DAYTON — More than 600 retirees, fearing their health care coverage through General Motors Corp. is at risk, packed the IUE-CWA Local 798 hall on Tuesday, July 14, in search of answers.

While the retirees left the nearly two-hour meeting with plenty of uncertainty, one thing is clear: The Miami Valley would feel the impact of any loss or reduction of GM health care obligations to IUE-CWA retirees more than anywhere else nationwide.

The greater Dayton region has the largest concentration of IUE-CWA retirees in the country. An estimated 12,000 to 14,000 retirees, excluding spouses and dependents, still live locally, said Steve Lykins, IUE-CWA administrative director.

“The ripple effect is going to be unbelievable,” said Jim Hedrick, 54, of Dayton, who retired after 28 years with GM and Delphi. “The pain’s not spread out. It’s this town. This is going to kill this town.”

Montgomery County hospitals already have seen their percentage of patients covered by commercial insurance — their most profitable patients — shrink from 47.8 percent in 2007 to a projected 37 percent this year, said Bryan Bucklew of the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association.

Enhancing federally qualified health centers in the Dayton area and a federal overhaul of the nation’s health care system could help soften the blow from additional job cuts, he said.

The large turnout Tuesday at the union hall at 313 S. Jefferson St. underscores how many IUE-CWA retirees remain in the area. The International Union of Electronic Workers-Communications Workers of America, in fact, moved its headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Moraine last year.

“These people want answers, and they’re concerned about their future,” said Gaylen Turner, Local 798 president.

Keep reading: Retirees plan protests over benefits

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7457 or bsutherly@DaytonDailyNews.com.