State officials will make some revisions to a plan to overhaul TennCare after sharp criticism at public hearings this month, but the public won't find out what those changes are until after the plan is in the hands of the federal government.

TennCare spokeswoman Sarah Tanksley said Monday the agency will not release its revised plan for a Medicaid block grant until the day the proposal is submitted to the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS.

Because the public already had the opportunity to comment on a prior version of the plan, TennCare sees no reason to make the amended version public ahead of submission, Tanksley said.

“This is just kind of a process,” Tanksley said. “And that’s just not how it works.”

The block grant plan would fundamentally transform how the federal government pays for TennCare, which insures about 1.4 million Tennesseans, most of whom are children from low-income families. Under the proposal, the state will gain more authority over TennCare and keep half the savings if the program operates at a lower cost. TennCare officials have promised not to reduce enrollment or services, but many worry that's exactly how the state will lower costs and reap the rewards.

A deal must still be negotiated CMS and approved by Tennessee lawmakers. The federal government will hold a second public comment period later in the process, Tanksley said.

The first version of the block grant plan, revealed in mid-September, was heavily criticized in public hearings held earlier this month. During more than 130 comments at five hearings, only one person spoke in favor of the proposal.

About 1,600 additional comments were submitted by mail and email, but it is unclear how many are positive because they were not made public until Monday evening.

TennCare Director Gabe Roberts told lawmakers on Thursday that the agency planned to make at least some edits as a result of public feedback. But Roberts insisted that the core tenet of the proposal would not change.

"We've written it in the waiver and we've said it repeatedly and the governor has, too: This model is not contingent upon any types of cuts to service or cuts to eligibility," Roberts said.

The administration of Gov. Bill Lee previously faced criticism for hosting a closed-door listening tour on health care issues despite pledging transparency earlier this year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Brett Kelman is the health care reporter for The Tennessean. He can be reached at 615-259-8287 or at brett.kelman@tennessean.com. Follow him on Twitter at @brettkelman.