Step one: the right permission
| To do this | You need |
|---|---|
| Talk with Medicare about your parent's claims or coverage | Your parent's verbal permission on the call, or the Authorization to Disclose Personal Health Information (CMS-10106) |
| File an appeal or complaint for your parent | Appointment of Representative (CMS-1696) |
| Talk with your parent's Medicare Advantage or Part D plan | The plan's own authorization form; call Member Services |
| Manage Social Security or SSI benefits | Appointment by Social Security as representative payee |
| Make health care decisions if your parent can't | A North Carolina health care power of attorney (G.S. 32A) |
| Handle money and property | A financial power of attorney (G.S. Chapter 32C) |
North Carolina's documents
A health care power of attorney must be signed before two qualified witnesses and acknowledged before a notary (G.S. 32A-16). Witnesses can't be relatives within the third degree, heirs, or the doctor or paid staff of the hospital or nursing home caring for your parent. A living will (G.S. 90-321) can cover advanced dementia as well as terminal illness and permanent unconsciousness. Both have statutory forms your parent can use. See helping a parent with Medicare for the details.
What you can do this month
- Make a Medicare.gov account together. You'll see Original Medicare claims as soon as they're processed.
- Check this year's coverage. Open Enrollment runs through December 7, 2026. Make sure your parent's doctors and drugs are covered for 2027, and see plans ending in 2027 if a letter says the plan is ending.
- Look for help with costs. The county DSS takes applications for MQB (the Medicare Savings Programs) and NC Medicaid. See Medicare Savings Programs in North Carolina.
- Call the area agency on aging. North Carolina's 16 agencies run the Family Caregiver Support Program, which can include respite, training and support groups. See how to find yours.
- Watch for scams. Review statements together and hang up on callers asking for your parent's Medicare number.
Tip: If your parent is a State Health Plan retiree, call the Plan before joining or dropping any Medicare plan; an outside Medicare Advantage or Part D plan can end your parent's group coverage. See State Health Plan retirees and Medicare.
Meeting an agent together
A licensed insurance agent who works with Benefits Life can meet with you and your parent and explain plans from the companies they work with. You can request a call from a licensed insurance agent.
Related questions
How do I find my area agency on aging?
Local help for caregivers.
How do I appeal a hospital discharge?
When a parent isn't ready to leave.
How do I report Medicare fraud?
Protecting a parent's number.
Sources
- Medicare.gov — Contact Medicare (CMS-10106)
- CMS — Form CMS-1696, Appointment of Representative
- Social Security — Representative payee FAQs
- N.C.G.S. 32A-16 — Health care power of attorney
- N.C.G.S. 90-321 — Living will
- NCDHHS — Family Caregiver Support Program
More questions in this guide
- How do I appeal a hospital discharge in North Carolina if I'm not ready to go home?
- How do I appeal a Medicare denial in North Carolina?
- How do I file a complaint about an insurance agent in North Carolina?
- How do I find a licensed Medicare agent in North Carolina?
- How do I find my area agency on aging in North Carolina?
- How do I report Medicare fraud in North Carolina?
- Medicare phone numbers in North Carolina
Part of the guide: North Carolina Medicare contacts · All questions
Frequently asked questions
Does a power of attorney let me talk to Medicare?
Don't count on it. The simplest route is your parent's verbal permission on the call or a signed CMS-10106 form. If you hold a power of attorney, ask 1-800-MEDICARE what documents it needs to see before it will work with you.
Can I help my parent choose a Medicare plan?
Yes. You can sit in on calls, compare plans together on Medicare.gov, or meet with a licensed insurance agent together. Your parent makes the final choice and signs the enrollment, unless you're their legal representative.
What if my parent can no longer decide?
If your parent signed a health care power of attorney, the agent can act once a physician determines in writing that your parent lacks capacity. Without one, the clerk of superior court in the county can appoint a guardian; talk with a North Carolina attorney.
Who manages my parent's Social Security check?
Only a representative payee appointed by Social Security. A power of attorney isn't enough. Call 1-800-772-1213 to start the process, which uses Form SSA-11.
Medicare in your North Carolina county
Plans, local agents and help, county by county: Wake · Mecklenburg · Guilford · Forsyth · Durham · Cumberland · Buncombe · Union · Johnston · Cabarrus · New Hanover · Gaston · Onslow · Iredell · Alamance · Pitt · Davidson · Brunswick · Catawba · Rowan · All 100 counties →
