Organization, Consolidation, Basis of Presentation, Business Description and Accounting Policies [Text Block]	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2017
Notes
Organization, Consolidation, Basis of Presentation, Business Description and Accounting Policies	`Note 1.` Organization, Consolidation, Basis of Presentation and Accounting Policies `(A)` Business and Organization Independence Holding Company, a Delaware corporation (“IHC”), is a holding company principally engaged in the life and health insurance business through: (i) its insurance companies, Standard Security Life Insurance Company of New York ("Standard Security Life"), Madison National Life Insurance Company, Inc. ("Madison National Life"), and Independence American Insurance Company (“Independence American”); and (ii) its marketing and administrative companies, including IHC Specialty Benefits Inc., IHC Carrier Solutions, Inc. and PetPartners, Inc. IHC also owns a significant equity interest in Ebix Health Exchange Holdings, LLC (“Ebix Health Exchange”), an administration exchange for health insurance. Standard Security Life, Madison National Life and Independence American are sometimes collectively referred to as the “Insurance Group”. IHC and its subsidiaries (including the Insurance Group) are sometimes collectively referred to as the "Company", or “IHC”, or are implicit in the terms “we”, “us” and “our”. Geneve Corporation, a diversified financial holding company, and its affiliated entities, held approximately 56% of IHC's outstanding common stock at March 31, 2017. `(B)` Basis of Presentation The unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") for interim financial statements and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X and, therefore, do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. The unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of IHC and its consolidated subsidiaries. All significant intercompany transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect: (i) the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements; and (ii) the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. IHC’s annual report on Form 10-K as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission should be read in conjunction with the accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring accruals) that are necessary for a fair presentation of the consolidated financial position and results of operations for the interim periods have been included. The condensed consolidated results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2017 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be anticipated for the entire year. `(C)` Reclassifications Certain amounts in prior year’s consolidated financial statements and Notes thereto have been reclassified to conform to the 2017 presentation. `(D)` Recent Accounting Pronouncements *Recently Adopted Accounting Standards* In October 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued guidance that amends the consolidation analysis for a reporting entity that is the single decision maker of a variable interest entity. The amendments in this guidance require the decision maker’s evaluation of its interests held through related parties that are under common control on a proportionate basis rather than in their entirety when determining whether it is the primary beneficiary of that variable interest entity. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In March 2016, the FASB issued guidance that simplify several aspects of accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification in the statement of cash flows. New guidance related to the classifications in the statement of cash flows were applied on a prospective transition basis. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In March 2016, the FASB issued guidance that eliminates the requirement for retroactive adjustments on the date that a previously held investment qualifies for the equity method of accounting as a result of an increase in ownership interest or degree of influence. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. *Recently Issued Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted* In May 2017, the FASB issued guidance to provide clarity and reduce both (i) diversity in practice; and (ii) cost and complexity when accounting for a change in the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award. The amendments in this guidance should be applied prospectively in annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those periods, with early adoption permitted. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In March 2017, the FASB issued guidance requiring premium amortization on callable debt securities to be amortized to the earliest call date to more closely align the amortization period with expectations incorporated in market pricing of the underlying securities. The amendments in this guidance should be applied using a modified retrospective approach for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those periods. Additional disclosures are required in the period of adoption. Early adoption is permitted. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In February 2017, the FASB issued guidance to simplify the accounting for sales of nonfinancial assets by clarifying the definition of nonfinancial assets and adding guidance pertaining to partial sales of nonfinancial assets. The amendments in this guidance can be applied using either a retrospective approach or a modified retrospective approach in annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those periods. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In January 2017, the FASB issued guidance to simplify the test for goodwill impairment by eliminating Step 2 in the goodwill impairment test. Instead, under the amendments in this Update, an entity should perform its annual or interim, goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. An entity should recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value. Additionally, an entity should consider income tax effects from any tax-deductible goodwill on the carrying amount of the reporting unit when measuring the goodwill impairment loss, if applicable. The amendments in this guidance are effective for public business entities for annual, or any interim, goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In January 2017, the FASB issued guidance that clarifies the definition of a business to assist entities with evaluating when a set of transferred assets and activities is a business. The amendments in this guidance should be applied prospectively in annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those periods, with early adoption permitted. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In November 2016, the FASB issued guidance requiring entities to show the changes in the total cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalent in the statement of cash flows. The amendments in this guidance should be applied retrospectively and is effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In October 2016, the FASB issued guidance requiring an entity to recognize the income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory when the transfer occurs. The amendments in this guidance should be applied on a modified retrospective basis through a cumulative-effect adjustment directly to retained earnings as of the beginning of the period of adoption and are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim reporting periods within those annual reporting periods. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In August 2016, the FASB issued guidance that changes how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the cash flows statement. The amendments in this Update are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those annual periods. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In June 2016, the FASB issued guidance requiring financial assets measured at amortized cost basis to be presented at the net amount expected to be collected. An allowance for credit losses will be deducted from the amortized cost basis to present the net carrying value at the amount expected to be collected with changes in the allowance recorded in earnings. Credit losses relating to available-for-sale debt securities will also be recorded through an allowance for credit losses rather than the currently applied U.S. GAAP method of taking a permanent impairment of the security, which would be limited to the amount by which fair value is below the amortized cost. Certain existing requirements used to evaluate credit losses have been removed. For public entities that are SEC filers, the amendments in this Update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those years. Early adoption is permitted for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018. The amendments in this guidance should be applied through a cumulative effect adjustment to retained earnings upon adoption as of the beginning of the first reporting period in which the guidance is effective. Management is evaluating the requirements and potential impact that the adoption of this guidance will have on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In February 2016, the FASB issued guidance that requires lessees to recognize the assets and liabilities that arise from leases, including operating leases, on the statement of financial position. The amendments in this guidance are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 31, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years, using a modified retrospective approach. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In January 2016, the FASB issued guidance that eliminates the requirement to classify equity securities with readily determinable fair values as trading or available-for-sale. The guidance requires equity securities, other than those that result in consolidation or are accounted for under the equity method, (including other ownership interests, such as partnerships, unincorporated joint ventures, and limited liability companies) to be measured at fair value with changes in the fair value recognized through net income, simplifies the impairment assessment of equity securities without readily determinable fair values and requires changes in disclosure requirements. For public entities, the amendments in this Update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted in certain circumstances. The amendments in this Update should be applied by means of a cumulative-effect adjustment to the balance sheet as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. The amendments related to equity securities without readily determinable fair values (including disclosure requirements) should be applied prospectively to equity investments that exist as of the date of adoption of the guidance. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet or IHC’s stockholders’ equity. In May 2014, the FASB issued revenue recognition guidance for entities that either enter into contracts with customers to transfer goods or services or enter into contracts for the transfer of nonfinancial assets unless those contracts are within the scope of other standards such as insurance contracts or lease contracts. The amendment provides specific steps that an entity should apply in order to achieve its main objective which is recognizing revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In 2016, additional guidance and technical corrections were issued to clarify certain aspects of the implementation guidance and to clarify the identification of performance obligations. In August 2015, the effective date of this guidance has been deferred. For public entities, this guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period, and requires one of two specified retrospective methods of application. Earlier application is permitted only as of annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim reporting periods within that reporting period. The Company anticipates that any impact will only relate to contracts with customers outside the scope of Accounting Standards Codification Topic 944, Financial Services - Insurance. Our administrative and other service contracts that will be subject to the amendments in this Update are recorded in the Fee Income line item of the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Income and represents approximately 4% of our consolidated revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2017. Management is still in the process of evaluating the impact that the adoption of this guidance will have on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and the method of adoption that we will ultimately choose.

