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Pension and Postretirement Health and Life Benefits
 6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2013
General Discussion of Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits [Abstract]  
Pension and Postretirement Health and Life Benefits
PENSION AND POSTRETIREMENT HEALTH AND LIFE BENEFITS

The components of net benefit costs for pension and postretirement health and life benefit plans were as follows (in millions): 
 
Defined Benefit Pension Plans
 
Postretirement Health and Life Benefit Plans
 
Three Months Ended 
 June 30,
 
Six Months Ended 
 June 30,
 
Three Months Ended 
 June 30,
 
Six Months Ended 
 June 30,
 
2013
 
2012
 
2013
 
2012
 
2013
 
2012
 
2013
 
2012
Service costs
$
3.7

 
$
3.7

 
$
7.4

 
$
7.3

 
$
0.9

 
$
0.9

 
$
1.8

 
$
1.8

Interest costs
11.0

 
12.0

 
22.0

 
24.1

 
2.3

 
2.8

 
4.5

 
5.6

Expected returns on plan assets (gains)
(12.7
)
 
(13.0
)
 
(25.5
)
 
(26.0
)
 
(0.6
)
 
(0.7
)
 
(1.2
)
 
(1.4
)
Amortization of prior service costs
0.5

 
0.4

 
0.7

 
0.8

 
—

 
—

 
—

 
—

Amortization of actuarial (gains) losses, net
6.1

 
4.9

 
12.2

 
9.8

 
0.7

 
1.1

 
1.4

 
2.2

Curtailment (gains)
(0.7
)
 
—

 
(0.7
)
 
—

 
—

 
—

 
—

 
—

Net benefit costs
$
7.9

 
$
8.0

 
$
16.1

 
$
16.0

 
$
3.3

 
$
4.1

 
$
6.5

 
$
8.2



USEC expects to contribute $23.4 million to the defined benefit pension plans in 2013, consisting of $20.9 million of required contributions under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (“ERISA”) and $2.5 million to non-qualified plans. USEC has contributed $7.0 million in the six months ended June 30, 2013.

There is no required contribution for the postretirement health and life benefit plans under ERISA and USEC does not expect to contribute in 2013. USEC receives federal subsidy payments for sponsoring prescription drug benefits that are at least actuarially equivalent to Medicare Part D.

Effective August 5, 2013, accrued benefits for active employees who are not covered by a collective bargaining agreement have been frozen under the defined benefit pension plans. The retirement benefit will be fixed and will no longer increase based on service or earnings. The freeze of the defined benefit pension plans is part of the internal organizational structure review effort. We are currently in discussions with the leadership of the two local unions (the United Steelworkers (“USW”) and the Security, Police, Fire Professionals of America (“SPFPA”), which represent approximately one-half of the employees at the Paducah plant) regarding the implementation of these changes for their members.

A curtailment occurs when an employer eliminates accrual of pension benefits for some or all future services of a significant number of employees covered by the pension plan. When a curtailment occurs, plan assets and benefit obligations are remeasured. The remeasurement date for the curtailment was June 30, 2013. The net effect of the curtailment on the net periodic cost was a gain of $0.7 million and a decrease of $138.3 million on the pension liability (unfunded status) and accumulated other comprehensive income as of June 30, 2013.

The key economic assumptions for the June 30, 2013 remeasurement have changed from the December 31, 2012 measurement. The discount rate used at June 30, 2013 is 4.92% compared to 4.07% used at December 31, 2012, the salary growth rate remained the same at 4.00%, and the expected return on assets also remained the same at 6.75%. The expected contributions to the pension plans for 2013 remain the same.

Prior to the start of 2012, a significant portion of the costs related to pension and postretirement health and life benefit plans were attributed to Portsmouth contract services, based on the employee base performing contract services work. Starting in 2012, ongoing retiree benefit costs related to USEC's former Portsmouth employees are charged to the LEU segment rather than the contract services segment based on our continuing LEU segment operations that support our active and retired employees. These net benefit costs totaled $6.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2013 and $6.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2012 and are directly charged to cost of sales rather than production.

Net periodic benefit costs related to continued operations are allocated to SWU inventory costs, selling, general and administrative expense, and advanced technology costs.

Other Plans

Effective August 5, 2013, certain employees impacted by the pension freeze discussed above will be eligible to receive an enhanced matching contribution formula under the USEC Savings Program (401(k) plan). USEC's current maximum matching contribution for these individuals is 4% of eligible earnings and will increase to 7% in August.