Brutal if true
GM probably offered a buy-out (lump sum payout) of the pensions during the bankruptcy.
He said the wife's medical issues consumed their assets.
Not sure how old the wife was but he lost his pension in 2012 when he was 75.
He would have been on Medicare then. If she was of similar age (from the pic it looks it), she also would have been on Medicare.
There is more to the story of course.