Segment Information Reconciliation of non-GAAP measures (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Segment Reporting, Other Significant Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Proceeds from Insurance Premiums Collected	$ 689,700	$ 683,100	$ 646,600
Increase (Decrease) in Premiums Receivable	985	848	(2)
Traditional life insurance premiums	196,914	190,956	183,300
Interest sensitive product charges	111,928	114,584	109,770
Annuity
Segment Reporting, Other Significant Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Interest sensitive product charges	3,803	2,524	1,927
Traditional life insurance premiums
Segment Reporting, Other Significant Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Proceeds from Insurance Premiums Collected	195,929	190,108	183,302
Life Insurance
Segment Reporting, Other Significant Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Proceeds from Insurance Premiums Collected	281,551	281,003	282,098
Interest sensitive product charges	63,438	65,543	61,297
Life insurance - interest sensitive [Member]
Segment Reporting, Other Significant Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Proceeds from Insurance Premiums Collected	85,622	90,895	98,796
Corporate and Other
Segment Reporting, Other Significant Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Interest sensitive product charges	44,687	46,517	46,546
Admiin charges [Member] \| Life Insurance
Segment Reporting, Other Significant Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Interest sensitive product charges	14,170	14,342	13,783
Admiin charges [Member] \| Corporate and Other
Segment Reporting, Other Significant Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Interest sensitive product charges	5,547	5,809	6,212
Cost of insurance charges [Member] \| Life Insurance
Segment Reporting, Other Significant Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Interest sensitive product charges	48,111	46,911	45,273
Cost of insurance charges [Member] \| Corporate and Other
Segment Reporting, Other Significant Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Interest sensitive product charges	29,805	29,760	29,569
Surrender charges [Member] \| Life Insurance
Segment Reporting, Other Significant Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Interest sensitive product charges	1,181	919	737
Surrender charges [Member] \| Corporate and Other
Segment Reporting, Other Significant Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Interest sensitive product charges	213	346	479
Separate account charges [Member] \| Corporate and Other
Segment Reporting, Other Significant Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Interest sensitive product charges	7,957	8,854	9,157
Amortization of policy initiation fees [Member] \| Life Insurance
Segment Reporting, Other Significant Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Interest sensitive product charges	(24)	3,371	1,504
Amortization of policy initiation fees [Member] \| Corporate and Other
Segment Reporting, Other Significant Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Interest sensitive product charges	$ 1,165	$ 1,748	$ 1,129

The change in the premium receivable balance on the balance sheet.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 230
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 28
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=66902209&loc=d3e3602-108585

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- Definition

Income from agency and brokerage operations (includes sales of annuities and supplemental contracts); service charges, commissions, and fees from the sale of insurance and related services; and management fees from separate accounts, deferred annuities, and universal life products.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 944
-SubTopic 225
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.7-04.4)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6879464&loc=d3e573970-122913

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 942
-SubTopic 225
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.9-04.13(c),(d))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6879574&loc=d3e536633-122882

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- Definition

Amount, after premiums ceded to other entities and premiums assumed by the entity, of life premiums earned.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 944
-SubTopic 225
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.7-04.1)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6879464&loc=d3e573970-122913

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 944
-SubTopic 605
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (b),(c)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6486672&loc=d3e27261-158547

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 944
-SubTopic 605
-Section 45
-Paragraph 1
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6486662&loc=d3e27175-158546

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- Definition

Cash received as payments for insurance premiums during the current period.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 230
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 25
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=66902209&loc=d3e3536-108585

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Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

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