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Investments (Net Unrealized Gains on Available for Sale Fixed Maturity and Equity Securities Reported as a Seperate Component of Stockholders' Equity) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		3 Months Ended
		Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Net unrealized gains on available for sale fixed maturity securities and equity securities			$ 2,256,230	$ 1,107,018
Adjustments for assumed changes in amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs and deferred sales inducements			(1,206,078)	(618,661)
Deferred income tax valuation allowance reversal			22,534	22,534
Deferred income tax expense (a)	[1]		(348,087)	(170,925)
Net unrealized gains reported as accumulated other comprehensive income			$ 724,599	$ 339,966
Accounting Standards Update 2018-02 [Member] | Forecast [Member]
New accounting pronouncement, effect of adoption, quantification		$ 128,000
[1] Includes $128 million related to the impact of Tax Reform that we expect to reclassify between accumulated other comprehensive income and retained earnings within our consolidated balance sheet during the first quarter of 2018. For more information regarding the timing of reclassification, see Note 1 to our audited consolidated financial statements.

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- Definition

The tax effect on the accumulated unrealized gain or loss on the total available for sale security portfolio at the reporting date.

+ References

No definition available.

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- Definition

The amount included in other comprehensive income (loss), attributable to the adjustments for assumed changes in amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs and deferred sales inducements due to net unrealized gains and losses on available for sale fixed maturity and equity securities.

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The amount of reversal recorded to eliminate the deferred tax asset valuation allowance that represents a component of net unrealized gain/loss in other comprehensive income.

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Accumulated change in equity from transactions and other events and circumstances from non-owner sources, net of tax effect, at period end. Excludes Net Income (Loss), and accumulated changes in equity from transactions resulting from investments by owners and distributions to owners. Includes foreign currency translation items, certain pension adjustments, unrealized gains and losses on certain investments in debt and equity securities, other than temporary impairment (OTTI) losses related to factors other than credit losses on available-for-sale and held-to-maturity debt securities that an entity does not intend to sell and it is not more likely than not that the entity will be required to sell before recovery of the amortized cost basis, as well as changes in the fair value of derivatives related to the effective portion of a designated cash flow hedge.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 220
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 11
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84228862&loc=d3e637-108580

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 220
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 14
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84228862&loc=d3e681-108580

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 220
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 14A
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84228862&loc=SL7669686-108580

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Amount before tax of unrealized gain (loss) in accumulated other comprehensive income (AOCI) on investments in debt and equity securities classified as available-for-sale.

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Represents the quantification of the effect of adopting the new accounting standard or change in accounting principle expected by the entity to have a significant effect on the entity's financial statements.

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