14.	Long-term debt

Long-term debt was comprised of the following:

	December 31,
	2016			2015
Senior Secured Credit Facilities:
Term Loan A	$	862,500		$	925,000
Term Loan B		3,412,500			3,447,500
Senior notes		4,500,000			4,500,000
Acquisition obligations and other notes payable		117,547			70,645
Capital lease obligations		299,682			283,185
Total debt principal outstanding		9,192,229			9,226,330
Discount and deferred financing costs		(79,861	)		(95,985	)
		9,112,368			9,130,345
Less current portion		(165,041	)		(129,037	)
	$	8,947,327		$	9,001,308

Scheduled maturities of long-term debt at December 31, 2016 were as follows:

2017			165,041
2018			167,684
2019			747,871
2020			69,508
2021			3,300,437
Thereafter			4,741,688

Term Loans

Total outstanding borrowings under Term Loan A and Term Loan B can consist of various individual tranches that can range in maturity from one month to twelve months (currently all tranches are one month in duration). For Term Loan A and Term Loan B, each tranche bears interest at a London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) rate that is determined by the duration of such tranche plus an interest rate margin. The LIBOR variable component of the interest rate for each tranche is reset as such tranche matures and a new tranche is established. At December 31, 2016, the overall weighted average interest rate for Term Loan A was determined based upon the LIBOR interest rates in effect for all of the individual tranches plus the interest rate margin of 1.75%. At December 31, 2016, Term Loan B bears interest at LIBOR (floor of 0.75%) plus a margin of 2.75%. The Company is subject to LIBOR-based interest rate volatility on Term Loan B as the LIBOR-based component of the interest rate exceeded the floor of 0.75% as of December 31, 2016. The overall weighted average interest rate for Term Loan B was determined based upon the LIBOR interest rates in effect for all individual tranches plus the interest rate margin. The Company has several interest rate cap agreements that have the economic effect of capping the LIBOR variable component of the Company’s interest rate at a maximum of 3.50% on $3,500,000 of outstanding principal debt. The remaining $775,000 outstanding principal balance of Term Loan A would still be subject to LIBOR-based interest rate volatility. In addition, the Company maintains several forward interest rate cap agreements with notional amounts totaling $3,500,000, which will be effective June 29, 2018. The cap agreements will have the economic effect of capping the LIBOR variable component of the Company’s interest rate at a maximum of 3.50% on an equivalent amount of the Company’s debt. See below for further details. The Company is restricted from paying dividends under the terms of its senior secured credit facilities.

During the year ended December 31, 2016, the Company made mandatory principal payments under its then existing senior secured credit facilities totaling $62,500 on Term Loan A and $35,000 on Term Loan B.

Revolving lines of credit

The Company has an undrawn revolving line under the senior secured credit facilities totaling $1,000,000, of which approximately $95,629 was committed for outstanding letters of credit. In addition, the Company has approximately $1,286 of committed outstanding letters of credit related to DMG, which is backed by a certificate of deposit.

Senior Notes

The Company’s senior notes as of December 31, 2016 consisted of $1,500,000 of 5.0% Senior Notes due 2025, $1,750,000 5 ¹/₈% senior notes due 2024 and $1,250,000 of 5³/₄% senior notes due 2022 (collectively Senior Notes).

The Senior Notes are unsecured obligations, rank equally in right of payment with the Company’s existing and future unsecured senior indebtedness, and are guaranteed by substantially all of the Company’s direct and indirect wholly-owned domestic subsidiaries and require semi-annual interest payments. The Company may redeem some or all of the Senior Notes at any time on or after certain specific dates and at certain specific redemption prices as outlined in each senior note agreement. The Company is restricted from paying dividends under the indentures governing its Senior Notes.

In April 2015, the Company issued $1,500,000 5.0% Senior Notes due 2025 (5.0% Senior Notes). The 5.0% Senior Notes pay interest on May 1 and November 1 of each year beginning November 1, 2015. The 5.0% Senior Notes are unsecured senior obligations, rank equally in right of payment with the Company’s existing and future unsecured senior indebtedness, and are guaranteed by certain of the Company’s domestic subsidiaries. The Company may redeem up to 35% of the 5.0% Senior Notes at any time prior to May 1, 2018 at a certain specified price from the proceeds of one or more equity offerings. In addition, the Company may redeem some or all of the 5.0% Senior Notes at any time prior to May 1, 2020 at make-whole redemption rates and on or after such date at certain specified redemption prices. The net proceeds from the 5.0% Senior Notes offering were used to repurchase all of the $775,000 aggregate outstanding principal balances of the 6 ⅝% Senior Notes due 2020 (6 ⅝% Senior Notes) through a combination of a tender offer and a redemption process and to pay fees and expenses. The remaining net offering proceeds were used for general corporate purposes, acquisitions and share repurchases. As a result of these transactions, the Company incurred $48,072 in debt redemption charges consisting of tender and redemption premiums as well as the write-off of deferred financing costs associated with the repurchase of the 6 ⅝% Senior Notes.

