% are 65+) is a legacy of the Lone Star Steel mill, which once employed up to 6,000 workers and made Morris the 29th-highest per-capita-income county in Texas in 1981 before the plant suspended operations in August 1982; the collapse pushed county unemployment to 24.2% in 1983." }, { "fipsCode": "48297", "state": "TX", "county": "Live Oak", "majorCity": "George West", "population2024": 11620, "medicareBenes2024": 2552, "maPenetrationPct": 51, "pct65Plus": 22, "tier": 4, "rank": 180, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare", "Humana", "Aetna (CVS Health)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Live Oak County has no hospital within its borders, so its roughly 2,550 Medicare beneficiaries rely on the 69-bed CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital in Beeville (about 24 miles away); despite this rural setting, Medicare Advantage penetration has more than doubled from about 25% in 2013 to 51% in 2024, with UnitedHealthcare and Humana alone covering nearly 90% of MA enrollees." }, { "fipsCode": "48351", "state": "TX", "county": "Newton", "majorCity": "Newton", "population2024": 12093, "medicareBenes2024": 2967, "maPenetrationPct": 58, "pct65Plus": 22, "tier": 4, "rank": 181, "topCarriers": [ "Cigna Healthcare", "UnitedHealthcare", "Humana" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Newton County is a 100% rural East Texas timber county with no hospital inside its borders, yet Medicare Advantage penetration reached 57.5% in December 2024 (1,499 of 2,605 MA-eligible beneficiaries) - above the national average - with Cigna's HMO (contract H4513) alone covering nearly a third of the county's MA enrollees." }, { "fipsCode": "48445", "state": "TX", "county": "Terry", "majorCity": "Brownfield", "population2024": 11629, "medicareBenes2024": 2046, "maPenetrationPct": 56, "pct65Plus": 16, "tier": 4, "rank": 182, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (UnitedHealth Group)", "Wellcare (Centene)", "Humana" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Despite being a rural, majority-Hispanic farming county (55.5% Hispanic; cotton, oil, and one of the top U.S. pumpkin-producing counties), Terry County has an unusually high Medicare Advantage penetration of about 56% (1,145 of 2,046 beneficiaries in 2024), with UnitedHealthcare alone holding roughly 62% of the local MA market." }, { "fipsCode": "48387", "state": "TX", "county": "Red River", "majorCity": "Clarksville", "population2024": 11611, "medicareBenes2024": 3638, "maPenetrationPct": 44, "pct65Plus": 26, "tier": 4, "rank": 183, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (UnitedHealth Group)", "Humana", "Aetna Medicare (CVS Health)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Red River County has had no operating hospital within its borders since Clarksville General Hospital closed in 2014; the long-planned Red River General Hospital remains unopened, so the county's ~3,600 Medicare beneficiaries depend on out-of-county facilities, primarily 154-bed Paris Regional Health about 30 miles away in Lamar County." }, { "fipsCode": "48115", "state": "TX", "county": "Dawson", "majorCity": "Lamesa", "population2024": 12134, "medicareBenes2024": 2204, "maPenetrationPct": 46, "pct65Plus": 15, "tier": 4, "rank": 184, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare", "Humana" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Dawson County is a HRSA-designated Health Professional Shortage Area whose economy is rooted in cotton farming (it ranked second in Texas cotton production in 1980) and the Preston E. Smith state prison unit near Lamesa; Medicare Advantage is dominated by just two carriers, with UnitedHealthcare (656) and Humana (315) accounting for roughly 96% of the county's ~1,009 MA enrollees in 2024." }, { "fipsCode": "48475", "state": "TX", "county": "Ward", "majorCity": "Monahans", "population2024": 11144, "medicareBenes2024": 1911, "maPenetrationPct": 43, "pct65Plus": 14, "tier": 4, "rank": 185, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (UnitedHealth Group)", "Humana", "Aetna Medicare (CVS Health)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Ward County's Medicare population is small and Original-Medicare-leaning relative to its size: only about 17% of residents are Medicare beneficiaries (1,911 of 11,144) because the Permian Basin oil-and-gas economy keeps the county's median age near 34.5 years, yet Medicare Advantage has still captured roughly 42% of those beneficiaries (812 of 1,911), led by UnitedHealthcare's regional PPO. The county's sole hospital, the county-owned 25-bed critical-access Ward Memorial Hospital in Monahans, anchors care