Excerpt: [R]ecent cases help illustrate the steady erosion of retiree health benefits in America. [O]ut-of-pocket expenses are being forced up -- 27 percent last year alone for early retirees ... -- while a host of companies are drawing the line against offering retiree health benefits to any new workers. Another new twist: a critical mass of companies is applying caps on retiree benefits, which in the not-very-long-term could well fuel an even more dramatic increase in personal coverage costs.