Variable Interest Entities	3 Months Ended
Variable Interest Entities	Mar. 31, 2018
Variable Interest Entities [Abstract]
Variable interest entities	Note 12 – Variable Interest Entities When the Company becomes involved with a variable interest entity, as well as when there is a change in the Company’s involvement with an entity, the Company must determine if it is the primary beneficiary and must consolidate the entity. The Company would be considered the primary beneficiary if it has the power to direct the entity’s most significant economic activities or has the right to receive benefits or obligation to absorb losses that could be significant to the entity. The Company evaluates the following criteria: the structure and purpose of the entity; the risks and rewards created by and shared through the entity; and the Company’s ability to direct its activities, receive its benefits and absorb its losses relative to the other parties involved with the entity including its sponsors, equity holders, guarantors, creditors and servicers. The Company determined it was not a primary beneficiary in any material variable interest entities as of March 31, 2018 or December 31, 2017. The Company’s involvement in variable interest entities where it is not the primary beneficiary is described below. Securities limited partnerships and real estate limited partnerships. The Company owns interests in securities limited partnerships and real estate limited partnerships defined as variable interest entities that invest in the equity or mezzanine debt of privately held companies and real estate properties. General partners unaffiliated with the Company control decisions that most significantly impact these partnerships’ operations and the limited partners do not have substantive kick-out or participating rights. The Company’s maximum exposure to these entities of $2.5 billion across approximately 120 limited partnerships as of March 31, 2018 includes $1.3 billion reported in other long-term investments and commitments to contribute an additional $1.2 billion. The Company’s non-controlling interest in each of these limited partnerships is generally less than 10% of the partnership ownership interests. Other asset-backed and corporate securities. In the normal course of its investing activities, the Company also makes passive investments in certain asset-backed and corporate securities that are issued by variable interest entities whose sponsors or issuers are unaffiliated with the Company. The Company receives fixed-rate cash flows from these investments and the maximum potential exposure to loss is limited to its carrying amount of $0.6 billion as of March 31, 2018, that is reported in fixed maturities. The Company’s combined ownership interests are insignificant relative to the total principal amounts issued by these entities. The Company is also involved in real estate joint ventures, independent physician associations (“IPAs”) and a joint venture in India that are variable interest entities. The carrying values and maximum exposures associated with these arrangements are immaterial. The Company has not provided, and does not intend to provide, financial support to any of the above entities that it is not contractually required to provide. The Company performs ongoing qualitative analyses of its involvement with these variable interest entities to determine if consolidation is required.

Tabular disclosure of the significant judgments and assumptions made in determining whether a variable interest (as defined) held by the entity requires the variable interest entity (VIE) (as defined) to be consolidated and (or) disclose information about its involvement with the VIE, individually or in aggregate (as applicable); the nature of restrictions, if any, on the consolidated VIE's assets and on the settlement of its liabilities reported by an entity in its statement of financial position, including the carrying amounts of such assets and liabilities; the nature of, and changes in, the risks associated with involvement in the VIE; how involvement with the VIE affects the entity's financial position, financial performance, and cash flows; the lack of recourse if creditors (or beneficial interest holders) of the consolidated VIE have no recourse to the general credit of the primary beneficiary (if applicable); the terms of arrangements, giving consideration to both explicit arrangements and implicit variable interests, if any, that could require the entity to provide financial support to the VIE, including events or circumstances that could expose the entity to a loss; the methodology used by the entity for determining whether or not it is the primary beneficiary of the variable interest entity; the significant factors considered and judgments made in determining that the power to direct the activities of a VIE that most significantly impact the VIE's economic performance are shared (as defined); the carrying amounts and classification of assets and liabilities of the VIE included in the statement of financial position; the entity's maximum exposure to loss, if any, as a result of its involvement with the VIE, including how the maximum exposure is determined and significant sources of the entity's exposure to the VIE; a comparison of the carrying amounts of the assets and liabilities and the entity's maximum exposure to loss; information about any liquidity arrangements, guarantees, and (or) other commitments by third parties that may affect the fair value or risk of the entity's variable interest in the VIE; whether or not the entity has provided financial support or other support (explicitly or implicitly) to the VIE that it was not previously contractually required to provide or whether the entity intends to provide that support, including the type and amount of the support and the primary reasons for providing the support; and supplemental information the entity determines necessary to provide.