Understood Care
Coverage data 2024. Plan networks change - we confirm exactly what your plan covers before any work begins.
Donald Washer Care Advocate From the first call, Donald is the same person every time: no call center, no starting over, and no surprise bills.
Angela Newman Care Advocate Angela works one-to-one with Medicare members on bills, denials, appointments, and benefits, and stays on the case until it is resolved.
Carolina Rees Care Advocate One dedicated advocate with a direct phone and text line: Carolina makes the calls and handles the paperwork so you do not have to.
Discover free NH Medicare counseling, CFI waiver home care, and programs that pay family caregivers. Call ServiceLink today to find your best care option.
In Greater Concord, care centers on Concord Hospital and its Franklin campus, the region's referral hubs for Merrimack County, so keeping appointments, chasing referrals, and untangling bills is everyday work. Understood Care is a virtual service: phone, video, and secure messaging. For Franklin members that means no waiting room and no travel, whether the problem is a confusing hospital bill, a denied claim, a referral that went nowhere, or a parent in Merrimack County who needs someone watching their whole picture. Your advocate is the same person every time, follows up every 7 days while your case is active, and still checks in monthly after it is resolved. Many Greater Concord families also run New Hampshire Medicaid's Choices for Independence waiver alongside Medicare; we handle the Medicare side.
About 20.8% of Franklin residents are 65+, close to New Hampshire's statewide 19.5%. Of the 39,832 Medicare beneficiaries in Merrimack County, 38.9% were on Medicare Advantage plans in 2025, in line with New Hampshire's 35.5%. About 4,208 neighbors are dual-eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, the group New Hampshire's Choices for Independence and Medicare Savings Programs reach.
Of 7 Medicare-certified homes, 0 rate 4+ CMS stars and 1 rate just 1 star, a spread an advocate helps families navigate. Highest-rated nearby:
About 561 Franklin households are a person 65+ living alone, and that is exactly who a dedicated advocate keeps from falling through the cracks. 4.1% of senior households here have no vehicle (about 42 households), which is why a fully virtual advocate, plus Medicare-covered ride benefits where plans include them, matters. 1 Medicare-certified home health agency is based in Franklin (avg patient-care quality 3.5/5); we help compare them and get orders in place. Setting up home care, meal delivery, and transportation is core advocate work, covered by Medicare.
About 5.8% of Franklin seniors live below the poverty line (New Hampshire: 7.4%), and many more qualify for help they never claim: Extra Help with Part D costs and New Hampshire's Medicare Savings Programs. Checking every one of those is standard advocate work. 35.3% of seniors here live with a disability, where equipment orders and prior authorizations pile up fastest. The federal government lists 2 primary-care shortage designations in Merrimack County, so appointment hunting is a real problem an advocate takes over. Specialized care nearby: 1 Medicare-certified dialysis facility (avg 1/5 CMS stars) and 4 hospice providers.
Franklin, New Hampshire · Merrimack County · served virtually statewide
From CMS Care Compare (4 Medicare-certified hospitals in the area; a sample below). ER medians below are CMS-reported; New Hampshire's statewide median is 160 minutes. Billing disputes, discharge planning, and referral follow-ups with these systems are everyday advocate work:
Medigap in New Hampshire follows the federal standardized plans, and your one guaranteed window to buy any of them without medical underwriting is the six-month Open Enrollment Period that starts at 65 with Part B. New Hampshire has no birthday rule, but unlike many states it was among the first to guarantee Medigap to under-65 disability beneficiaries (insurers may charge them more, but not once they turn 65). ServiceLink, New Hampshire's free SHIP counseling run by the Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services and reachable at 1-866-634-9412, gives commission-free help to Franklin residents. Many Franklin seniors also qualify for Extra Help and New Hampshire's Medicare Savings Programs but never claim them. The full, sourced rundown is on our New Hampshire patient advocacy hub.
New Hampshire's Choices for Independence (CFI) waiver lets Medicaid families get long-term care at home instead of a nursing facility, though it has an active waiting list, so applying early matters. Its self-direction option can pay the caregiver the person chooses, including a family member such as an adult child (but not a spouse), while their parent's Medicare paperwork piles up. New Hampshire does not have a PACE program, so CFI and ServiceLink are the main home-and-community paths. That split is exactly where an advocate fits: you handle the caregiving, we handle the Medicare side. See how Choices for Independence and Medicare fit together on our New Hampshire hub.