for a 14-county rural area of West Texas." }, { "fipsCode": "48159", "state": "TX", "county": "Franklin", "majorCity": "Mount Vernon", "population2024": 10632, "medicareBenes2024": 2623, "maPenetrationPct": 43, "pct65Plus": 23, "tier": 4, "rank": 186, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Franklin County has no hospital of its own (the nearest is CHRISTUS Health Mount Pleasant Hospital, ~15 miles away in Titus County). Its lakefront economy around 3,461-acre Lake Cypress Springs - dubbed 'the Hamptons of East Texas,' with 850+ waterfront properties along ~44.5 miles of shoreline - draws affluent retirees and second-home owners, lifting the share of residents 65+ to about 23% and pushing Medicare Advantage penetration to roughly 43% (1,116 of 2,623 beneficiaries per CMS 2024 data), unusually high for a rural Northeast Texas county." }, { "fipsCode": "48077", "state": "TX", "county": "Clay", "majorCity": "Henrietta", "population2024": 10495, "medicareBenes2024": 2606, "maPenetrationPct": 32, "pct65Plus": 23, "tier": 4, "rank": 187, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "Wellpoint (Elevance Health)" ], "ship": { "name": "Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP)", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Clay County's Medicare-aged population is unusually large for its size: CMS counts 2,353 aged beneficiaries (90% of its 2,606 total Medicare enrollees), and the county's lone 25-bed critical-access Clay County Memorial Hospital in Henrietta is the only inpatient facility, so most specialty and emergency care routes ~20 miles west to United Regional in Wichita Falls." }, { "fipsCode": "48425", "state": "TX", "county": "Somervell", "majorCity": "Glen Rose", "population2024": 9691, "medicareBenes2024": 2313, "maPenetrationPct": 48, "pct65Plus": 21, "tier": 4, "rank": 188, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (UnitedHealth Group)", "Humana", "Aetna (CVS Health)" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas HICAP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240", "url": "https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/medicare" }, "uniqueFact": "Somervell County's economy and tax base are dominated by Vistra's Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant, the county's largest taxpayer, which pays more than $40 million a year in state and local taxes and accounts for the large majority of the county's tax revenue; despite being a small rural county, Medicare Advantage penetration reached about 48% of beneficiaries in 2024 (roughly 1,116 of 2,313), well above the typical rural-Texas range, with UnitedHealthcare's Sierra Health and Life and Care Improvement Plus contracts collectively the largest MA presence." }, { "fipsCode": "12041", "state": "FL", "county": "Gilchrist", "majorCity": "Trenton", "population2024": 19040, "medicareBenes2024": 4720, "maPenetrationPct": 35, "pct65Plus": 21, "tier": 4, "rank": 189, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Gilchrist", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Gilchrist County has no hospital located within its borders, so its Medicare beneficiaries rely on facilities roughly 30 miles away in Gainesville (UF Health Shands, HCA North Florida) or in Lake City for inpatient and emergency care, making provider-network breadth a key consideration when comparing Medicare Advantage plans in this rural, spring-rich county." }, { "fipsCode": "12123", "state": "FL", "county": "Taylor", "majorCity": "Perry", "population2024": 21503, "medicareBenes2024": 5315, "maPenetrationPct": 53, "pct65Plus": 21, "tier": 4, "rank": 190, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage)", "Florida Blue (BlueMedicare)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Taylor", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Taylor County's economy was destabilized when Georgia-Pacific announced (September 18, 2023) the permanent closure of its Foley Cellulose (Buckeye) pulp mill in Perry — the county's largest private employer for decades, costing roughly 525 jobs and about $9.9 million in annual local tax revenue — just weeks after Hurricane Idalia made landfall about 20 miles south of Perry on August 30, 2023, leaving a rural Medicare population with a low median household income (~$49,000) reliant on a single critical-access 48-bed hospital and a Medicare Advantage market split roughly evenly with Original Medicare (about 53% MA penetration)." }, { "fipsCode": "12059", "state": "FL", "county": "Holmes", "majorCity": "Bonifay", "population2024": 19513, "medicareBenes2024": 4650, "maPenetrationPct": 38, "pct65Plus": 21, "tier": 4, "rank": 