Note 7 - Investments in Marketable Securities (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2016

Notes Tables

Available-for-sale Securities [Table Text Block]

	December 31, 2016				December 31, 2015
(in thousands)	Amortized Cost		Fair Value		Amortized Cost		Fair Value
Investments available for sale:
Marketable equity securities	$	30,176	$	138,013	$	30,176	$	116,168
Restricted investments available for sale:
Corporate debt securities		71,311		71,100		71,960		71,143
Asset–backed securities		56,889		56,168		61,645		60,910
U.S. Treasury securities		25,748		25,181		21,123		21,033
State and municipal securities		32,020		31,255		16,446		16,780
	$	216,144	$	321,717	$	201,350	$	286,034

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

	December 31, 2016						December 31, 2015
	Shares		Cost		Fair Value		Shares		Cost		Fair Value
NHI Common Stock		1,630,642	$	24,734	$	120,945		1,630,642	$	24,734	$	99,257

Investments Classified by Contractual Maturity Date [Table Text Block]

	December 31, 2016				December 31, 2015
(in thousands)	Cost		Fair Value		Cost		Fair Value
Maturities:
Within 1 year	$	14,181	$	14,216	$	23,291	$	23,273
1 to 5 years		79,827		79,502		74,747		74,671
6 to 10 years		91,211		89,269		71,442		70,223
Over 10 years		749		717		1,694		1,699
	$	185,968	$	183,704	$	171,174	$	169,866