BATON ROUGE — Louisiana seniors have a little over a week left to change their healthcare plans through Medicare for the 2025 calendar year, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana said.

All 743,000 Louisiana residents over 65 have until Dec. 7, when the open enrollment period for all Medicare plans ends, to change their medical coverage.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana healthcare economist Mike Bertaut said that this can be a confusing process because Medicare offers four separate coverage options — parts A through D. Medicare Part A is hospital coverage, Part B is outpatient care coverage and Part D is drug coverage.

"The good news is, you don't have to buy those things separately in this day and age, or be exposed to the gaps in that coverage," Bertaut said. "You can even buy what's called a Medicare Advantage Plan...or you may here it called Medicare Part C, which combines A, B and D into one insurance product."

Bertaut added that there is a period three months before and after residents turn 65 — as well as the month of their birthday — that they can pick out a Medicare plan outside of the open enrollment period.