How Do I Cancel Medicare, Social Security, and Medicare Supplements After Death?

If you’re 65 or older, you might have Medicare, a Medicare Supplement, and Social Security. After death, what happens? Do your loved ones need to call and cancel your Medicare coverage? What about your monthly Medicare Supplement premium?

It’s not a fun subject to cover, but as Patty in our office says – it’s the circle of life! It’s best to be prepared and ensure your family understands their role when you pass.

How do I cancel Medicare after death?

Medicare and Social Security are separate programs, but they work together in a lot of ways, including in death. The Social Security Administration processes death reports for both Social Security and Medicare recipients.

In most cases, the funeral home will report a person’s death to Social Security, and Social Security relays that information to Medicare.

If, for some reason, a funeral home is not involved or they don’t do this service, reporting a death to Medicare only requires a phone call and the person’s Social Security Number.

Simply call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY: 1-800-325-0778).

You cannot report a death to Social Security (and therefore, Medicare) online.

How do I cancel Social Security after death?

In almost all circumstances, the funeral home will handle reporting a death to Social Security.

If a funeral home isn’t involved or there’s a unique circumstance, you can report a death to Social Security by calling (you will need the person’s Social Security Number).

How do I cancel Medicare Part D drug coverage after death?

Once again, when the funeral home reports a death to Social Security, Medicare is informed. When Medicare is informed, all Medicare coverage will be cancelled, including Medicare Part D (prescription drug coverage).

How do I cancel Medicare Advantage (Part C) after death?

You guessed it – Social Security informs the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of your death, and your Medicare Advantage (MA) plan is also informed in that process.

CMS actually disenrolls that member from an MA organization upon their death and then informs the MA organization of the death.

The disenrollment is effective the first day of the calendar month following the death.

So, as long as the funeral home informs Social Security of a person’s death, their Medicare Advantage plan will be cancelled as well.

How do I cancel my Medicare Supplement after death?

Here at Sams/Hockaday, our office staff checks the obituary every day. If we see a client has passed, we immediately call that client’s Medicare Supplement (Medigap) company and notify them of the death. We do not need a death certificate to cancel Medicare Supplement insurance.

After our call, the Medicare Supplement company generates a letter and a refund check for unearned premium, which goes directly to the client’s house.  

For anyone who isn’t our client, a family member should call and notify the Medicare Supplement company of the death.

How do I report a death to life insurance or annuity companies after death?

Reporting a death to a life insurance or annuity company does require a death certificate. A signature is also needed from each beneficiary.

If you have your life insurance or annuity policy with us at Sams/Hockaday, we will guide you and your family through this process.  

Your loved ones will not go through any of this alone, so while you should definitely ensure they know who your agent is, you can rest assured our office will handle it.

Tip: Get a Confirmation Number

Always get a confirmation number if you can when you make any phone call with an insurance company. You want to ensure there’s a record of that conversation.

Whether it’s a phone call reporting a death or something else, we always recommend keeping a paper trail and having records of all phone calls with insurers.

Conclusion

Death is (ironically) a part of life, and the last thing your loved ones should be concerned with is making phone calls to your insurance companies.

• Rest assured the funeral home will handle notifying Social Security, which also covers Medicare, Medicare Part D drug plans, and Medicare Advantage plans.
• Our office will call the Medicare Supplement company, and they will send a letter and a refund check for any unearned premium.
• Finally, our office will work with the family to send a death certificate to any life insurance or annuity companies.  

If you have any additional questions about dealing with health insurance cancellation after a death, don’t hesitate to call our office at (217) 423-8000.