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General Motors, which warned Friday, amidst increased lobbying for federal assistance, that it may well run short of funds by mid-2009, has decided to eliminate the lifetime health care coverage provided to its retirees at the end of this year. The company estimates that eliminating white-collar health benefits (factory workers coverage is protected by union contracts), as well as cutting staff and pay, will save it approximately 1.5 billion dollars a year. G.M.?s guaranteed lifetime coverage (and large numbers of retirees) represents an enormous financial burden on the company. As such, some workers understand the cut, saying that the company can?t survive if it continues to give away money. Others are angry, and feel lost or abandoned ? most G.M. employees have never had to deal with the Medicare system before. To help out, G.M. offered 150 informational meetings, and increased pension pay by $300.