Medicare Tasks After a Loved One Dies

Take it one task at a time

Start with Notifications and a Record of Calls

You do not need to understand every final bill on the first day. Start a folder for the death certificate, insurance notices, claim statements and a call log. Identify the person legally authorized to handle records and estate matters, and decide who will help with routine organization.

This checklist concerns Medicare administration. Responsibility for debts, probate and estate decisions depends on the circumstances and applicable law. Refer those questions to the estate representative or an appropriate legal adviser before making commitments.

Federal records

Confirm That Social Security Has Been Notified

Funeral homes generally report deaths to Social Security. Ask whether that report was made. If no funeral home is involved or the report was not made, Social Security directs you to call with the deceased person’s identifying information and date of death.

If Railroad Retirement benefits were involved, contact RRB about its reporting and payment instructions as well. Keep a record of whom you contacted. Ask the relevant agency how to handle any benefit payment arriving after death rather than assuming it can be kept or independently calculating what should be returned.

Insurance and billing

Contact Each Coverage Organization

• Medicare Advantage or Part D insurer: ask about the record of death, coverage end date, final premium and claim handling.
• Medigap insurer: ask what documentation it needs and whether any premium adjustment or refund applies.
• Employer, retiree or other coverage administrator: ask about the deceased member and any surviving dependents separately.
• Medical-equipment supplier or home-care organization: arrange any required equipment return or closure of services.

Confirm recurring payments with the issuer and the estate representative. Do not cancel a surviving spouse’s separate policy or payments while trying to close the deceased person’s accounts. The premium-payment guide helps identify who collected each charge.

Access to information

Who Can Obtain the Records?

HHS explains that the deceased person’s personal representative may be an executor, administrator or another person authorized by a court or state law. A family relationship or permission given during life should not be assumed to establish the authority required after death.

CMS-10106 includes instructions for requesting Medicare information for someone who has died when you have the legal right to that information. Ask what supporting documentation is needed and submit it through the official route. Keep sensitive records limited to those who need them.

Final claims

Separate a Bill from a Claim Statement

An Explanation of Benefits or Medicare Summary Notice explains claim processing; it is not necessarily a demand for payment. Match a provider bill to the service date, claim and insurance determination. Final processing can continue after the death for care already received.

Keep notices with appeal deadlines visible. If an amount is unclear, ask the provider or insurer to explain it and tell the estate representative. Avoid paying a questionable charge merely to stop correspondence before understanding the claim and who is responsible.

For a surviving spouse

Review Your Own Medicare and Income Situation

Medicare coverage belongs to each beneficiary individually. Still, a spouse’s death may affect employer or retiree coverage, premium payment arrangements, household income or discounts. Confirm your own benefits and how your own premiums will be paid.

Social Security lists the death of a spouse as a life-changing event that may support a request to lower IRMAA when income falls. The SSA-44 guide explains the documents and process. Do not assume a report of death automatically resolves every income-related premium issue.

A manageable follow-up

Keep One Open-Items List

For each unresolved matter, record the organization, document requested, next action and follow-up date. Let helpers take specific tasks while the authorized representative handles decisions requiring authority. The family assistance guide explains the different kinds of permission used while helping a beneficiary.