Plain-English guides
Guides for families
Straight answers about the Medicare mail and medical bills your loved one gets.
What is a Medicare Summary Notice? (And why it says “This is not a bill”)
A plain-English guide to the Medicare Summary Notice your parent gets in the mail: what each column means, what to check, and what to do if something looks wrong.
5 min read
How to dispute a medical bill for your mom or dad
A step-by-step guide for adult children: get the itemized bill, compare it to Medicare's notice, call billing with the right questions, and put it in writing.
6 min read
Is your parent in QMB? They probably shouldn't be getting medical bills
People in the QMB program can't be billed for Medicare deductibles, coinsurance or copays. How to tell if your parent has QMB, and what to do when a bill arrives anyway.
5 min read
Is this Medicare call a scam? Red flags and what to do
Scammers target older adults with fake Medicare calls, emails and letters. Learn the red flags, what real Medicare will never do, and where to report it.
4 min read
The Annual Notice of Change and Medicare Open Enrollment: a family checklist
Every fall, Medicare plans mail an Annual Notice of Change before Open Enrollment (Oct 15 – Dec 7). Here's what to look for and where to get free, unbiased help.
4 min read
How to read an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) for a parent or spouse
An Explanation of Benefits says “This is not a bill,” but it tells you what your loved one really owes. Here's what each column means, what to check, and what to do about a denied claim.
6 min read
How to get Medicare to talk to you about your parent
Medicare won't discuss your parent's claims with you until your parent says it can. Here's how one-time permission and Form CMS-10106 work, and when you need a different form.
5 min read
How to appeal a Medicare denial for your parent, step by step
Medicare said no to a service your parent got? Here's how the appeal works in Original Medicare and in Medicare Advantage, the deadlines that matter, and where to get free help.
7 min read
Your parent's medical bill went to collections. Here's what to do
Don't pay a collector until you've checked the bill. How to confirm the debt is real, ask the collector to verify it, get billing errors pulled back, and find financial help.
6 min read
Want every letter handled like this?
Folkswise reads all of your loved one's mail, checks each bill against the Medicare notice, and keeps the whole family on the same page.