191, "topCarriers": [ "Humana (Full Access Giveback H5216-393, PPO)", "UnitedHealthcare / AARP Medicare Advantage FL-0011 (HMO-POS)", "UnitedHealthcare / AARP Medicare Advantage FL-0016 (PPO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Holmes", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Holmes County is a rural Florida Panhandle county whose entire inpatient capacity is a single 20-bed critical-access hospital, Doctors Memorial Hospital in Bonifay; with no full-service acute-care facility, many residents travel ~30 miles to Dothan, Alabama, or to Panama City for specialty care, and Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) are unusually significant here, covering roughly 721 of the county's Medicare Advantage members." }, { "fipsCode": "12079", "state": "FL", "county": "Madison", "majorCity": "Madison", "population2024": 18089, "medicareBenes2024": 4800, "maPenetrationPct": 56, "pct65Plus": 23, "tier": 4, "rank": 192, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "WellCare (Centene)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Madison", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Madison County is served by Madison County Memorial Hospital, a 25-bed not-for-profit facility that is one of only about 12 Critical Access Hospitals in Florida, and despite being a low-income rural county (per capita income roughly half the state average, ~21% poverty), its Medicare Advantage penetration of about 56% runs above the national average (~54%) though below Florida's high statewide rate (~60%), with Humana and UnitedHealthcare as the dominant MA carriers." }, { "fipsCode": "12029", "state": "FL", "county": "Dixie", "majorCity": "Cross City", "population2024": 17058, "medicareBenes2024": 4450, "maPenetrationPct": 45, "pct65Plus": 24, "tier": 4, "rank": 193, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare (AARP Medicare Advantage)", "Florida Blue / WellCare / Aetna (combined remaining plans)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Dixie", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Dixie County has no hospital of its own; its largest employer is the Florida Department of Corrections' Cross City Correctional Institution (over 400 jobs), and with a ~22% poverty rate roughly double the state and national average, the county's Medicare population leans heavily on Original Medicare and travels 25+ miles to Doctors' Memorial Hospital in Perry or to Gainesville for hospital care." }, { "fipsCode": "12125", "state": "FL", "county": "Union", "majorCity": "Lake Butler", "population2024": 15701, "medicareBenes2024": 3200, "maPenetrationPct": 27, "pct65Plus": 16, "tier": 4, "rank": 194, "topCarriers": [ "Humana (Full Access Giveback PPO / H5216 & H7617)", "UnitedHealthcare / AARP Medicare Advantage (incl. Dual Complete D-SNP)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE - Union", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Union County is Florida's smallest county by land area (about 250 square miles) and its economy is dominated by the state prison system: the Union Correctional Institution (Florida's oldest and largest correctional institution, established 1913) and the adjoining Reception and Medical Center put roughly 4,774 people in group quarters - about a third of all residents - and make the Florida Department of Corrections and other government the county's largest employer. This produces a roughly 63.8% male / 36.2% female population split (about 176 males per 100 females) that suppresses the county's apparent senior share and concentrates much of its Medicare base in dual-eligible and under-65 disability beneficiaries. (Note: Florida's least-populous county is Liberty County, not Union.)" }, { "fipsCode": "12065", "state": "FL", "county": "Jefferson", "majorCity": "Monticello", "population2024": 15091, "medicareBenes2024": 4104, "maPenetrationPct": 62, "pct65Plus": 25, "tier": 4, "rank": 195, "topCarriers": [ "Capital Health Plan (HMO)", "UnitedHealthcare/AARP", "Humana" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Jefferson", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Jefferson County has no hospital within its borders and is a designated primary-care Health Professional Shortage Area, so its roughly 4,100 Medicare beneficiaries travel about 30 minutes west to Tallahassee (Leon County) for hospital care; about 17% of them (711) are dual-eligible for Medicaid, and the Tallahassee-based nonprofit Capital Health Plan HMO is the county's single largest Medicare Advantage plan." }, { "fipsCode": "12045", "state": "FL", "county": "Gulf", "majorCity": "Port St. Joe", "population2024": 15876, "medicareBenes2024": 