"Of the ten states reviewed herein, three -- Illinois, New York, and Pennsylvania -- provide significant protection for retiree medical benefits, either through explicit statutory provisions or through case law suggesting that retiree benefits vest for life in the absence of explicit language to the contrary; five states -- California, Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, and Texas -- provide a moderate level of protection, with the specifics varying significantly from case to case; and two states -- Alabama and Ohio -- lack sufficient legal precedent to make any generalizations regarding the legal approach typically used."  MORE >>