If you are reading this, chances are you love someone who is trying to figure out Medicare. Maybe your mom is turning 65 next year and feels overwhelmed by all the mail. Maybe your dad is on a plan that has not really worked for him and you are worried he is paying for the wrong coverage. Either way, helping a parent navigate Medicare is one of the kindest things an adult child can do. It is also one of the most confusing.
I am a licensed Medicare broker in Mesa, and I work with families across the East Valley every week. About a third of my conversations these days are not with the person turning 65. They are with that person’s son or daughter sitting next to them at the kitchen table. This guide is for you.
Start by Understanding What Medicare Actually Is
Before you can help your parent choose a plan, both of you need a clear picture of how Medicare is built. There are four parts. Part A covers hospital stays and is usually free if your parent or their spouse paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years. Part B covers doctor visits and outpatient care and has a monthly premium that comes out of their Social Security check. Part C, also called Medicare Advantage, is an alternative to Original Medicare offered by private insurance companies. Part D covers prescription drugs.
Most Arizona seniors I work with end up with one of two paths. They either keep Original Medicare and add a Medigap supplement plus a Part D drug plan, or they enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan that bundles everything together. Both are valid. The right answer depends on your parent’s health, finances, doctors, prescriptions, and how much they travel. I will get into how to figure that out below.
Gather the Information You Need Before Shopping
The biggest mistake I see adult children make is jumping straight to comparing plans before they have the basic facts in hand. You cannot pick the right plan without these five pieces of information.
First, get a complete list of your parent’s doctors. Not just their primary care physician. Their cardiologist, their dermatologist, the orthopedic surgeon they saw last year, the gastroenterologist they like at Banner. If they want to keep seeing a specific provider, that doctor needs to be in network on whatever plan you choose.
Second, get a complete list of their medications. Drug name, dosage, and how often they take it. This includes anything they take occasionally, not just the daily ones. Drug coverage varies enormously between plans, and a plan that looks cheap on paper can cost thousands more per year if it does not cover your mom’s blood thinner.
Third, find out if they spend significant time outside Arizona. If they travel to visit grandkids for months, or if they snowbird in reverse and head north for the summer, their plan needs to work in those places. This is where Original Medicare with a supplement often wins for travelers.
Fourth, get a realistic picture of their budget. Some plans have $0 premiums but higher costs when they actually use care. Others have higher monthly premiums but predictable, capped costs. Knowing whether your parent prioritizes low monthly bills or low surprise bills changes everything.
Fifth, understand their health honestly. A parent in great health with no chronic conditions has different needs than one managing diabetes, heart disease, or cancer. Be ready to talk frankly about what their next five years might look like, not just what this year looks like.
Have the Conversation Without Taking Over
Helping is not the same as taking over. Your parent has spent decades making their own decisions, and Medicare is no different. The role you want to play is researcher, organizer, and second set of ears. Not decision-maker.
I always recommend the adult child sits in on the call or appointment with the broker but lets the parent lead. Take notes. Ask follow-up questions when something is unclear. After the appointment, you can debrief together and your parent can ask the questions they did not want to ask in front of someone else. This approach respects their independence and still gives them the support they need.
It also catches things they might miss. I cannot count how many times a daughter has said, “Mom, you forgot to mention the medication you started in February.” That kind of catch is exactly why having you there matters.
Compare Plans on the Things That Actually Matter
Once you have the information, plan comparison gets a lot simpler. Here is what to actually look at.
Look at the total annual cost, not the premium. A plan with a $0 premium and a $7,550 out-of-pocket maximum costs more than a plan with a $200 monthly premium and a $2,500 out-of-pocket maximum if your parent ends up needing care. Add up premium plus deductible plus copays for their actual expected usage.
Look at whether their doctors are in network. Almost every Medicare Advantage plan has a network. If your parent’s primary care doctor is not in it, the plan is wrong for them, no matter how good it looks on paper.
Look at how their specific medications are covered. Each plan has a formulary that lists covered drugs and their tier. A drug on tier 4 costs a lot more than the same drug on tier 2 of a different plan. The Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov lets you enter the medications and see real costs side by side. A broker can do this faster.
Look at extras only after the basics check out. Dental, vision, hearing, fitness benefits, OTC allowances, and grocery cards are great. They should not drive the decision. The plan that pays for your dad’s hearing aids but does not cover his oncologist is a bad trade.
The Plans I See Adult Children Get Wrong
Three patterns come up over and over.
The first is choosing based on TV commercials. Your parent saw a celebrity on TV say a plan would cover dental, vision, and pay back part of their Part B premium, so they signed up. That plan may or may not be right for them. The commercials are running in every market and they cannot account for which doctors your mom sees in Mesa.
The second is choosing the same plan a friend or neighbor has. Medicare plans are personal. The plan that works perfectly for the neighbor across the street might be a poor fit for your parent because their doctors and medications are different. Take the recommendation as a starting point for research, not as the answer.
The third is doing nothing. A parent who already has a Medicare plan but has not reviewed it in five years is almost certainly overpaying or underprotected. Plans change every single year. The drug your dad has been taking might have moved to a higher tier. His preferred doctor might have left the network. The supplement he bought in 2018 might now be 40 percent more expensive than a comparable plan from a different carrier. An annual review is not optional.
Use the Annual Enrollment Period to Make Changes
If your parent already has a Medicare plan and you realize it is not the right fit, you usually have to wait until the Annual Enrollment Period to change it. AEP runs from October 15 through December 7 every year. During that window, your parent can switch Medicare Advantage plans, switch drug plans, or change between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage. Changes take effect January 1.
There are some exceptions. If your parent moves out of their plan’s service area, qualifies for Extra Help, or has another life event, they may qualify for a Special Enrollment Period that lets them change outside of AEP. A broker can tell you in five minutes whether they qualify.
Why Working With a Local Broker Helps
I am biased, but here is the practical case. A licensed Medicare broker like me can compare every plan available in Maricopa County in one sitting using your parent’s actual doctors and medications. The service is free to you. I am paid by the insurance carrier when your parent enrolls, and the commission is the same no matter which plan they pick, so I have no incentive to push one carrier over another.
A broker also stays with your parent. If a claim gets denied, if a provider drops out of network, if their medication moves tiers, you have one phone number to call. That continuity is worth a lot, especially as your parent ages and you cannot always be there in person.
Need Help Getting Started?
If you are an adult child helping a parent navigate Medicare in Arizona, I would love to help. I have been doing this for 7 years, and I work with families in Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler, Tempe, Scottsdale, and across the East Valley. We can do it on a phone call, a video call, or in person at your parent’s kitchen table. You are welcome to sit in.
Call me at 480-296-5804 or request a free consultation. No pressure, no obligation, and no cost to you.