4405, "maPenetrationPct": 33, "pct65Plus": 24, "tier": 4, "rank": 196, "topCarriers": [ "Humana (Full Access Giveback H5216-393 PPO)", "UnitedHealthcare / AARP Medicare Advantage (FL-0016 PPO)", "Humana (Full Access Giveback H7617-111 PPO)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Gulf", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Despite Florida leading the nation with roughly 57-60% of its Medicare population in Medicare Advantage, only about one-third (33%) of Gulf County's 4,405 Medicare beneficiaries choose MA, and the entire county is served by a single 19-bed rural hospital, Ascension Sacred Heart Gulf in Port St. Joe (Medicare CCN 100313), reflecting the limited provider networks of Florida's rural Panhandle." }, { "fipsCode": "12047", "state": "FL", "county": "Hamilton", "majorCity": "Jasper", "population2024": 13616, "medicareBenes2024": 3303, "maPenetrationPct": 37, "pct65Plus": 19, "tier": 4, "rank": 197, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Full Access Giveback H5216-393 (PPO)", "Humana Full Access Giveback H7617-111 (PPO)", "AARP Medicare Advantage from UnitedHealthcare FL-0009 (HMO-POS)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE -- Hamilton", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Hamilton County has had no hospital of its own since the former Hamilton County Memorial Hospital sold its operating assets to Columbia/HCA in 1994, so its roughly 3,300 Medicare beneficiaries rely on out-of-county facilities -- the full-service HCA Florida Lake City Hospital in Columbia County and the critical-access Madison County Memorial Hospital, plus an ER-only HCA Florida Suwannee Emergency in Live Oak (the former Shands hospital, converted to emergency-only in 2020). Its senior share is unusually low for Florida because the population includes the ~1,177-capacity Hamilton Correctional Institution in Jasper and a phosphate-mining workforce (Nutrien's White Springs operation employs roughly 600+ near White Springs), keeping the median age at about 41." }, { "fipsCode": "12013", "state": "FL", "county": "Calhoun", "majorCity": "Blountstown", "population2024": 13278, "medicareBenes2024": 3057, "maPenetrationPct": 60, "pct65Plus": 18, "tier": 4, "rank": 198, "topCarriers": [ "Humana", "UnitedHealthcare", "Aetna (CVS Health)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Calhoun", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Despite being one of Florida's smallest and most rural counties, Calhoun ranks among the top 10 Florida counties for Medicare Advantage penetration (about 60% of beneficiaries), and its sole hospital, the 12-bed Calhoun Liberty Hospital in Blountstown, was named a 2026 Top 100 Critical Access Hospital by The Chartis Center for Rural Health (its third consecutive year, and second consecutive year as the only Florida hospital on the list), and opened a new 50,000-square-foot facility in August 2025." }, { "fipsCode": "12043", "state": "FL", "county": "Glades", "majorCity": "Moore Haven", "population2024": 12563, "medicareBenes2024": 2544, "maPenetrationPct": 54, "pct65Plus": 26, "tier": 4, "rank": 199, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealthcare (UHC Dual Complete)", "Humana (Gold Plus / Choice)", "Wellcare (Centene)" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Glades", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Glades County has no hospital of its own and only about 2,544 Medicare beneficiaries, yet roughly 54% of them are enrolled in Medicare Advantage; the county's census count is inflated by about 1,500 incarcerated residents at the GEO Group-run Moore Haven Correctional Facility and the Glades County ICE Detention Center, and it also contains the Seminole Tribe's Brighton Reservation." }, { "fipsCode": "12037", "state": "FL", "county": "Franklin", "majorCity": "Apalachicola", "population2024": 12553, "medicareBenes2024": 2787, "maPenetrationPct": 43, "pct65Plus": 27, "tier": 4, "rank": 200, "topCarriers": [ "Humana (HumanaChoice Florida PPO / Value & USAA Honor Giveback)", "UnitedHealthcare / AARP (incl. UHC Dual Complete D-SNP)", "WellCare (Centene) — Dual Access Sync / Dual Reserve / Sunshine Health Dual Align D-SNP" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE — Franklin", "phone": "1-800-963-5337", "url": "https://www.floridashine.org/" }, "uniqueFact": "Franklin County's economy historically depended on Apalachicola Bay, which once produced over 90% of Florida's oysters; after years of decline the bay was closed to all oyster harvesting in 2020 (a five-year closure adopted in 2021) until a limited reopening Jan. 1, 2026, leaving the local economy heavily