Medicare 2026

Medicare coverage structure for Shreveport enrollees

When you first sign up for Medicare in Shreveport, you face a choice that shapes how your coverage works for years to come. You can pair Original Medicare with a Medigap policy, or you can enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan. Both are legal, both are common, and both have real trade-offs. Understanding the structure of each path is the single best way to avoid a costly mistake later.

Path one: Original Medicare plus Medigap

Original Medicare is the federal program itself — Part A (hospital) and Part B (doctor and outpatient). You can see any provider in the country that accepts Medicare, and you do not need referrals. But Original Medicare has no yearly out-of-pocket limit, and it leaves you responsible for deductibles and coinsurance.

That is where Medigap (also called Medicare Supplement Insurance) comes in. A Medigap policy is sold by a private insurer and helps pay some of the costs Original Medicare leaves behind, like the Part A hospital deductible or Part B coinsurance. Medigap plans are standardized by letter (Plan G, Plan N, and so on), so a Plan G from one carrier covers the same things as a Plan G from another — the price and customer service are what differ.

If you go this route and want drug coverage, you add a stand-alone Part D plan separately.

Path two: Medicare Advantage (Part C)

Medicare Advantage is different in structure. Instead of using Original Medicare directly, you enroll in a private plan approved by Medicare that provides your Part A and Part B benefits — and usually Part D drug coverage — all in one package. Many plans also add extras like dental, vision, or hearing.

Medicare Advantage plans typically use networks (HMO or PPO) and may require referrals or prior authorization for certain services. Unlike Original Medicare, every Medicare Advantage plan must have a yearly cap on in-network out-of-pocket spending for Part A and B services.

Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, where residents generally have a wide range of Medicare Advantage plans and carriers to compare each year. The exact count changes annually, so it is worth checking the plan finder at medicare.gov during open enrollment.

The trade-off people miss

Here is the part that trips people up: Medigap and Medicare Advantage are mutually exclusive. You cannot use a Medigap policy to cover cost-sharing inside a Medicare Advantage plan. If you enroll in Medicare Advantage, any Medigap policy you had is not usable.

More importantly, your best chance to buy any Medigap policy without health questions is during your one-time six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period, which starts when you are 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. After that window, in most states — including Louisiana — insurers can use medical underwriting, meaning they can charge you more or turn you down based on your health. So if you choose Medicare Advantage first and later want to switch to Medigap, that door may not open as easily.

Drug coverage and 2027 numbers to know

No matter which path you pick, Part D rules apply to your prescriptions. The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027, and the maximum Part D deductible is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027. The old coverage gap (the "donut hole") was eliminated in 2025, so Part D now has three phases instead of four.

If drug costs hit hard early in the year, the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread those costs across the calendar year in monthly payments instead of paying at the pharmacy counter. Higher earners should also know that IRMAA surcharges on Part B and Part D begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

When you can make changes

• Initial Enrollment Period: The seven-month window around your 65th birthday.
• Annual Enrollment Period: Oct. 15 – Dec. 7 each year, for changes that take effect Jan. 1.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period: Jan. 1 – March 31, for people already in a Medicare Advantage plan who want to switch plans or return to Original Medicare.

Medigap has its own rules and is not tied to these fall and winter windows.

How to get personal help

Medicare decisions depend on your health, your doctors, your prescriptions, and your budget. For unbiased help in Shreveport, contact Louisiana's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), known locally as SHIIP, through the Louisiana Department of Insurance. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), available 24/7, or use the plan finder at medicare.gov.