POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS OTHER THAN PENSIONS

The Company sponsors several defined postretirement benefit plans that provide healthcare benefits and, in some instances, provide life insurance benefits to certain employees. Further health care benefit accruals for all persons entitled to benefits under these plans were frozen as of March 31, 2014. Effective February 1, 2016, participants under the age of 50 as of March 1, 2016, were no longer eligible for the postretirement health care plans. Postretirement health care plans are contributory, with retiree contributions adjusted annually. Life insurance plans are noncontributory.

Net periodic postretirement benefit costs included the following components for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017, and 2016:



(in millions)	2018			2017			2016
Interest cost on accumulated postretirement benefit obligation	$	0.1		$	0.2		$	0.2
Amortization of prior service credit	(0.3		)	(0.3		)	(0.3		)
Recognized actuarial net gain	(1.1		)	(0.8		)	(0.7		)
Net periodic postretirement benefit income	$	(1.3	)	$	(0.9	)	$	(0.8	)

Changes in benefit obligation and plan assets, and a reconciliation of the funded status at December 31, 2018 and 2017, are as follows:



(in millions)	2018			2017
Change in Benefit Obligation
Benefit obligation at the beginning of the year	$	2.3		$	4.2
Interest cost	0.1			0.2
Participant contributions	0.6			0.6
Plan amendments	(0.2		)	—
Actuarial gain	(0.3		)	(1.8		)
Benefits paid	(0.8		)	(0.9		)
Benefit obligation at the end of the year	$	1.7		$	2.3

Change in Plan Assets
Fair value of plan assets at the beginning of the year	$	—		$	—
Participant contributions	0.6			0.6
Employer contributions	0.2			0.3
Benefits paid	(0.8		)	(0.9		)
Fair value of plan assets at the end of the year	$	—		$	—

Unfunded status at year end:	$	(1.7	)	$	(2.3	)



(in millions)	2018			2017
Amount recognized in consolidated balance sheet consists of:
Accrued benefit liability, current	$	(0.2	)	$	(0.3	)
Accrued benefit liability, non-current	(1.5		)	(2.0		)
Sub-total	(1.7		)	(2.3		)
Deferred tax liability	(1.3		)	(2.5		)
Accumulated other comprehensive income	(4.0		)	(3.7		)
Net amount related to postretirement benefit plans	$	(7.0	)	$	(8.5	)

Accumulated other comprehensive income related to other postretirement benefit plans is as follows:



(in millions)	2018			2017
Unrecognized net actuarial gains	$	(5.0	)	$	(5.8	)
Net prior service credits	(0.3		)	(0.4		)
Tax expense	1.3			2.5
Accumulated other comprehensive income, end of year	$	(4.0	)	$	(3.7	)

Estimated amounts in accumulated other comprehensive income expected to be reclassified to net period cost during 2019 are as follows:



(in millions)
Net actuarial gains	$	1.1
Net prior service credits	0.2
Net amount to be reclassified to net period cost	$	1.3

The following benefit payments, which reflect expected future service, as appropriate, are expected to be paid:



(in millions)	Benefit Payments
2019	$	0.3
2020	0.2
2021	0.2
2022	0.2
2023	0.2
Years 2023 - 2027	0.7

The employer contributions for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 were $0.2 million and $0.3 million, respectively. The expected contribution for 2019 is $0.3 million, which is expected to satisfy plan funding requirements.

The health care cost trend rate assumption affects the amounts reported. For measurement purposes, the assumed annual rate of increase in the per capita cost of covered health care benefits was 6.25 percent for 2018 and 6.50 percent for 2017; each year's estimated rate was assumed to decrease 0.25 percent annually to 5.0 percent and remain at that level thereafter. A one-percentage point change in assumed health care trends would have a nominal effect on both the total of service and interest cost components for 2018 and the post retirement benefit obligations at December 31, 2018.

The Company’s actuarial valuation date is December 31. The weighted-average discount rate used to determine the actuarial present value of the net postretirement projected benefit obligation for each of the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 was 4.25 percent. The weighted-average discount rates used to determine the net postretirement benefit cost was 3.75 percent for the year ended December 31, 2018, and 4.25 percent for the years ended 2017, and 2016.