Ways to help your parents with healthcare

InvestigateTV - Helping an aging parent sign up for Medicare is a task many will face at some point in life.

Medicare can be a complex process and there are penalties for delaying enrollmen, which is why being proactive and understanding the process now can help.

The first step is if you have questions, get help from someone who isn’t trying to sell you something.

The experts at Nerdwallet said if you can afford it, get a Medicare advisor or advocate. That could cost you between $500 and $1,000.

If that’s not possible, reach out to your state’s health insurance assistance program known as SHIP. It’s free and you can find yours at shiphelp.org.

Also, check out medicare.gov and download the ‘Medicare and You’ handbook.

Be careful of scammers and make sure your parents know that Medicare doesn’t call people to sell them things and it can’t enroll you in a plan over the phone unless you initiate the call.

Medicare will never call and ask for your medicare number protect that number at all costs. It’s like a bank account number.

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