PITTSBURGH — Auditor General Eugene DePasquale is urging the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Highmark, Inc. to come to a long-term agreement to open all their hospitals to people with any insurance coverage.

DePasquale says in a statement Wednesday that Pittsburgh hospitals have been supported with public funds, and no one should be denied access because of their insurance coverage.

Highmark and UPMC have been involved in a series of bitter legal disputes since Highmark announced plans to take over the West Penn Allegheny hospital system. That puts Highmark in direct competition with UPMC hospitals.

State officials gave conditional approval to the Highmark-West Penn deal last month.

An insurance contract between UPMC and Highmark is scheduled to expire at the end of 2014.

LOS ANGELES — Fewer U.S. homes entered the foreclosure process or were repossessed by lenders last month, the latest indication that the nation’s foreclosure woes are waning.Nationally, home repossessions fell 20 percent in April from the previous month and were down 32 percent from a year earlier, foreclosure listing firm RealtyTrac Inc. said Thursday.Foreclosure starts, the initial step in the process that can eventually lead to a home being foreclosed upon, dipped 4 percent last month from March and tumble 28 percent from April last year, the firm said.Even so, homes scheduled for auction in states where the courts play a role in the foreclosure process hit the highest level in more than two years.Most homes lined up for public auction end up going back to lenders, which opens the door for the properties to be placed on the market as sharply discounted foreclosed homes.