QUARTERLY FINANCIAL DATA (UNAUDITED) - Balance Sheets (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 3,335	$ 2,934	$ 1,902	$ 1,838	$ 2,863	$ 2,858	$ 2,949
Accounts receivable, net		1,897	1,801		1,837	1,789	1,818
Inventory, Net	1,653	1,756	1,743	1,667	1,716	1,616	1,578
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	619	642	614	614	615	621	610
Total current assets	7,503	7,229	6,060	5,959	7,031	6,884	6,955
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net	4,512	4,485	4,476	4,530	4,476	4,486	4,576
Goodwill	3,030	2,937	2,929	3,002	2,978	2,981	3,103	$ 3,102
Intangible Assets, Net (Excluding Goodwill)	1,471	1,363	1,440	1,410	1,400	1,424	1,505
Operating lease right-of-use assets	608	595	513
Other non-current assets	1,069	894	823	819	918	744	704
Total assets	18,193	17,503	16,241	15,720	16,803	16,519	16,843
Current liabilities:
Short-term debt	226	2	796	2
Current maturities of long-term debt and finance lease obligations	315	2	2	2	3	3	3
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	2,689	2,553	2,478	2,810	2,660	2,583	2,598
Total current liabilities	3,230	2,557	3,276	2,814	2,663	2,586	2,601
Long-term debt and finance lease obligations	4,809	5,157	3,451	3,481	3,480	3,491	3,550
Operating lease liabilities	510	496	417
Other non-current liabilities	1,732	1,490	1,504	1,559	1,570	1,612	1,630
Total liabilities	10,281	9,700	8,648	7,854	7,713	7,689	7,781
Commitments and contingencies
Equity:
Common stock	683	683	683	683	683	683	683
Common stock in treasury, at cost	(10,764)	(10,322)	(10,284)	(9,989)	(8,639)	(8,485)	(8,354)
Additional contributed capital	5,955	5,906	5,839	5,898	5,931	5,916	5,912
Retained earnings	15,718	15,598	15,414	15,075	14,886	14,484	14,254
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income	(3,710)	(4,086)	(4,082)	(3,823)	(3,754)	(3,756)	(3,427)
Total Baxter stockholders’ equity	7,882	7,779	7,570	7,844	9,107	8,842	9,068
Noncontrolling interests	30	24	23	22	(17)	(12)	(6)
Total equity	7,912	7,803	7,593	7,866	9,090	8,830	9,062	9,109	$ 8,221
Total liabilities and equity	$ 18,193	$ 17,503	$ 16,241	$ 15,720	$ 16,803	$ 16,519	$ 16,843
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 1	$ 1	$ 1	$ 1	$ 1	$ 1	$ 1
Common stock, authorized (in shares)	2,000,000,000	2,000,000,000	2,000,000,000	2,000,000,000	2,000,000,000	2,000,000,000	2,000,000,000
Common stock, issued (in shares)	683,494,944	683,494,944	683,494,944	683,494,944	683,494,944	683,494,944	683,494,944
Treasury stock, shares (in shares)	177,340,358	173,275,586	173,447,198	170,495,859	150,213,621	148,485,202	146,993,164
Other	$ 389			$ 404
Equipment Leased to Customers under Operating Leases
Current assets:
Other non-current assets		$ 11	$ 10	10
Current liabilities:
Other non-current liabilities				5
Translation of the Financial Position and Results of Operations of our Foreign Operations into U.S. Dollars
Current assets:
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net		5
Equity:
Other				2
As previously reported
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		2,925	1,908	1,832	$ 2,860	$ 2,857	$ 2,947
Accounts receivable, net		1,885	1,802	1,812	1,826	1,783	1,807
Inventory, Net		1,757	1,751	1,653	1,718	1,622	1,581
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		651	626	622	624	628	621
Total current assets		7,218	6,087	5,919	7,028	6,890	6,956
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net		4,541	4,539	4,542	4,520	4,531	4,614
Goodwill		2,938	2,930	2,958	2,980	2,984	3,107
Intangible Assets, Net (Excluding Goodwill)		1,364	1,441	1,398	1,402	1,427	1,507
Operating lease right-of-use assets		588	517
Other non-current assets		895	836	824	917	746	706
Total assets		17,544	16,350	15,641	16,847	16,578	16,890
Current liabilities:
Short-term debt		2	796	2
Current maturities of long-term debt and finance lease obligations		2	2	2	3	3	3
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		2,593	2,529	2,832	2,701	2,626	2,639
Total current liabilities		2,597	3,327	2,836	2,704	2,629	2,642
Long-term debt and finance lease obligations		5,157	3,451	3,473	3,485	3,495	3,550
Operating lease liabilities		490	420
Other non-current liabilities		1,464	1,483	1,516	1,545	1,585	1,605
Total liabilities		9,708	8,681	7,825	7,734	7,709	7,797
Equity:
Common stock		683	683	683	683	683	683
Common stock in treasury, at cost		(10,322)	(10,284)	(9,989)	(8,639)	(8,485)	(8,354)
Additional contributed capital		5,906	5,839	5,898	5,931	5,916	5,912
Retained earnings		16,184	15,970	15,626	15,394	14,966	14,734
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		(4,639)	(4,562)	(4,424)	(4,239)	(4,199)	(3,876)
