Steel retirees strive to regain health benefits.

Byline: Tom Dochat

May 30--Within two years after losing health care benefits, nearly three-quarters of Bethlehem Steel Corp. and LTV Corp. retirees obtained some alternative coverage, a survey by The Kaiser Family Foundation has found.

However, some of the retirees said they had to find jobs or their spouses had to delay retirement to pay for the coverage. Several said their replacement coverage was not as good as the plans they had from Bethlehem or LTV.

The findings, being released today, are based on a 2004 survey of nearly 2,700 retired steelworkers and their spouses who lost health benefits in 2002 and 2003. It has a margin of error of 2.15 percent for retirees under age 65 and 3.83 percent for those 65 and older who are eligible for Medicare.

Isadora Gil is a …