Slump spreads to healthcare as Michigan loses auto jobs

The sputtering Michigan economy is dragging down the state's healthcare system, offering a preview of how a lingering recession could corrode U.S. hospitals, savings, and health. Years of auto-industry layoffs and benefit cuts to white-collar retirees have left hundreds of thousands of Michigan residents without employer-provided health coverage. To adapt, individuals are drawing down savings to fund their own insurance, going without treatments or tests, or leaning on the state.