Dale County Medicare at a glance
| Dale County | Alabama | |
|---|---|---|
| Residents age 65 and older | 9,256 | 932,312 statewide |
| Share of residents age 65+ | 18.6% | 18.3% statewide |
| People with Medicare | 11,792 | 1,148,442 statewide |
| Enrolled in Medicare Advantage | 6,792 | 706,387 statewide |
| Medicare Advantage share | 57.6% | 61.5% statewide |
Data: U.S. Census Bureau (2023 population estimates); CMS, September 2026. Medicare Advantage share is enrollees divided by people with Medicare.
Among Alabama’s 67 counties, Dale County comes in 29th for residents age 65 and up (9,256). Older adults make up 18.6% of the population here; the state figure is 18.3%. Another 3,198 residents are age 60 to 64 and will reach Medicare eligibility within about five years (see our turning 65 guide). Census 2023 estimates show 59% of the 65-plus population is under 75, 32% is 75 to 84 and 10% is 85 or older. CMS data show 57.6% of Dale County residents with Medicare chose Medicare Advantage, which is close to the 61.5% average across Alabama. What most people do in a county is less important than what fits you. We weigh Medicare Advantage against Original Medicare with Medigap using your doctors, your drugs and your budget.
Who has Medicare in Dale County
Dale County is a non-metro county with towns and small cities (USDA: urban population of 20,000 or more, adjacent to a metro area). Care is often split between local providers and a bigger hospital elsewhere, which is worth testing against each plan’s network.
CMS counts 11,706 Medicare beneficiaries in Dale County (2023). Their average age is 72, about the same as the Alabama average of 72. About 15% are “dual eligible,” meaning they have both Medicare and Medicaid, close to the state figure of 14%.
Among people in Original Medicare in Dale County, CMS reported about 711 emergency room visits and 217 inpatient hospital stays per 1,000 beneficiaries in 2023, which is higher than the state average for emergency visits (600) and lower than it for hospital stays (247). About 10% received home health care. These figures describe how people use care under Original Medicare; they do not show what any plan covers or costs.
Sources: CMS Medicare Geographic Variation, 2023; USDA Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023.
Medicare Advantage and Part D plan availability and provider networks are set county by county, so the plans open to you in Dale County may differ from those in a neighboring county. We are not based in Dale County; we help Dale County residents by phone or video call.
Hospitals located in Dale County
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) lists this hospital in Dale County:
- Dale Medical Center — Ozark (acute care; government-owned; emergency services)
A hospital being in the county does not mean every plan covers it. Medicare Advantage networks differ by plan, so we check the hospitals and doctors you actually use before you enroll. Ratings are CMS Care Compare overall hospital star ratings; they describe the hospital, not whether a plan covers it. Source: CMS Hospital General Information.
Communities and ZIP codes in Dale County
Census Bureau 2023 estimates put the biggest communities in Dale County at Ozark (14,346), Daleville (4,926), Midland City (2,296), Level Plains (1,831), Newton (1,645), Dothan (1,572), counting only the part of each community inside the county.
We look up plans by ZIP code. In Dale County, that means areas such as 36311, 36322, 36350, 36360, 36362, 36371, 36374, based on Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas that lie mostly in the county.
Questions about Medicare in Dale County?
Reach out to us: fill out our short form or call (571) 354-0146, and a licensed agent will compare the plans available to you, check your doctors and drugs, and stay with you each year at renewal. For general Medicare information, the federal helpline is 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
Medicare resources from official sources
- Medicare Plan Finder on Medicare.gov, searchable by ZIP code.
- Social Security: Medicare to enroll or check status.
- Medicare.gov: Medigap on how Medicare Supplement works.
- HealthCare.gov if you are not yet on Medicare.
- Alabama Department of Insurance: Alabama’s insurance regulator, including agent license lookup.
Coverage we offer Dale County residents
We work with many carriers, which lets us compare more than one option for Dale County households, including Medicare Supplement (Medigap), Part D drug plans, ACA health insurance, ICHRA, group health insurance, life insurance, final expense insurance, annuities and Medicare Advantage.
Let’s check your Dale County options together
We confirm your doctors and prescriptions before you enroll, at no cost to you.
Get my plan comparisonRead next
- Medicare Advantage vs. Medigap: how to choose
- Does Medicare cover dental, vision and hearing?
- What Medicare Part D actually costs
- Medicare 101 for families
Dale County compared with similar Alabama counties
| County | Residents 65+ | Medicare Advantage share | Dual eligible share | Area type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee County | 9,764 | 54.3% | 12% | Smaller city/town |
| Tallapoosa County | 9,836 | 60.9% | 14% | Smaller city/town |
| Covington County | 8,550 | 59.1% | 19% | Smaller city/town |
| Dallas County | 7,636 | 71.3% | 32% | Smaller city/town |
| Chambers County | 7,205 | 67.1% | 23% | Smaller city/town |
| Jackson County | 11,383 | 57.1% | 15% | Smaller city/town |
See every Alabama county in our Alabama directory or go to our Alabama Medicare hub.