Note 10 - Postretirement Medical Benefits

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2016

Postretirement Medical Benefits [Member]

Note 10 - Postretirement Medical Benefits [Line Items]

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure [Text Block]

10. Postretirement Medical Benefits

The Company provides lifetime medical and dental benefits upon retirement for certain employees meeting the eligibility requirements as of December 31, 1989 (“Plan 1”). Additional participants are not eligible to be included in Plan 1 unless they met the requirements on this date. During 2003, the Company implemented an additional postretirement health insurance program (“Plan 2”). Under Plan 2, any employee meeting the service requirement of 20 years of full time service to the Company and is at least age 55 upon retirement is eligible to continue their health insurance coverage. Under both plans, retirees not yet eligible for Medicare have coverage identical to the coverage offered to active employees. Under both plans, Medicare-eligible retirees are provided with a Medicare Advantage plan. The Company pays 100% of the cost of Plan 1. The Company and the retirees each pay 50% of the cost under Plan 2. Both plans are unfunded. Employees hired on or after January 1, 2016 are not eligible for benefits under Plan 2.

The following disclosures of the net periodic benefit cost components of Plan 1 and Plan 2 were measured at January 1, 2016 and 2015.

Three months ended March 31, (In thousands)	2016		2015
Service cost	$	159	$	185
Interest cost		171		162
Recognized prior service cost		13		13
Recognized net actuarial loss		-		10
Net periodic benefit cost	$	343	$	370

The Company expects benefit payments of $393 thousand for 2016, of which $81 thousand have been made during the first three months of 2016.