HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Corbett says he wants to minimize the disruption if people who are covered through Western Pennsylvania's biggest insurer, Highmark, lose in-network access to the dominant Western Pennsylvania hospital system, UPMC.

Corbett's statement Monday comes a month before Highmark is required to tell state regulators whether it has secured a new contract with UPMC. The current contract between the two companies ends Dec. 31.

Corbett says he doesn't expect the companies to abandon their business objectives. But he also says the dispute shouldn't force any patient in the midst of treatment to find a new doctor or force anyone to travel farther for hospital care.

Highmark covers 3.2 million people in Western Pennsylvania. Without an agreement, Highmark subscribers will have to pay more to use UPMC's services next year.

HARRISBURG — A labor union-affiliated think tank is attacking Gov. Tom Corbett's latest plan for reining in Pennsylvania's public employee pension costs.Stephen Herzenberg, director of the Keystone Research Center, said Monday the proposal sponsored by Rep. Mike Tobash and backed by the governor would force draconian cuts in pension benefits for future school and state employees.Herzenberg says the “hybrid” plan, which would join a limited traditional pension with a 401(k)-style defined contribution plan, also would save only about $3 billion in today's dollars.

TOKYO — Sony Corp. is pulling the plug on its hand-held PlayStation Portable video game machine after 10 years.The Japanese electronics and entertainment company has been pushing the successor machine, PlayStation Vita.Tokyo-based Sony said Tuesday that PSP shipments ended in North America in January, will end in Japan this month and later this year in Europe.Discounts on Vita and downloads are offered to Japanese PSP owners, but are still undecided for those overseas.More than 76 million PSP machines were sold, as of two years ago, the last time a tally was taken. The PSP went on sale in December 2004.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — An Iowa company has agreed to pay $6.8 million in fines for selling old eggs with false labels for years as well as the tainted products that caused a nationwide salmonella outbreak in 2010, according to a plea agreement released Monday.Quality Egg LLC, once one of the nation’s largest egg producers, is expected to plead guilty Tuesday to charges of bribing a U.S. Department of Agriculture inspector to approve sales of poor quality eggs, selling misbranded eggs and introducing adulterated food into interstate commerce.