INSURANCE

Eastern Fudging on Health Plan, Retirees Say: Eastern Airlines is backing off an agreement to extend health insurance coverage for retired pilots and clerical workers for the rest of the year, an attorney for the retirees said. The retirees agreed in New York bankruptcy court to pay $75 per month per person, or $150 for a retiree and spouse, beginning July 1. Eastern would in turn contribute up to $170 per month for the plan covering about 7,000 former employees. “Eastern has delayed publishing notices to all the retirees for three weeks,” according to a statement from the Eastern Airlines Retirees Assn. “Now it claims the agreement was more expensive than it had contemplated.”