Helping Your Parents Make Confident Medicare Decisions

Yes — and it's encouraged. With your parent's permission, you're welcome to sit in on any appointment, in person, by phone, or by video. A second set of ears helps everyone remember what was discussed, and it keeps the whole family on the same page.

Absolutely. You can gather information, sit in on plan comparisons, and talk through the options together. The final enrollment decision and signature belong to your parent, unless you're their legally authorized representative — but helping them understand the choices is exactly what good family support looks like.

Four things do most of the work: a list of your parent's doctors, a list of their prescriptions with dosages, their current insurance cards (including their Medicare card if they have one), and a rough sense of their monthly budget. The printable checklist on this page covers it all.

Check three things: they have Part A and Part B (or a valid reason to delay Part B, like current employer coverage), they have prescription drug coverage from some source (a Part D plan, a Medicare Advantage plan that includes drugs, or other creditable coverage), and their doctors and medications are covered by whatever plan they chose. A free review with a licensed agent — or a call to 1-800-MEDICARE — can confirm all three.

It depends on which deadline. Missing the Initial Enrollment Period around age 65 can mean permanent late-enrollment penalties on Part B and Part D — unless they qualify for a Special Enrollment Period (for example, they kept working with employer coverage). Missing the fall Annual Enrollment Period usually means waiting until the next one to change plans. If a deadline has already been missed, don't panic: there are often paths forward, and it's worth mapping them out promptly.

Only with your parent's authorization. Medicare requires either your parent on the line giving verbal permission, or a completed authorization form (CMS-10106) on file, or a legal arrangement such as power of attorney. Without one of those, Medicare representatives can't discuss your parent's personal information with you — which is actually good news, because it protects them from impostors.

Families in this situation typically need a legal arrangement — such as power of attorney or, in some cases, becoming an authorized or appointed representative — before they can act on a parent's behalf. Setting this up is a legal matter, so a qualified elder-law attorney is the right resource for the paperwork. Once the authority is in place, an agent can work with you the same way we'd work with your parent.

No. Licensed insurance agents are paid by the insurance carriers, not by clients — and by law the premium is identical whether your parent enrolls through an agent, directly with the carrier, or on Medicare.gov. The guidance, comparisons, and yearly reviews cost your family nothing.

Yes — that's very common. We can hold three-way phone or video appointments so you can participate from anywhere while your parent joins from home. I'm licensed in Wyoming and Utah; if your parent lives in another state, I'll point you to that state's free SHIP counseling program or a local licensed agent instead.

Ideally about three to six months before your parent turns 65 or retires — that leaves time to learn the options without deadline pressure. But it's never too late to start: even after enrollment, every fall (October 15 – December 7) is a chance to review and improve their coverage.