Get Medicare covered mobility equipment with less stress. Learn how a care advocate coordinates doctor visits, documentation, supplier communication, prior authorization, delivery, training, home safety, and follow up so you receive the right walker, scooter, or power wheelchair
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Learn how to spot common healthcare scams and frauds, protect your Medicare and health coverage, report suspicious activity, and see how an advocate from Understood Care can help you stay safe
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Medical respite options and housing next steps for Medicare patients discharged from hospital with nowhere safe to recover.
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Three doors, all worth knowing. For free, unbiased counseling on plans and enrollment, New Hampshire's ServiceLink Resource Centers, the state's SHIP run by the Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services, at 1-866-634-9412 (or the national SHIP line at 1-877-839-2675). For local services such as meals, rides, and in-home help, ServiceLink also serves Franklin at 1-866-634-9412 (or the national Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116). And for one dedicated advocate who does the ongoing work with you, bills, denials, appointments, and benefits, Understood Care, covered by Medicare for most members and usually $0: call (646) 904-4027 or get started online.
Yes. Medicare has paid for professional healthcare navigation (Principal Illness Navigation and Community Health Integration services) since January 2024. Part B covers about 80% and a Medigap plan typically covers the rest, so most members in Merrimack County pay $0. We confirm your exact coverage before your first session, and there are no surprise bills.
Per CMS enrollment data for 2025, Merrimack County had 39,832 Medicare beneficiaries: 15,495 on Medicare Advantage plans (38.9%) and 24,337 on Original Medicare, with about 4,208 dual-eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. Understood Care advocates work with both: Original Medicare members usually pay $0 through Part B plus a supplement, and we confirm Medicare Advantage coverage plan by plan before any work begins.
Per the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey, about 1,821 of Franklin's 8,757 residents are 65 or older (20.8%), within a county of roughly 29,975 seniors (Merrimack County). Most become Medicare-eligible at 65, and every one of them has the same federal benefits an advocate helps put to work.
Per CMS Timely & Effective Care data (period ending 09/30/2025), the median ER visit at Concord Hospital- Franklin runs about 130 minutes; New Hampshire's statewide median is 160 minutes. An advocate cannot shorten an ER line, but avoiding the ER for non-emergencies is advocate work: same-week appointments, urgent-care routing, and follow-up coordination.
No. Understood Care is fully virtual, delivered by phone, video, and secure messaging, so it works the same in Franklin as anywhere else in New Hampshire's ten counties. If leaving home is hard, that is exactly the situation the service is built for.
Advocates work virtually and are matched to you, not to a zip code. You get one dedicated advocate with their direct phone, email, and text (One Advocate, For Life), and they work with New Hampshire's programs, ServiceLink SHIP counseling, the Medicare Savings Programs New Hampshire Medicaid runs with an asset test, and the Choices for Independence (CFI) long-term-care waiver, and the county services that apply in Merrimack County.
Those are New Hampshire Medicaid programs. The Choices for Independence (CFI) waiver helps people who meet a nursing-facility level of care stay home with personal care, homemaking, adult day services, meals, and respite. It has an active waiting list, so your application date sets your place in line, and its self-direction option can pay the caregiver you choose, including a family member such as an adult child (but not a spouse or a legally responsible relative), with a financial management service handling payroll. New Hampshire does not have a PACE program, so CFI and the ServiceLink network are the main home-and-community paths. Families we serve in Greater Concord use these programs. Our advocacy is billed through Medicare, so for dual-eligible families the split works well: you run the caregiving, and your parent's advocate handles the Medicare side.
In New Hampshire we are in-network for Original Medicare (traditional fee-for-service Medicare); UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans (~34% of New Hampshire MA members); Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield (Elevance) Medicare Advantage plans (~16% of New Hampshire MA members); Cigna Medicare Advantage plans (~2% of New Hampshire MA members). Together that covers roughly 83.2% of New Hampshire's Medicare beneficiaries. Market-share data: 2024. Plan networks change, so we confirm exactly what your plan covers before any work begins - no surprise bills.
Greater Concord
Local figures: US Census Bureau American Community Survey (2023, 5-year), CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment (2025), and CMS Care Compare, retrieved 2026-09-21. Statewide program facts were last verified on 2026-09-21; sources are listed on the New Hampshire hub, and the full county tables are on New Hampshire Medicare by the numbers. Understood Care is an independent private advocacy service and is not affiliated with any government agency or any hospital named above.