WBRZ - Baton Rouge

BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's top health agency is not disclosing the name of the firm it selected to get the most lucrative contract in state government.

The Advocate reports state Department of Health and Hospitals lawyers said state law prohibits the agency from releasing the firm's name until the Louisiana Legislature's health committees hold hearings on the contract award.

At stake is the vendor that will handle claims processing and information systems for the state's $6.6 billion Medicaid health insurance program for the poor.

Willie Mount, the Senate Health and Welfare Committee's chairwoman, said the legal citation DHH lawyers point to does not indicate to her that the selection cannot be announced once it's made.

The current annual operating cost for the Medicaid Management Information System contract is $34 million, according to DHH's website.