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I’m a retired bookseller and warehouse worker and proud to be an ILWU Retiree. I felt privileged to have had a small hand in helping to form ILWU Local 5.

    In March of this year, I suffered an irregular heartbeat incident that developed into severe fibrillation issues and caused severe associated water weight, necessitating a stay at the hospital and follow-up treatment with pharmaceuticals. Among the medicines is a blood thinner. There are risks to blood thinners, among those risks is hemorrhagic strokes, of which I had one in August. Surgery has mended that trouble, and in October, I'll have an ablation procedure on my heart, which will lower the need for blood thinners and other pharmaceuticals. Medicare only covers 80% of hospital stays and most other procedures. Thus, the need for considerable out-of-pocket expense.