Eastman Kodak Co. wants to cut retiree health care benefits, and the company will have a court hearing March 20 on a motion to do that.

Kodak said in a letter sent to retirees Monday that it must “balance the needs of our retirees with the needs of our company.” The Rochester, N.Y.-based film pioneer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Jan. 19.

Kodak has about 500 employees in Kettering, the company’s second largest concentration of employees. Kodak has said it plans to invest in that site, but it has also alerted Ohio government that it will lay off 66 Kettering employees by April 19, with more layoffs in smaller numbers to come.

In its motion, Kodak has asked to discontinue medical benefits for all retirees 65 and older, as well as retirees who are younger than 65 but still eligible for Medicare. The motion in the bankruptcy court would also affect current employees who are eligible for retirement and their families.

Also affected would be former employees who retired on or after Oct. 1, 1991, and former employees who became eligible for long-term disability benefits on or after that date, Kodak said.

In a statement released Monday, a spokesman for the Eastman Kodak Retirees Association said retirees were “blindsided” by Kodak’s move. The association said Kodak filed its motion at the same time as retirees met with Patricia Obstarczyk, Kodak vice president of human resources.

The association doesn’t have an exact number of Dayton-area Kodak retirees, but EKRA spokesman Bob Volpe said the number is probably small.