Total Baxter stockholders’ equity		7,812	7,646	7,794	9,130	8,881	9,099
Noncontrolling interests		24	23	22	(17)	(12)	(6)
Total equity		7,836	7,669	7,816	9,113	8,869	9,093	9,116	8,280
Total liabilities and equity		17,544	16,350	15,641	16,847	16,578	16,890
Restatement impacts
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		9	(6)	6	3	1	2
Accounts receivable, net		12	(1)	28	11	6	11
Inventory, Net		(1)	(8)	14	(2)	(6)	(3)
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		(9)	(12)	(8)	(9)	(7)	(11)
Total current assets		11	(27)	40	3	(6)	(1)
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net		(56)	(63)	(12)	(44)	(45)	(38)
Goodwill		(1)	(1)	44	(2)	(3)	(4)
Intangible Assets, Net (Excluding Goodwill)		(1)	(1)	12	(2)	(3)	(2)
Operating lease right-of-use assets		7	(4)
Other non-current assets		(1)	(13)	(5)	1	(2)	(2)
Total assets		(41)	(109)	79	(44)	(59)	(47)
Current liabilities:
Short-term debt		0	0	0
Current maturities of long-term debt and finance lease obligations		0	0	0	0	0	0
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		(40)	(51)	(22)	(41)	(43)	(41)
Total current liabilities		(40)	(51)	(22)	(41)	(43)	(41)
Long-term debt and finance lease obligations		0	0	8	(5)	(4)	0
Operating lease liabilities		6	(3)
Other non-current liabilities		26	21	43	25	27	25
Total liabilities		(8)	(33)	29	(21)	(20)	(16)
Equity:
Common stock		0	0	0	0	0	0
Common stock in treasury, at cost		0	0	0	0	0	0
Additional contributed capital		0	0	0	0	0	0
Retained earnings		(586)	(556)	(551)	(508)	(482)	(480)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		553	480	601	485	443	449
Total Baxter stockholders’ equity		(33)	(76)	50	(23)	(39)	(31)
Noncontrolling interests		0	0	0	0	0	0
Total equity		(33)	(76)	50	(23)	(39)	(31)	$ (7)	$ (59)
Total liabilities and equity		(41)	(109)	79	(44)	(59)	(47)
Restatement impacts | Foreign Currency Denominated Monetary Assets and Liabilities
Current assets:
Prepaid expenses and other current assets					448
Other non-current assets		12	(9)	8	20	16	(20)
Current liabilities:
Other non-current liabilities		12	(13)	13	12	13	(14)
Equity:
Retained earnings		(514)	(491)	487		(425)	(426)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		514	487	482	456	428	432
Restatement impacts | Foreign Currency Derivative Contracts
Current assets:
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		2
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		4
Equity:
Retained earnings		2
Restatement impacts | Foreign Currency Derivative Contracts | Foreign exchange contract
Current assets:
Prepaid expenses and other current assets			1	2	(3)	4	(1)
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities				1	(4)	(4)	(4)
Equity:
Retained earnings			1	1	(1)		3
Restatement impacts | Equipment Leased to Customers under Operating Leases
Current assets:
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net		(61)	(55)	53	(49)	(45)	(44)
Other non-current assets					(12)	11	11
Current liabilities:
Other non-current liabilities		6	5		(2)	(2)	(2)
Equity:
Retained earnings		(44)	(40)	38	(35)	(32)	(31)
Restatement impacts | Translation of the Financial Position and Results of Operations of our Foreign Operations into U.S. Dollars
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		9	(6)	6	3	1	2
Accounts receivable, net		6	(7)	22	5		5
Inventory, Net		4	(3)	19	3	(1)	2
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		1	(1)			1
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net			(8)	41	5		6
Goodwill		(1)	(1)	44	(2)	(3)	(4)
Intangible Assets, Net (Excluding Goodwill)				13	(1)	(2)	(1)
Operating lease right-of-use assets		7	(4)
Other non-current assets		5	(3)	6	(2)		(4)
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		3	(4)	24	2		2
Long-term debt and finance lease obligations				8	(5)	(4)
Operating lease liabilities		6	(3)
Other non-current liabilities		4	(3)	19	(1)		(3)
Equity:
Retained earnings		(16)	(16)	17	(14)	(15)	(10)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		39	(7)	119	(29)	(15)	(17)
Restatement impacts | Other miscellaneous adjustments
Current assets:
Accounts receivable, net		6	6	6	6	6	6
Inventory, Net		(5)	(5)	5	(5)	(5)	(5)
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		(12)	(12)	12	(12)	(12)	(12)
Intangible Assets, Net (Excluding Goodwill)		(1)	(1)	1	(1)	(1)	(1)
Other non-current assets		(29)	(29)	29	(29)	(29)	(29)
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		(47)	(47)	47	(47)	(47)	(47)
Other non-current liabilities		16	16	16	16	16	16
Equity:
Retained earnings		$ (10)	$ (10)	$ 10	$ (10)	$ (10)	$ (10)