NASHVILLE (AP) — TennCare could be in big trouble if Congress decides to decrease or stop providing matching money for provider fees.

Tennessee hospitals began using provider fees to prevent the state from losing federal money when the legislature slashed TennCare's budget, according to The Tennessean (http://tnne.ws/rNsj9v).

Hospitals replaced the state money last year and this year by agreeing to pay an "enhanced coverage fee." That fee will generate more than $1 billion for TennCare, including about $707 million in federal funding.

Craig Becker, president of the Tennessee Hospital Association, said the cuts being considered would devastate the state's safety net hospitals, both in metro and rural areas.