BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Two Louisiana Medicaid contractors are challenging a decision by Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration to oust them from continuing the lucrative work next year.

Louisiana Healthcare Connections and Aetna Better Health filed formal protests of the contracting decisions Monday with the state procurement office. The Edwards administration chose four companies for the multibillion-dollar contracts slated to begin in January.

The companies will oversee the care of about 90% of Louisiana's Medicaid enrollees, about 1.5 million people. Though they currently do that work, Louisiana Healthcare Connections and Aetna were losing bidders for the next contracts.

More than a half-million Medicaid recipients will have to transfer to new health plans. Louisiana's chief procurement officer will decide whether the contract awards should be overturned because of the protests. Her decision can be appealed.