News reports say bankrupt Eastman Kodak Co. is seeking a bankruptcy court’s permission to cut health care benefits for its retirees.

Kodak said in a letter to retirees that it must “balance the needs of our retirees with the needs of our company,” according to news reports. WHEC, a television station in Kodak’s headquarters city, Rochester, N.Y., said it obtained a copy of the letter.

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

In a motion set to be heard in court March 20, 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, news reports say. The motion in the bankruptcy court would also affect current employees who are eligible for retirement and their families, reports say.

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’s vice president of human resources.

“We were totally surprised by this action,” said Bob Volpe, an EKRA spokesman. “After many months of attempting to collaborate with Kodak, and having received several signals from Kodak of their interest in working with EKRA, the timing of the meeting was scheduled at the same time as this motion being filed.”

“We probably don’t have many retirees in the Dayton area,” Volpe told the Dayton Daily News.