BASIS OF PRESENTATION	9 Months Ended
BASIS OF PRESENTATION	Sep. 30, 2024
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
BASIS OF PRESENTATION	BASIS OF PRESENTATION The unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements of Baxter International Inc. and its subsidiaries (we, our or Baxter) have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for interim financial reporting. Accordingly, certain information and note disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP) in the United States have been condensed or omitted. These unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 (2023 Annual Report). In the opinion of management, the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments necessary for a fair statement of the financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented. All such adjustments, unless otherwise noted herein, are of a normal, recurring nature. The disclosures presented in our notes to the consolidated financial statements are presented on a continuing operations basis. The results of operations for the current interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations to be expected for the full year. On August 12, 2024, we entered into an Equity Purchase Agreement (EPA) with certain affiliates of Carlyle Group Inc. (Carlyle) to sell our Kidney Care business, which will be known as Vantive, for an aggregate purchase price of $3.80 billion. After giving effect to certain closing adjustments, we currently expect to receive approximately $3.50 billion in cash with net after-tax proceeds currently estimated to be in the range of $3.15 billion to $3.25 billion. The transaction is currently expected to close in late 2024 or early 2025, subject to the receipt of customary regulatory approvals and satisfaction of other closing conditions. We determined that our Kidney Care business met the criteria to be classified as held-for-sale in August 2024, and we also concluded that it met the conditions to be reported as a discontinued operation at that time. Accordingly, our Kidney Care business is reported in discontinued operations in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements, and our prior period results have been adjusted to reflect discontinued operations presentation. See Note 2 for additional information. Hurricane Helene In September 2024, Hurricane Helene, which brought significant rain and extensive flooding to Western North Carolina, caused damage to certain of our assets at our North Cove facility in Marion, N.C. and disrupted operations at that facility. We are actively working with customers, regulators and other stakeholders to manage inventory and minimize disruption to patient care as we work to fully restore our North Cove manufacturing operations. Our insurance policies generally cover the repair or replacement of our assets that suffer loss or damage, less applicable deductibles and subject to any coverage limits and exclusions, and we are working closely with our insurance carriers and claims adjusters to ascertain the full amount of insurance proceeds due to us as a result of the damages and the loss we suffered as a result of Hurricane Helene (which proceeds are likely to be less than the applicable losses). Our insurance policies also provide coverage for interruption to our business, including lost profits, and reimbursement for other expenses and costs that have been incurred relating to the damages and losses suffered. In the third quarter of 2024, we recorded $25 million of pre-tax net charges related to damages caused by Hurricane Helene. This consisted of $44 million related to the write-off of damaged inventory and fixed assets offset by a receivable of $19 million, which is the amount of the loss, net of our insurance deductible, related to insurance recoveries expected as a result of those asset write-offs. These amounts were recorded as a component of cost of sales in the condensed consolidated statements of income for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2024. At this time, the full amount of combined property damage and business interruption costs cannot be estimated and any additional insurance recoveries are not realizable, and accordingly, no additional amounts have been recorded as of September 30, 2024. On November 1, 2024, we received $101 million of cash related to insurance proceeds which included recoveries for expenses incurred after the balance sheet date. We expect to receive additional related insurance proceeds in the future. Risks and Uncertainties Supply Constraints and Global Economic Conditions In recent years, we have experienced significant challenges to our global supply chain, including production delays and interruptions, increased costs and shortages of raw materials and component parts (including resins and electromechanical devices), higher transportation costs, adverse impacts from significant weather events (including Hurricane Helene and the flooding of our North Cove facility), elevated inflation levels and interest rates, disruptions to certain ports of call and access to shipping lanes around the world, the war in Ukraine, the conflict in the Middle East, tensions amongst China, Taiwan, and the U.S., and other geopolitical events. While we have seen improvements in the availability of component parts and improved pricing of raw materials and on transportation costs, some of these challenges (such as additional transportation costs resulting from Hurricane Helene as we transfer product across our global network in the interest of increasing the availability of intravenous and peritoneal dialysis solutions for our customers while we work to fully remediate our North Cove facility) are expected to have a negative impact on our results of operations in the future.