BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Department of Health officially closed out its contract with UnitedHealthcare on Tuesday, officials said.

The change was initially reported around the end of December, prompting a 90-day extension between LDH and UnitedHealthcare. Officials said during that time, a special enrollment period from January 15 to February 15 was established for United members to select a plan with a new organization.

After February 15, members who did not select a new plan were assigned to new plans using an algorithm that prioritized placements that kept family members together and aimed to ensure members remained with their in-network providers, the LDH said.

Out of 280,000 members enrolled in United, over 36,000 selected a new plan.

Former United members should have received their new insurance cards, and officials say they may change plans without cause if they are unsatisfied.