Note 7 - Investments in Marketable Securities (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Available-for-sale Securities [Table Text Block]

	September 30, 2016				December 31, 2015
(in thousands)	Amortized Cost		Fair Value		Amortized Cost		Fair Value
Investments available for sale:
Marketable equity securities	$	30,176	$	147,017	$	30,176	$	116,168
Restricted investments available for sale:
Corporate debt securities		65,938		67,826		71,960		71,143
Commercial mortgage–backed securities		53,531		53,913		61,645		60,910
U.S. Treasury securities		26,816		27,188		21,123		21,033
State and municipal securities		29,478		29,959		16,446		16,780
	$	205,939	$	325,903	$	201,350	$	286,034

Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities Reconciliation [Table Text Block]

	September 30, 2016						December 31, 2015
	Shares		Cost		Fair Value		Shares		Cost		Fair Value
NHI Common Stock		1,630,642	$	24,734	$	127,973		1,630,642	$	24,734	$	99,257

Investments Classified by Contractual Maturity Date [Table Text Block]

	September 30, 2016				December 31, 2015
(in thousands)	Cost		Fair Value		Cost		Fair Value
Maturities:
Within 1 year	$	18,530	$	18,581	$	23,291	$	23,273
1 to 5 years		81,710		82,810		74,747		74,671
6 to 10 years		73,505		75,474		71,442		70,223
Over 10 years		2,018		2,021		1,694		1,699
	$	175,763	$	178,886	$	171,174	$	169,866

- Definition

Tabular disclosure of available-for-sale securities which includes, but is not limited to, changes in the cost basis and fair value, fair value and gross unrealized gain (loss), fair values by type of security, contractual maturity and classification, amortized cost basis, contracts to acquire securities to be accounted for as available-for-sale, debt maturities, transfers to trading, change in net unrealized holding gain (loss) net of tax, continuous unrealized loss position fair value, aggregate losses qualitative disclosures, other than temporary impairment (OTTI) losses or other disclosures related to available for sale securities.

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