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Lawmakers in the Michigan House and their staff soon will be paying more for their health insurance, the chamber's Republican leader said Wednesday.

Hospital associations, labor groups, tea party supporters and die-hard liberals are plunging into the debt battle between President Barack Obama and Congress as it whirls toward a final showdown.

A union representing state workers proposed changes to a government pension program on Wednesday that could require some employees to stay in their jobs longer before retiring.

WellPoint Inc.'s second-quarter net income fell 3 percent as Medicare Advantage expenses climbed, and Wall Street punished the health insurer's stock in Wednesday trading even though the company raised its 2011 earnings forecast for the second time this year.

Union leaders issued a report Tuesday that outlines ways Chicago can save $242 million while also saving the jobs of hundreds of city workers whom Mayor Rahm Emanuel has said he must lay off.

The Postal Service is considering closing more than 1 in 10 of its retail outlets.