tourism-dependent and accelerating its shift toward a retiree-heavy population (median age ~50, well above Florida's ~42) served by a single 25-bed critical-access hospital." }, { "fipsCode": "12067", "state": "FL", "county": "Lafayette", "majorCity": "Mayo", "population2024": 8035, "medicareBenes2024": 1671, "maPenetrationPct": 46, "pct65Plus": 20, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Inc.", "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Guidewell Mutual Holding Corporation" ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE", "phone": "1-800-963-5337" } }, { "fipsCode": "12077", "state": "FL", "county": "Liberty", "majorCity": "Bristol", "population2024": 7650, "medicareBenes2024": 1578, "maPenetrationPct": 69, "pct65Plus": 14, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Guidewell Mutual Holding Corporation", "Humana Inc." ], "ship": { "name": "Florida SHINE", "phone": "1-800-963-5337" } }, { "fipsCode": "48009", "state": "TX", "county": "Archer", "majorCity": "Archer City", "population2024": 8734, "medicareBenes2024": 2257, "maPenetrationPct": 28, "pct65Plus": 21, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Humana Inc." ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48011", "state": "TX", "county": "Armstrong", "majorCity": "Claude", "population2024": 1883, "medicareBenes2024": 516, "maPenetrationPct": 38, "pct65Plus": 26, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Humana Inc." ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48017", "state": "TX", "county": "Bailey", "majorCity": "Muleshoe", "population2024": 7044, "medicareBenes2024": 1105, "maPenetrationPct": 37, "pct65Plus": 17, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Centene Corporation", "Elevance Health, Inc.", "Humana Inc." ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48023", "state": "TX", "county": "Baylor", "majorCity": "Seymour", "population2024": 3464, "medicareBenes2024": 922, "maPenetrationPct": 33, "pct65Plus": 26, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Humana Inc.", "CVS Health Corporation", "Elevance Health, Inc." ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48033", "state": "TX", "county": "Borden", "majorCity": "Gail", "population2024": 723, "medicareBenes2024": 125, "maPenetrationPct": 25, "pct65Plus": 14, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc." ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48043", "state": "TX", "county": "Brewster", "majorCity": "Alpine", "population2024": 9464, "medicareBenes2024": 2368, "maPenetrationPct": 39, "pct65Plus": 25, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Humana Inc.", "Health Care Service Corporation", "Elevance Health, Inc.", "CVS Health Corporation" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48045", "state": "TX", "county": "Briscoe", "majorCity": "Silverton", "population2024": 1223, "medicareBenes2024": 422, "maPenetrationPct": 34, "pct65Plus": 28, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Humana Inc." ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48047", "state": "TX", "county": "Brooks", "majorCity": "Falfurrias", "population2024": 6987, "medicareBenes2024": 1570, "maPenetrationPct": 71, "pct65Plus": 18, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "CVS Health Corporation", "Centene Corporation", "Humana Inc.", "Universal Health Services, Inc." ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48065", "state": "TX", "county": "Carson", "majorCity": "Panhandle", "population2024": 5802, "medicareBenes2024": 1287, "maPenetrationPct": 41, "pct65Plus": 22, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Humana Inc.", "Elevance Health, Inc." ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48069", "state": "TX", "county": "Castro", "majorCity": "Dimmitt", "population2024": 7328, "medicareBenes2024": 1274, "maPenetrationPct": 40, "pct65Plus": 17, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Centene Corporation", "Elevance Health, Inc.", "Humana Inc." ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48075", "state": "TX", "county": "Childress", "majorCity": "Childress", "population2024": 6772, "medicareBenes2024": 1336, "maPenetrationPct": 44, "pct65Plus": 17, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Humana Inc.", "Elevance Health, Inc.", "CVS Health Corporation", "Health Care Service Corporation" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48079", "state": "TX", "county": "Cochran", "majorCity": "Morton", "population2024": 2520, "medicareBenes2024": 521, "maPenetrationPct": 51, "pct65Plus": 17, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Elevance Health, Inc.", "Humana Inc." ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48081", "state": "TX", "county": "Coke", "majorCity": "Robert Lee", "population2024": 3315, "medicareBenes2024": 1021, "maPenetrationPct": 42, "pct65Plus": 28, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Inc.", "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "CVS Health Corporation" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48083", "state": "TX", "county": "Coleman", "majorCity": "Coleman", "population2024": 7765, "medicareBenes2024": 2658, "maPenetrationPct": 32, "pct65Plus": 26, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Humana Inc.", "Elevance Health, Inc.", "Health Care Service Corporation", "CVS Health Corporation" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48087", "state": "TX", "county": "Collingsworth", "majorCity": "Wellington", "population2024": 2733, "medicareBenes2024": 669, "maPenetrationPct": 25, "pct65Plus": 21, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Humana Inc.", "Elevance Health, Inc." ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48095", "state": "TX", "county": "Concho", "majorCity": "Paint Rock", "population2024": 3301, "medicareBenes2024": 777, "maPenetrationPct": 45, "pct65Plus": 20, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Inc.", "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Rifkin Managed Care Holding, LLC", "CVS Health Corporation", "Elevance Health, Inc." ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48101", "state": "TX", "county": "Cottle", "majorCity": "Paducah", "population2024": 1302, "medicareBenes2024": 418, "maPenetrationPct": 44, "pct65Plus": 26, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Humana Inc." ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48103", "state": "TX", "county": "Crane", "majorCity": "Crane", "population2024": 4623, "medicareBenes2024": 696, "maPenetrationPct": 41, "pct65Plus": 15, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Humana Inc.", "Health Care Service Corporation", "CVS Health Corporation" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48105", "state": "TX", "county": "Crockett", "majorCity": "Ozona", "population2024": 2881, "medicareBenes2024": 761, "maPenetrationPct": 38, "pct65Plus": 22, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Humana Inc." ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48107", "state": "TX", "county": "Crosby", "majorCity": "Crosbyton", "population2024": 5072, "medicareBenes2024": 1318, "maPenetrationPct": 57, "pct65Plus": 19, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Humana Inc.", "Centene Corporation", "Elevance Health, Inc.", "Baylor Scott & White Health" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48109", "state": "TX", "county": "Culberson", "majorCity": "Van Horn", "population2024": 2181, "medicareBenes2024": 481, "maPenetrationPct": 32, "pct65Plus": 27, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc." ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48111", "state": "TX", "county": "Dallam", "majorCity": "Dalhart", "population2024": 7180, "medicareBenes2024": 909, "maPenetrationPct": 32, "pct65Plus": 9.6, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Humana Inc.", "Elevance Health, Inc." ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48119", "state": "TX", "county": "Delta", "majorCity": "Cooper", "population2024": 5345, "medicareBenes2024": 1344, "maPenetrationPct": 48, "pct65Plus": 21, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Humana Inc.", "Health Care Service Corporation", "Elevance Health, Inc.", "Rifkin Managed Care Holding, LLC" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48125", "state": "TX", "county": "Dickens", "majorCity": "Dickens", "population2024": 1641, "medicareBenes2024": 575, "maPenetrationPct": 38, "pct65Plus": 24, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Humana Inc." ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48127", "state": "TX", "county": "Dimmit", "majorCity": "Carrizo Springs", "population2024": 8507, "medicareBenes2024": 1927, "maPenetrationPct": 69, "pct65Plus": 17, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "CVS Health Corporation", "Humana Inc.", "Centene Corporation", "Elevance Health, Inc." ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48129", "state": "TX", "county": "Donley", "majorCity": "Clarendon", "population2024": 3276, "medicareBenes2024": 969, "maPenetrationPct": 33, "pct65Plus": 27, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Humana Inc.", "Health Care Service Corporation" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48131", "state": "TX", "county": "Duval", "majorCity": "San Diego", "population2024": 9824, "medicareBenes2024": 2428, "maPenetrationPct": 69, "pct65Plus": 16, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "CVS Health Corporation", "Humana Inc.", "Centene Corporation", "Regency ISNP Holdings LLC" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48137", "state": "TX", "county": "Edwards", "majorCity": "Rocksprings", "population2024": 1392, "medicareBenes2024": 644, "maPenetrationPct": 45, "pct65Plus": 23, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Inc.", "UnitedHealth Group, Inc." ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48151", "state": "TX", "county": "Fisher", "majorCity": "Roby", "population2024": 3661, "medicareBenes2024": 980, "maPenetrationPct": 35, "pct65Plus": 22, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Centene Corporation", "Humana Inc." ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48153", "state": "TX", "county": "Floyd", "majorCity": "Floydada", "population2024": 5294, "medicareBenes2024": 1226, "maPenetrationPct": 45, "pct65Plus": 19, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Elevance Health, Inc.", "Centene Corporation", "Humana Inc." ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48155", "state": "TX", "county": "Foard", "majorCity": "Crowell", "population2024": 1079, "medicareBenes2024": 306, "maPenetrationPct": 39, "pct65Plus": 29, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc." ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48169", "state": "TX", "county": "Garza", "majorCity": "Post", "population2024": 5435, "medicareBenes2024": 878, "maPenetrationPct": 54, "pct65Plus": 15, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Humana Inc.", "Rifkin Managed Care Holding, LLC", "Baylor Scott & White Health", "Centene Corporation" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48173", "state": "TX", "county": "Glasscock", "majorCity": "Garden City", "population2024": 1070, "medicareBenes2024": 240, "maPenetrationPct": 19, "pct65Plus": 15, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc." ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48175", "state": "TX", "county": "Goliad", "majorCity": "Goliad", "population2024": 7096, "medicareBenes2024": 1944, "maPenetrationPct": 50, "pct65Plus": 24, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Humana Inc.", "CVS Health Corporation", "Health Care Service Corporation", "Rifkin Managed Care Holding, LLC" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48191", "state": "TX", "county": "Hall", "majorCity": "Memphis", "population2024": 2827, "medicareBenes2024": 747, "maPenetrationPct": 43, "pct65Plus": 25, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Inc.", "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Elevance Health, Inc." ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48193", "state": "TX", "county": "Hamilton", "majorCity": "Hamilton", "population2024": 8320, "medicareBenes2024": 2546, "maPenetrationPct": 51, "pct65Plus": 25, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Baylor Scott & White Health", "CVS Health Corporation", "Humana Inc.", "Health Care Service Corporation" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48195", "state": "TX", "county": "Hansford", "majorCity": "Spearman", "population2024": 5182, "medicareBenes2024": 896, "maPenetrationPct": 25, "pct65Plus": 14, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Humana Inc." ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48197", "state": "TX", "county": "Hardeman", "majorCity": "Quanah", "population2024": 3529, "medicareBenes2024": 937, 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"majorCity": "Canadian", "population2024": 3311, "medicareBenes2024": 686, "maPenetrationPct": 24, "pct65Plus": 19, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Humana Inc.", "CVS Health Corporation" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48229", "state": "TX", "county": "Hudspeth", "majorCity": "Sierra Blanca", "population2024": 3331, "medicareBenes2024": 961, "maPenetrationPct": 52, "pct65Plus": 11, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Inc.", "Elevance Health, Inc.", "Devoted Health, Inc.", "UnitedHealth Group, Inc.", "Alignment Healthcare USA, LLC" ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": "1-800-252-9240" } }, { "fipsCode": "48235", "state": "TX", "county": "Irion", "majorCity": "Mertzon", "population2024": 1432, "medicareBenes2024": 399, "maPenetrationPct": 35, "pct65Plus": 22, "tier": 3, "rank": 0, "topCarriers": [ "Humana Inc.", "UnitedHealth Group, Inc." ], "ship": { "name": "Texas SHIP", "phone": 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