Caregiver Checklist Tool

Key takeaway: Helping a loved one with Medicare takes more than good intentions — this checklist shows you exactly what's in place and what still needs attention before you make any coverage decisions together.

What this helps you decide

• Whether you have the legal authority to make or help make Medicare decisions on your loved one's behalf
• Whether their current doctors and medications are covered — or will be covered — under their plan
• Whether their financial picture is clear enough to evaluate plan options accurately
• How ready you both are to act when an enrollment window opens or closes

Who this is for

• Adult children helping a parent transition from employer insurance to Medicare for the first time
• Spouses or partners managing Medicare plan changes during the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7)
• Caregivers supporting someone with a cognitive condition like dementia who can no longer manage their own coverage
• Anyone who stepped into a caregiving role suddenly and needs to catch up fast on what documents exist and what decisions are pending

Example results

Example 1: Daughter helping her 68-year-old mother move from employer coverage to Medicare. After running through the checklist, the readiness score comes back 4 out of 10. The daughter has a general sense of her mother's health situation, but several critical pieces are missing. There's no copy of the Medicare card on file, no written medication list with dosages, no documented list of preferred doctors, and no conversation yet about how much her mother can comfortably spend on premiums each month. Most importantly, there's no healthcare power of attorney in place — meaning if her mother became incapacitated before enrollment was complete, the daughter would have no legal standing to make decisions. The checklist flags these five gaps and suggests addressing the legal document first, since it takes time to execute and nothing else can move forward without it.

Example 2: Son helping his 72-year-old father switch Medicare Advantage plans during AEP. This family is in much better shape — readiness score of 7 out of 10. The son has a copy of his father's Medicare card, knows his income, and has the current MA plan card. The gaps are more subtle but still matter a lot: he hasn't checked whether his father's three specialists are in-network under the new plan, and he hasn't pulled up the formulary to confirm his father's two brand-name medications are covered at a reasonable tier. These omissions could mean surprise bills after January 1. The checklist flags both as high-priority before the December 7 deadline.

Example 3: Caregiver for an 80-year-old parent with dementia. Readiness score: 3 out of 10. This situation requires the most attention. The parent can no longer participate in coverage decisions, but no legal documents exist to authorize the caregiver to act on their behalf. There's no durable power of attorney, no healthcare proxy or healthcare proxy declaration, and no advance directive on file. On top of that, the medication list is incomplete — the parent sees a neurologist, a cardiologist, and a primary care physician, and the medications from each haven't been reconciled into one master list. The checklist recommends starting with an elder law attorney to establish legal authority, then scheduling a care coordination meeting with the primary care doctor to create a full medication and diagnosis record before any coverage decisions are made.

Sample scenarios

What to do next

1. Address legal documents first. If there's no healthcare power of attorney or healthcare proxy in place, that needs to happen before anything else. Contact an elder law attorney or your state's legal aid office. Many states have free or low-cost options for seniors. This document gives you the authority to communicate with providers and insurers on your loved one's behalf.
2. Build a complete medication list. Write down every medication — prescription and over-the-counter — with the drug name, dosage, frequency, and the doctor who prescribed it. This list is essential for checking plan formularies during AEP or any plan change. Ask the pharmacist for a printout if you're not sure what's current.
3. Gather key identification and coverage documents. Find (or request) the Medicare card, any current insurance cards, and the most recent Social Security statement. If your loved one is still working or on employer coverage, get that card too. Keep copies in a secure but accessible place — and consider a digital backup.
4. Have the money conversation. Before comparing plans, you need to know what your loved one can afford. That means understanding their monthly income (Social Security, pension, any other sources), their current premium costs, and how much they're spending out of pocket. You may also want to check whether they qualify for a Medicare Savings Program, which could reduce or eliminate their Part B premium of $202.90 per month.

Key facts

• Nearly 1 in 5 Medicare beneficiaries relies on a caregiver to help navigate coverage decisions. That means the caregiver's preparation matters just as much as the beneficiary's.
• The most common caregiver oversight is not verifying whether a loved one's doctors and medications are covered by a new plan before enrollment. This can result in unexpected out-of-pocket costs starting January 1.
• Having a healthcare power of attorney is essential before making Medicare decisions for someone who may not be able to make decisions independently. Without it, you have no legal standing to speak with insurers or providers on their behalf, even as a close family member.

Related decisions

• Document gatherer — build your complete enrollment document checklist
• Doctor and drug assessment — check whether your loved one's providers and medications are covered
• Medicare cost scenario planner — compare total annual costs across plan types
• Medigap fit assessment — decide whether Medigap or Medicare Advantage is the better fit