Big Spring-area carriers, real enrollment data, free quotes from a licensed Texas agent.
✓ Free • no obligation • about 90 seconds
Matt & Robin Giron
Licensed in Texas and Florida
Howard County, TX has 4,062 Medicare beneficiaries per CMS Q1 2024 data, with about 40% enrolled in Medicare Advantage. The top medicare advantage carriers are Humana, UnitedHealthcare, WellCare. We compare these plans for free and never charge a fee.
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At roughly 40% MA penetration, most of Howard County's 4,062 Medicare beneficiaries stay on Original Medicare, frequently paired with a Medigap policy. That pattern usually signals retirees here prize provider choice and predictable out-of-pocket costs over the lower premiums of MA. Only 14% of Howard residents are 65 or older, so it's a younger county where fewer agents specialize in Medicare locally — exactly the gap a dedicated Texas agent fills. Humana currently leads the county by enrollment, but the lowest total-cost plan for your specific drugs and doctors is often a smaller carrier — which is why we run all of them side by side instead of pushing the biggest name.
What makes Howard County different: 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.
Humana
4-star CMS rating
UnitedHealthcare
3.5-star CMS rating
WellCare (Centene)
3.5-star CMS rating
Aetna
3.5-star CMS rating
Source: CMS Monthly MA Enrollment by State/County/Contract (latest Q1 2024). Enrollment figures refresh monthly at data.cms.gov.
Each Medicare Advantage plan builds its own provider network — a hospital that's in-network on one plan may be out-of-network on another. Howard County has 1 major hospital systems. Before you enroll, check that your preferred hospital and physicians participate in the specific plan you're considering.
Call each hospital's billing office directly — or use the carrier's network tool on the right to search by hospital name.
Free help in Howard County: Texas HICAP — call 1-800-252-9240. SHIP counselors offer free unbiased Medicare guidance and can run network checks at no cost.
Or skip the cross-checking — we run network checks against your prescriptions and doctors at no cost during any consult.
132 daysuntil open
Outside the windows, Special Enrollment Periods (SEP) still let you change plans if you moved, lost coverage, qualify for Extra Help / dual eligible, or had a plan terminated. Call to see if you qualify.
Check SEP eligibility (15-min) →Pick a time on Matt or Robin's calendar — 15 minutes, no sales pressure, no obligation. We'll walk through the Howard County plans that fit your situation.
About 4,062 Texans in Howard County are enrolled in Medicare as of 2024 CMS data. About 40% are in Medicare Advantage plans; the rest are in Original Medicare (with or without Medigap).
The largest carriers in Howard County are Humana, UnitedHealthcare, WellCare (Centene), Aetna. We work with all of them and a few smaller carriers that often have better rates for specific situations.
Texas HICAP (1-800-252-9240) provides free unbiased Medicare counseling. Major hospitals in the county include Scenic Mountain Medical Center (Shannon Medical Center Big Spring).
Despite having an older population of about 14%, Howard County’s workforce is generally younger, which can influence carrier offerings and plan availability. Local carriers like Humana, UnitedHealthcare, and WellCare tailor their plans to meet the needs of both age groups.
You can enroll during Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) from October 15 to December 7. Additionally, you can sign up during Open Enrollment Periods or Special Enrollment Periods if you have a life-changing event.
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