Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan urged the Senate on Tuesday to reverse course and expand Medicaid to an estimated 58,000 poor New Hampshire adults.

New Hampshire senators set the stage Tuesday for a fight with the House and governor over a key measure in President Barack Obama's health care law expanding coverage to the state's poorest uninsured adults next year.

New Hampshire could save up to $114 million if it decides not to expand Medicaid under the new federal health care law, but it would lose $2.5 billion in federal aid toward health care for the state's uninsured.

Critics of a proposal to create a new public pension system urged New Hampshire lawmakers Thursday to spend more time studying the idea, warning that the planned changes could make it more difficult to recruit and retain good employees.

State Sen. Fenton Groen's bill to create a defined contribution plan for workers could dilute pensions that police and firefighters received.

Last year, Republican lawmakers shifted more of New Hampshire's public pension costs onto workers to ease employers' expenses. Now, they're proposing a parallel plan for new employees that lacks a guaranteed lifetime benefit.

Under a state senator's proposal, employees and their employers would have to contribute to a system similar to a 401(k) where their money is invested and their retirement payment depends on their total investments when they retire.

New England will continue to experience a slow economic recovery until well into 2013 due in part to weaknesses in the national and global economies, an economic forecaster said Thursday.