Helping a parent choose Medicare: what you need before you call

You can gather the information, ask the questions, and sit in on the call. An agent has to confirm your parent agrees to the conversation before discussing their plan, so having them on the phone, even briefly, saves time.

If your parent can no longer make decisions, a power of attorney or a legal representative may be needed. Say so at the start of the call and the agent will tell you what is required.

• Which doctors and hospitals your parent uses, and whether they want to keep them.
• Every prescription, with the exact name and dose.
• Which pharmacy they use, and whether they travel or spend part of the year somewhere else.
• What they are paying now and what they would like to pay.
• Whether they have coverage from a former employer, a spouse or the VA.

• Your parent's Medicare card (or the number, if they are on the phone)
• A list of their medicines with doses
• Names of their doctors and hospital
• Their current plan's card, if they have one
• Their date of birth and ZIP code

• What happens when you call a Medicare agent, step by step
• The questions a Medicare agent will ask you, and why
• Medicare after a spouse dies: what changes and what to do first