The numbers behind Medicare in Tift County
| Tift County | Georgia | |
|---|---|---|
| Residents age 65 and older | 6,910 | 1,696,217 statewide |
| Share of residents age 65+ | 16.6% | 15.4% statewide |
| People with Medicare | 8,383 | 2,041,931 statewide |
| Enrolled in Medicare Advantage | 5,225 | 1,148,032 statewide |
| Medicare Advantage share | 62.3% | 56.2% statewide |
Sources: Census Bureau 2023 estimates and CMS Medicare Advantage penetration, September 2026.
Among Georgia’s 159 counties, Tift County comes in 54th for residents age 65 and up (6,910). Older adults make up 16.6% of the population here; the state figure is 15.4%. Another 2,380 residents are age 60 to 64 and will reach Medicare eligibility within about five years (see our turning 65 guide). By age, the 65-and-older group splits 58% ages 65 to 74, 32% ages 75 to 84 and 9% age 85 and up (Census 2023). CMS data show 62.3% of Tift County residents with Medicare chose Medicare Advantage, which is higher than the 56.2% average across Georgia. A county average does not tell you which kind of plan fits you. Whether Medicare Advantage or Original Medicare with a Medigap plan is the better fit depends on your doctors, your prescriptions and how you want to handle costs, so we compare both for your ZIP code.
Who has Medicare in Tift County
Tift County is a non-metro county with towns and small cities (USDA: urban population of 20,000 or more, not 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 8,498 Medicare beneficiaries in Tift County (2023). Their average age is 73, about the same as the Georgia average of 73. About 16% are “dual eligible,” meaning they have both Medicare and Medicaid, higher than the state figure of 12%. Where many people have both, special plans for dual-eligible members can matter; see our Medicaid and dual eligible guide, since availability varies by plan and area.
Among people in Original Medicare in Tift County, CMS reported about 626 emergency room visits and 291 inpatient hospital stays per 1,000 beneficiaries in 2023, which is close to the state average for emergency visits (560) and higher than it for hospital stays (223). About 11% 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.
Where you live decides which Medicare Advantage and Part D plans you can join, and Tift County may have a different set of plans than the counties around it. We are not based in Tift County; we help Tift County residents by phone or video call.
Hospitals located in Tift County
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) lists this hospital in Tift County:
- Tift Regional Medical Center — Tifton (acute care; government-owned; no emergency department; CMS overall rating 3 of 5)
Network rules, not geography, decide whether a plan covers a hospital. We look up the hospitals and doctors you use and check them against each plan 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.
Where people live in Tift County
Census Bureau 2023 estimates put the biggest communities in Tift County at Tifton (17,357), Omega (1,284), Ty Ty (639), counting only the part of each community inside the county.
We look up plans by ZIP code. In Tift County, that means areas such as 31727, 31793, 31794, based on Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas that lie mostly in the county.
Questions about Medicare in Tift 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.
- Georgia Access, Georgia’s own health insurance exchange, if you are not yet on Medicare.
- Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner: Georgia’s insurance regulator, including agent license lookup.
Coverage we offer Tift County residents
We work with many carriers, which lets us compare more than one option for Tift County households, including Part D drug plans, ACA health insurance, ICHRA, group health insurance, life insurance, final expense insurance, annuities, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement (Medigap).
Let’s check your Tift County options together
We confirm your doctors and prescriptions before you enroll, at no cost to you.
Get my plan comparisonPlain-English Medicare answers
- How to read your Medicare Annual Notice of Change
- Does Medicare cover dental, vision and hearing?
- Why a Medicare Advantage plan drops a doctor or drug
- Medicare Parts A, B, C and D explained
Tift County compared with similar Georgia counties
| County | Residents 65+ | Medicare Advantage share | Dual eligible share | Area type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County | 7,044 | 61.2% | 17% | Smaller city/town |
| Coffee County | 6,393 | 62.7% | 19% | Smaller city/town |
| Ware County | 6,373 | 59.9% | 19% | Smaller city/town |
| Hart County | 6,331 | 54.0% | 13% | Smaller city/town |
| Colquitt County | 7,546 | 63.4% | 18% | Smaller city/town |
| Baldwin County | 7,798 | 66.0% | 17% | Smaller city/town |
See every Georgia county in our Georgia directory or go to our Georgia Medicare hub.