Medicare coverage and decision-making authority are not the same thing.

Medicare controls health coverage. Social Security controls benefits and payment. Medicaid may become part of long-term care. A power of attorney, guardian or family caregiver may have different authority in each system.

A familiar pattern begins quietly: missed bills, a move, cognitive decline, a hospitalization or the loss of the person who had been managing everything. I help families identify the practical insurance and benefits questions before those questions become a second crisis.

I do not provide legal advice or determine whether a document grants authority. That belongs with a qualified attorney and the program involved. My role is to help you recognize the issue, document what matters and get the question to the right place.