Compare Medicare Plans in Birmingham, Alabama

Medicare choices in Jefferson County

Five Points South, Avondale, Ensley, Crestwood, and downtown Birmingham each have different healthcare routes. Your permanent Jefferson County address determines the Medicare Advantage and Part D plans you may consider.

Some metro addresses fall in Shelby County or another nearby county. Confirm the county tied to your permanent residence because plan availability can change across the county line.

Protect access to Birmingham medical care.

UAB Hospital, UAB St. Vincent’s Birmingham, and Grandview Medical Center are major care destinations in the metro. A hospital name in a directory does not automatically confirm that every facility, physician group, or specialist is affiliated with the hospital.

We review your exact doctors and preferred locations against the specific plan. Provider participation can change, so confirm current network status with the plan and provider before enrolling.

Local needs from Vulcan Park to Railroad Park

Vulcan Park and Museum, Railroad Park, and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute are well-known landmarks. For Medicare planning, the practical map includes clinic distance, pharmacy access, public transportation, and where family caregivers live.

A low premium can be appealing, but it is only one number. Compare inpatient and outpatient costs, specialist copays, drug tiers, prior authorization, and the annual out-of-pocket maximum.

Veterans, caregivers, and Medicare due to disability

Veterans who use the Birmingham VA Health Care System should tell us how they use VA care, Medicare, and any TRICARE coverage. These programs can work side by side, but the right comparison depends on where care is received.

People receiving Medicare because of a disability follow many of the same plan rules, with some timing differences. Caregivers are welcome to participate when the beneficiary gives permission.

Medicare and Alabama Medicaid

If you have Medicare and Alabama Medicaid, you may qualify for a dual-eligible plan when plan rules are met. Eligibility and extra benefits vary by plan and member status.

We verify what is available in your Birmingham ZIP code. No food, utility, flex-card, dental, vision, or over-the-counter benefit should be assumed without checking the plan’s current terms.

Insurance carriers O’Neal Insurance Group works with

Our agency is authorized to represent the following carriers in one or more licensed markets: Aetna, Aflac, Allstate, Anthem, Alignment Health Plan, Ambetter Health, Ascension Complete, Bankers Fidelity, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Florida Blue, Globe Life, Clover Health, Devoted Health, Essence Healthcare, GTL, Healthspring, Health Care Service Corporation, Heartland National, Highmark, Humana, Kelsey-Seybold Medicare Plans, INA (formerly ACE), Manhattan Life, Medica, Wellabe, Medico, Medical Mutual, Mutual of Omaha, Physicians Mutual, Molina Healthcare, Premera, Priority Health, Regence, Select Health, SCAN Health Plan, AARP, UHC, UnitedHealthcare, Wellcare, Zing Health, United American, and WoodmenLife.

Carrier and product availability varies. A carrier shown here may not offer a plan in your area, and our agency may not represent every plan that carrier offers in your county. Call us to confirm current options.

Jefferson County in the CMS enrollment data

CMS figures for May 2026 put Jefferson County at 138,948 Medicare beneficiaries — the largest Medicare population in Alabama. Of those, 45,948 are in Original Medicare and 93,000 are in a Medicare Advantage or other private plan, a private-plan share of about 66.9 percent.

The national figure is 51.2 percent. Alabama as a whole runs at 61.5 percent, one of the highest state figures in the country, and Jefferson sits above even that. Two beneficiaries in three here are in a private plan.

About 26,804 Jefferson County beneficiaries — roughly 19.3 percent — are dual eligible, holding both Medicare and Medicaid. If your income is near the limits, the Medicare Savings Programs pay the Part B premium and, at the top level, deductibles and coinsurance: about $1,350 a month for one person and $1,824 for a couple in 2026, with countable resources up to $9,950 and $14,910.

What the largest and most plan-heavy county in the state means for you

Scale brings genuine choice. With 138,948 beneficiaries and two-thirds of them in private plans, every major carrier files here and benefit packages tend to be richer than in smaller Alabama counties. That is worth using rather than apologising for.

It also brings the crowding problem. A market this size attracts a volume of marketing that makes it genuinely hard to tell a good plan from a well-advertised one, and the difference between the two is rarely visible in the advertising.

And network churn matters more where enrollment is concentrated. When two beneficiaries in three are in private plans, a contract dispute between a carrier and a hospital system affects a large share of the county at once. That is a concrete reason to check your own providers each autumn rather than assume last year’s answer holds.

Medicare Supplement coverage is the minority route here, which is not the same as the wrong one. For someone who travels, spends part of the year elsewhere, or wants no network to think about, the complete absence of one can outweigh any benefit package. Fewer local conversations start there, so it is worth asking for the comparison rather than waiting to be offered it.

Medicare reference charts

One more chart that answers a question we get constantly.

Why work with an independent agency?

Your Birmingham plan-comparison checklist

Gather these items before comparing plans. Do not send your Medicare number via unsecured email or a standard contact form.

• Your red, white, and blue Medicare card, including Part A and Part B effective dates.
• Each prescription, exact dosage, and how often you take it. Skip vitamins and most over-the-counter items unless the comparison tool requests them.
• Your primary doctor, specialists, preferred hospitals, and pharmacy.
• Your Alabama Medicaid information, if you receive Alabama Medicaid benefits.
• Any VA, TRICARE, employer, retiree, or other coverage that must be considered.

Medicare enrollment periods

The Annual Enrollment Period runs from October 15 through December 7. The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs from January 1 through March 31 for people already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan.

An Initial Enrollment Period or Special Enrollment Period may also apply. Moving into or out of Birmingham, losing other coverage, or gaining or losing Medicaid can affect your choices, but the exact rules and deadlines depend on your circumstances.

Important disclosures

We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently, we represent 30 organizations which offer over 125 products in your area. Please get in touch with Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE for information about all your options.

O’Neal Insurance Group is not affiliated with or endorsed by the United States government or the federal Medicare program. Insurance services are provided by licensed agents in states where services are offered. Not all products are available in all states.

Provider networks, formularies, benefits, and costs can change. Verify current information with the plan and the provider before enrolling.