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Pension Plan and Other Postretirement Benefits
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2016
Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]  
Pension Plan and Other Postretirement Benefits
Pension Plan and Other Postretirement Benefits
 
The Company provides a qualified, defined-benefit, non-contributory pension plan for substantially all employees. The Company makes annual contributions to fund the amounts accrued for in the qualified pension plan. The Company also maintains an unfunded, non-qualified, supplemental executive retirement plan. The costs of the plans are charged to expense or are capitalized in utility plant as appropriate.
 
The Company offers medical, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits for retirees and their spouses and dependents. Participants are required to pay a premium, which offsets a portion of the cost.
 
Cash contributions by the Company related to pension plans were $20.6 million and $22.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and September 30, 2015, respectively. Cash contributions by the Company related to other postretirement benefit plans were $6.7 million and $7.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and September 30, 2015, respectively. The 2016 estimated cash contribution to the pension plans is $28.3 million and to the other postretirement benefit plans is $9.6 million.
 
The following table lists components of net periodic benefit costs for the pension plans and other postretirement benefits. The data listed under “pension plan” includes the qualified pension plan and the non-qualified supplemental executive retirement plan. The data listed under “other benefits” is for all other postretirement benefits.
 
 
Three Months Ended September 30
 
Pension Plan
 
Other Benefits
 
2016
 
2015
 
2016
 
2015
Service cost
$
5,594

 
$
4,715

 
$
1,045

 
$
3,043

Interest cost
5,764

 
5,072

 
625

 
2,101

Expected return on plan assets
(5,462
)
 
(4,770
)
 
(1,005
)
 
(908
)
Amortization of prior service cost
1,555

 
1,502

 
10

 
12

Recognized net actuarial loss
1,743

 
2,308

 
(482
)
 
2,182

Net periodic benefit cost
$
9,194

 
$
8,827

 
$
193

 
$
6,430

 

 
Nine Months Ended September 30
 
Pension Plan
 
Other Benefits
 
2016
 
2015
 
2016
 
2015
Service cost
$
15,728

 
$
15,980

 
$
5,653

 
$
8,044

Interest cost
16,670

 
15,078

 
4,225

 
5,328

Expected return on plan assets
(16,370
)
 
(14,354
)
 
(3,097
)
 
(2,660
)
Amortization of prior service cost
4,664

 
4,506

 
32

 
34

Recognized net actuarial loss
4,329

 
7,108

 
2,041

 
5,099

Net periodic benefit cost
$
25,021

 
$
28,318

 
$
8,854

 
$
15,845



The actuarially determined decrease in other benefits costs in the third quarter of 2016 as compared to the prior year was $6.2 million and for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 as compared to the prior year was $7.0 million. The cost decrease was mostly due to a reduction in retiree medical claim costs in 2015.