Interest rate swaps and cap agreements

During the year ended December 31, 2016 the Company had several interest rate swap agreements as a means of hedging its exposure to and volatility from variable-based interest rate changes as part of its overall interest rate risk management strategy. These agreements were not held for trading or speculative purposes and had the economic effect of converting the LIBOR variable component of the Company’s Term Loan A interest rate to a fixed rate. These swap agreements were designated as cash flow hedges, and as a result, hedge-effective gains or losses resulting from changes in the fair values of these swaps were reported in other comprehensive income until such time as the hedged forecasted cash flows occurred, at which time the amounts were reclassified into net income. Net amounts paid or received for each specific swap tranche that had settled were reflected as adjustments to debt expense. In addition, the Company has entered into several interest rate cap agreements and several forward interest rate cap agreements that have the economic effect of capping the Company’s maximum exposure to LIBOR variable interest rate changes on specific portions of the Company’s floating rate debt, as described below. These cap agreements are also designated as cash flow hedges and, as a result, changes in the fair values of these cap agreements are reported in other comprehensive income. The amortization of the original cap premium is recognized as a component of debt expense on a straight-line basis over the term of the cap agreements. The swap and cap agreements do not contain credit-risk contingent features.

As of December 31, 2016, the Company maintains interest rate cap agreements that were entered into in November 2014 with notional amounts totaling $3,500,000. These previously forward cap agreements became effective September 30, 2016 and have the economic effect of capping the LIBOR variable component of the Company’s interest rate at a maximum of 3.50% on an equivalent amount of the Company’s debt. These cap agreements expire on June 30, 2018. As of December 31, 2016, the total fair value of these cap agreements was an asset of approximately $116. During the year ended December 31, 2016, the Company recognized debt expense of $2,070 from these caps. During the year ended December 31, 2016, the Company recorded a loss of $1,196 in other comprehensive income due to a decrease in the unrealized fair value of these cap agreements.

As of December 31, 2016, the Company maintains several forward interest rate cap agreements that were entered into in October 2015 with notional amounts totaling $3,500,000. These forward cap agreements will become effective June 29, 2018 and will have the economic effect of capping the LIBOR variable component of the Company’s interest rate at a maximum of 3.50% on an equivalent amount of its debt. These cap agreements expire on June 30, 2020. As of December 31, 2016, the total fair value of these cap agreements was an asset of approximately $9,813. During the year ended December 31, 2016, the Company recorded a loss of $4,002 in other comprehensive income due to a decrease in the unrealized fair value of these cap agreements.

Previously, the Company maintained several interest rate cap agreements with notional amounts totaling $2,735,000 on the Company’s Term Loan B debt. These agreements had the economic effect of capping the LIBOR variable component of the Company’s interest rate at a maximum of 2.50% on an equivalent amount of the Company’s Term Loan B. During the year ended December 31, 2016, the Company recognized debt expense of $1,829 from these caps. The cap agreements expired on September 30, 2016.

The Company also previously maintained several interest rate swap agreements. These agreements had the economic effect of modifying the LIBOR variable component of the Company’s interest rate on an equivalent amount of the Company’s Term Loan A to fixed rates ranging from 0.49% to 0.52%. These interest rate swap agreements required monthly interest payments and expired on September 30, 2016. During the year ended December 31, 2016, the Company recognized debt expense of $299 from these swaps, and recorded a loss of $815 in other comprehensive income due to a decrease in the unrealized fair value of these swap agreements.

The following table summarizes the Company’s derivative instruments as of December 31, 2016 and 2015:

Interest rate swap and cap agreements (liabilities and assets)

December 31, 2016

December 31, 2015

Derivatives designated as hedging instruments

Balance sheet

location

Fair value

Balance sheet

location

Fair value

Interest rate swap agreements

—

Other short-

term assets

516

Interest rate cap agreements

Other long-

term assets

9,929

Other long-

term assets

15,127

The following table summarizes the effects of the Company’s interest rate swap and cap agreements for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014:

	Amount of losses recognized in OCI on interest rate swap and cap agreements									Location of (losses) gains reclassified from	Amount of gains reclassified from accumulated OCI into income
	Years ended December 31,									accumulated	Years ended December 31,
Derivatives designated as cash flow hedges	2016			2015			2014			OCI into income	2016			2015			2014
Interest rate swap agreements	$	(815	)	$	(3,971	)	$	(8,390	)	Debt expense	$	299		$	2,664		$	12,279
Interest rate cap agreements		(5,198	)		(16,114	)		(8,119	)	Debt expense		3,899			2,439			5,130
Tax benefit (expense)		2,343			7,844			6,450				(1,632	)		(1,992	)		(6,801	)
Total	$	(3,670	)	$	(12,241	)	$	(10,059	)		$	2,566		$	3,111		$	10,608

As of December 31, 2016, the interest rate on the Company’s Term Loan B debt bears interest at LIBOR plus an interest rate margin of 2.75%. Term Loan B is subject to an interest rate cap if LIBOR should rise above 3.50%. Term Loan A bears interest at LIBOR plus an interest rate margin of 1.75%. The capped portion of Term Loan A is $87.5 million. In addition, the uncapped portion of Term Loan A, which is subject to the variability of LIBOR, is $775 million. See above for further details. Interest rates on the Company’s Senior Notes are fixed by their terms.

The Company’s overall weighted average effective interest rate on the senior secured credit facilities was 3.68%, based upon the current margins in effect of 1.75% for Term Loan A and 2.75% for Term Loan B, as of December 31, 2016.

The Company’s overall weighted average effective interest rate for the year ended December 31, 2016 was 4.43% and as of December 31, 2016 was 4.52%.

Debt expense

Debt expense consisted of interest expense of $394,279, $389,755 and $385,750 and the amortization and accretion of debt discounts and premiums, amortization of deferred financing costs and the amortization of interest rate cap agreements of $20,103, $18,625 and $24,544 for 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. The interest expense amounts are net of capitalized interest.