A caregiver can help organize coverage, compare plans, track claims, and prepare for appointments. Before Medicare shares private information, the beneficiary must authorize that access.
Helping with Medicare can range from comparing plans once a year to managing prescriptions, claims, and appointments every week. Begin by asking what the person wants help with and how they want to stay involved in decisions.
Get Permission Before Calling
Your loved one decides what help they want and what information Medicare may share. For ongoing access, they can give permission through their secure Medicare account or mail the signed CMS-10106 authorization form. Medicare’s account guidance describes those routes.
If help is needed during a live call, call together and ask Medicare what authorization it can accept. Do not assume that a single call creates ongoing access. A private Medicare plan may require its own permission form.
This permission lets Medicare share the information your loved one approves. It does not give you general authority to make medical or legal decisions for them. To represent someone in an appeal, use CMS-1696 when appropriate. A power of attorney or guardianship has separate requirements.
Create a Medicare Folder
Keep:
- Medicare and plan cards
- Medication and provider lists
- Annual Notice of Change documents, which explain next year’s plan changes
- Medicare Summary Notices and plan explanations of benefits
- Authorization forms
- Appeal notices and deadlines
- Notes from calls, including dates and reference numbers
Protect the Medicare number as carefully as a Social Security number.
Review Coverage Each Year
During Open Enrollment, verify:
- Every prescription and pharmacy
- Doctors, hospitals, and networks
- Premiums and expected annual costs
- Requirements for approval before care, called prior authorization
- Dental, vision, hearing, and transportation limits
- Eligibility for Extra Help, Medicaid, or a Medicare Savings Program
Your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) offers free counselors who do not represent an insurance company.
Ask About Caregiver Training
Part B can cover caregiver training when the patient needs caregiver help to meet treatment goals and the treating clinician finds the training appropriate. The patient does not have to attend. Under Original Medicare, the Part B deductible and generally 20% coinsurance apply. Medicare explains caregiver training coverage.
Medicare’s tips for using coverage offer more help with these steps.
Agree on who will handle the next bill or appointment, and keep the relevant notice and authorization together. Record the call date, contact and promised follow-up so either person can pick up where the conversation ended.
Medicare policy sources last checked: October 8, 2026.