Guides
Plain-English guides to medical bills
Short, practical guides for people with Medicare and the families who help them.
Helping a parent
Managing a Parent's Medical Bills: Where to Start
A step-by-step starting point for adult children managing a parent's medical bills: permissions, paperwork, Medicare notices, and what to check first.
Helping a parent
How to Get Permission to Talk to Medicare for a Parent (Form CMS-10106)
How to use Medicare's authorization form, CMS-10106, so 1-800-MEDICARE can talk to you about a parent's claims, plus when you need CMS-1696 instead.
Helping a parent
Medicaid Estate Recovery Basics for Families
What Medicaid estate recovery is, which costs states must recover after age 55, when recovery can't happen, and how to ask about a hardship waiver.
Helping a parent
Medical Bills After a Parent Dies: Who Is Responsible and What to Do
Who pays a parent's medical bills after death, why family members usually don't owe them, what debt collectors can and can't say, and steps to take.