ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A funding crisis is bearing down on Minnesota's public health care programs that serve more than 1 million residents.

That's due in large part to bills in Congress that would cut billions from the state's Medicaid program in the next 18 months alone. Bills in the House and Senate would also cut all federal funding for MinnesotaCare, the state's program for 100,000 working poor residents.

But state lawmakers also have to sort out their own funding gap. A tax on health care providers that covers hundreds of millions in health care expenditures is set to expire in 2020.

Top lawmakers say they'll need to start working out possible solutions at the Legislature next year.

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