HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Public School Employees' Retirement System says it's going to need more than $4 billion annually in additional taxpayer money in the coming years.

The pension system said Friday its projected needs will rise from $617 million this year to $1.1 billion in July, and then hit nearly $4.2 billion in July 2012.

Legislative leaders and Gov. Ed Rendell say they're worried about the 2012 funding spike projected by the teachers' pension and the smaller state employees pension system.

At the end of September, the teachers' pension fund had net assets of $46 billion.

PITTSBURGH — Leaders of 10 Pittsburgh universities have told the mayor they will not contribute financially to the city, setting up a showdown over a proposed tuition tax.The leaders say in a letter Friday that taxing tuition is not the proper way to remedy the city's pension woes. They say they don't plan on making any direct payments to the city.Mayor Luke Ravenstahl had set a Monday deadline for universities and other tax-exempt nonprofits to agree to pay $5 million annually to the city.Without an agreement, Ravenstahl will ask city council to vote on the 1 percent tuition tax, which would be the first of its kind in the nation.

HARRISBURG — A health insurer accused of improperly rejecting claims for emergency room treatment has now agreed to pay those bills for more than 600 people.Pennsylvania insurance officials and the attorney general announced a settlement Friday with HealthAmerica.Attorney General Tom Corbett says HealthAmerica wrongly rejected 631 claims for emergency treatment between 2001 and 2007 by using higher standards than those outlined in its insurance plans.