SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (PRESENT VALUE OF FUTURE PROFITS) (Details)	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Discount rate used to determine present value of future profits	12.00%

Discount Rate Used To Determine Present Value of Future Insurance Profits

No definition available.

Name:	cno_DiscountRateUsedToDeterminePresentValueOfFutureInsuranceProfits
Namespace Prefix:	cno_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration