The default: they enroll, you help
Most of the work of choosing a plan is research, and there's nothing stopping you doing all of it — pulling the prescription list together, running it through [Medicare's Plan Finder](https://www.medicare.gov/plan-compare), calling doctors' offices to confirm networks, and laying out two or three real options.
The enrollment itself should be them, with you sitting there. Their name, their Medicare number, their decision, their click. It's their coverage and their money, and keeping the sign-off with them avoids every complication in this article.
Doing the research half properly
Get the exact prescriptions — names, doses, frequency. A pharmacy printout of the last twelve months is faster and more accurate than going through the cupboard. Then list every doctor, specialist and hospital they want to keep, with the practice name, not just the physician's.
Run the whole list through Plan Finder, which prices their actual drugs against every plan in their county. Then call each doctor's billing office and ask whether they're in network for the exact plan name for the coming year. Our walkthrough of checking doctors and drugs covers the details.
Present two or three options, not eight. And present the trade-off honestly — the plan with the best drug pricing often isn't the one with their cardiologist.
When you need to be able to speak for them
If you need to call Medicare or Social Security on their behalf and actually get answers, the agencies need permission on file. Medicare has an Authorization to Disclose Personal Health Information form (form CMS-10106) that lets 1-800-MEDICARE talk to you. Social Security has its own process for appointing a representative.
Without that, you can be on the call with your parent present and they can give verbal permission in the moment — that usually works for a single call, and it's often enough. What it doesn't cover is calling back next week on your own.
The line you shouldn't cross casually
Signing an enrollment application in someone else's name is not a shortcut — it's a legal question. If your parent genuinely cannot make or communicate their own decisions, that's what a power of attorney or a legally appointed representative is for, and the enrollment forms have a place to record it.
If they can make their own decisions but find the computer difficult, don't reach for legal authority — just do it a different way. Medicare and Social Security both take enrollments by phone and on paper, which is often less stressful for everyone. See enrolling without using a computer.
The conversation, not the spreadsheet
The hardest part of this is usually not the plan comparison. It's that an adult child arrives with a spreadsheet and a parent hears "you can't handle this anymore." Leading with their priorities — keeping their doctor, keeping the cost predictable, not having to think about it again until next fall — tends to go better than leading with the numbers.
Our caregiver guide covers the wider version of this, including what to do when you're doing it from another state.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I enroll my parent in Medicare for them?
You can do all the research and sit with them, but the enrollment should be made and signed by them. Acting on their behalf legally requires a power of attorney or a formally appointed representative.
How do I get permission to talk to Medicare about my parent?
Medicare's Authorization to Disclose Personal Health Information form (CMS-10106) lets 1-800-MEDICARE speak with you. For a one-off call, your parent can give verbal permission while on the line with you.
My parent struggles with computers. What are the alternatives?
Social Security takes Medicare enrollments by phone at 1-800-772-1213 and in person at local offices, and plans can be joined by calling 1-800-MEDICARE or the plan directly. No computer is required at any stage.
How many plan options should I present?
Two or three, with the trade-off between them stated plainly. A long list transfers the work back to them rather than helping.
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