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Retirement Plans
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016
General Discussion of Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits [Abstract]  
Retirement Plans
RETIREMENT PLANS
Defined Contribution Plans
We provide certain employees with defined contribution plans and other types of retirement plans. A portion of our retirement plan expense under the defined contribution plans is funded with Stryker common stock. The use of Stryker common stock represents a non-cash operating activity that is not reflected in our Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.
 
2016
 
2015
 
2014
Plan expense
$
166

 
$
148

 
$
132

Expense funded with Stryker common stock
22

 
20

 
18

Stryker common stock held by plan:
 
 
 
 
 
Dollar amount
272

 
203

 
198

Shares (in millions)
2.3

 
2.2

 
2.1

Value as a percentage of total plan assets
11
%
 
11
%
 
11
%

Defined Benefit Plans
Certain of our subsidiaries have both funded and unfunded defined benefit pension plans covering some or all of their employees. Substantially all of the defined benefit pension plans have projected benefit obligations in excess of plan assets.
Discount Rate
The discount rates were selected using a hypothetical portfolio of high quality bonds on December 31 that would provide the necessary cash flows to match our projected benefit payments. Effective January 1, 2017, in countries where it was possible, we elected to change the method to calculate the service cost and interest cost components of net periodic benefit costs for our defined benefit plans and will measure these costs by applying the specific spot rates along the yield curve of the projected cash flows for the respective plans. Our defined benefit plans previously utilized the yield curve approach to establish discount rates and we believe the new approach provides a more precise measurement of service and interest costs by improving the correlation between projected cash flows and the corresponding spot yield curve rates. The change does not affect the measurement of our total benefit obligations for those plans and is accounted for as a change in accounting estimate inseparable from a change in accounting principle, which is applied prospectively. The reductions in service and interest costs for 2017 associated with this change in estimate are nominal.
Expected Return on Plan Assets
The expected return on plan assets is determined by applying the target allocation in each asset category of plan investments to the anticipated return for each asset category based on historical and projected returns.
Components of Net Periodic Pension Cost
Net periodic benefit cost:
2016
 
2015
 
2014
Service cost
$
(33
)
 
$
(36
)
 
$
(26
)
Interest cost
(11
)
 
(10
)
 
(13
)
Expected return on plan assets
10

 
11

 
10

Amortization of prior service cost and transition amount
1

 
1

 
1

Recognized actuarial loss
(9
)
 
(13
)
 
(7
)
Net periodic benefit cost
$
(42
)
 
$
(47
)
 
$
(35
)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Changes in assets and benefit obligations recognized in OCI:
Net actuarial (loss) gain
$
(26
)
 
$
26

 
$
(88
)
Recognized net actuarial loss
9

 
13

 
7

Prior service cost and transition amount
1

 
(1
)
 
4

Total recognized in OCI
$
(16
)
 
$
38

 
$
(77
)
Total recognized in net periodic benefit cost and OCI
$
(58
)
 
$
(9
)
 
$
(112
)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Weighted-average rates used to determine net periodic benefit cost:
Discount rate
2.1
%
 
2.0
%
 
3.2
%
Expected return on plan assets
3.6
%
 
4.0
%
 
3.7
%
Rate of compensation increase
2.3
%
 
2.9
%
 
2.9
%
Weighted-average discount rate used to determine projected benefit obligations
1.8
%
 
2.1
%
 
2.0
%

Investment Strategy
The investment strategy for our defined benefit pension plans is to meet the liabilities of the plans as they fall due and to maximize the return on invested assets within appropriate risk tolerances.
 
2016
 
2015
Fair value of plan assets
$
308

 
$
289

Benefit obligations
(588
)
 
(529
)
Funded status
$
(280
)
 
$
(240
)
Reported as:
 
 
 
Current liabilities—accrued compensation
$
(1
)
 
$
(1
)
Noncurrent liabilities—other liabilities
(279
)
 
(239
)
Pre-tax amounts recognized in AOCI:
 
 
 
Unrecognized net actuarial loss
(171
)
 
(155
)
Unrecognized prior service cost
11

 
13

Total
$
(160
)
 
$
(142
)

The estimated net actuarial loss for the defined benefit pension plans to be reclassified from AOCI into net periodic benefit cost is $8 in 2017. We estimate that an immaterial amount of amortization of prior service cost and transition amount for the defined benefit pension plans will be reclassified from AOCI into net periodic benefit cost in 2017.
Change in Benefit Obligations
 
 
 
 
2016
 
2015
Beginning projected benefit obligations
$
529

 
$
570

Service cost
33

 
36

Interest cost
11

 
10

Foreign exchange impact
(18
)
 
(43
)
Employee contributions
6

 
6

Actuarial losses (gains)
40

 
(21
)
Acquisition
7

 
—

Benefits paid
(20
)
 
(29
)
Ending projected benefit obligations
$
588

 
$
529

Ending accumulated benefit obligations
$
560

 
$
505


Change in Plan Assets
 
 
 
 
2016
 
2015
Beginning fair value of plan assets
$
289

 
$
310

Actual return
20

 
2

Employer contributions
18

 
16

Employee contributions
6

 
6

Foreign exchange impact
(9
)
 
(18
)
Acquisition
2

 
—

Benefits paid
(18
)
 
(27
)
Ending fair value of plan assets
$
308

 
$
289


Allocation of Plan Assets
 
2016 Target
2016 Actual
 
2015 Actual
Equity securities
28
%
28
%
 
31
%
Debt securities
50

50

 
48

Other
22

22

 
21

Total
100
%
100
%
 
100
%

Valuation of Plan Assets
2016
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Total
Cash and cash equivalents
$
7

$
—

$
—

$
7

Equity securities
83

17

—

100

Corporate debt securities
127

—

—

127

Other
23

13

38

74

Total
$
240

$
30

$
38

$
308

2015
 
 
 
 
Cash and cash equivalents
$
6

$
—

$
—

$
6

Equity securities
67

22

—

89

Corporate debt securities
135

—

—

135

Other
19

9

31

59

Total
$
227

$
31

$
31

$
289


Our Level 3 pension plan assets (Refer to Note 2 for an explanation of our fair value hierarchy) consist primarily of guaranteed investment contracts with insurance companies. The insurance contracts guarantee us principal repayment and a fixed rate of return. The $7 increase in Level 3 pension plan assets is primarily related to actual returns and acquired assets. We expect to contribute $20 to our defined benefit pension plans in 2017.
Estimated Future Benefit Payments
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022-2026
$
16

$
14

$
14

$
14

$
14

$
80