ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The federal government is investigating how Minnesota administers Medicaid health coverage for poor people, but few details are available on the nature of the inquiry.

Department of Human Services Commissioner Lucinda Jesson told a legislative committee she found out about the investigation when federal authorities contacted her last summer. But she could not say what federal agency was leading the investigation, nor could she talk about scope of the query.

The probe came to light at a hearing Tuesday that focused on transparency and rate-setting around the state’s health care coverage for poor Minnesotans.

The state will spend about $3.3 billion on Medicaid this year, and $3.6 billion next year. The program provides coverage for about 733,000 Minnesotans, and the majority have their care managed by private health maintenance organizations.

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