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 new analysis from Charles River Associates finds that group disability insurance protects as many as 500,000 families a year, translating into direct savings of $4.5 billion for taxpayers and the government.

With the debt ceiling crisis still looming, a second recession could hit, causing another decline in the job market. Hiring freezes, in particular, could once again be the reality facing job seekers, employees and employers, and human resource departments are already preparing for what could be another downturn.

Wall Street seemed complacent last week when there was time to spare. But with less than a week before a possible U.S. default, investors are getting jittery.