Organization, Consolidation, Basis of Presentation, Business Description and Accounting Policies [Text Block]

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

Organization, Consolidation, Basis of Presentation, Business Description and Accounting Policies

Note 1. Organization, Consolidation, Basis of Presentation and Accounting Policies

(A) Business and Organization

Independence Holding Company, a Delaware corporation (“IHC”), is a holding company principally engaged in the life and health insurance business through: (i) its insurance companies, Standard Security Life Insurance Company of New York ("Standard Security Life"), Madison National Life Insurance Company, Inc. ("Madison National Life"), and Independence American Insurance Company (“Independence American”); and (ii) its marketing and administrative companies, including IHC Specialty Benefits Inc., IHC Carrier Solutions, Inc. and PetPartners, Inc. IHC also owns a significant equity interest in Ebix Health Exchange Holdings, LLC (“Ebix Health Exchange”), an administration exchange for health insurance. Standard Security Life, Madison National Life and Independence American are sometimes collectively referred to as the “Insurance Group”. IHC and its subsidiaries (including the Insurance Group) are sometimes collectively referred to as the "Company", or “IHC”, or are implicit in the terms “we”, “us” and “our”.

Geneve Corporation, a diversified financial holding company, and its affiliated entities, held approximately 56% of IHC's outstanding common stock at March 31, 2017.

(B) Basis of Presentation

The unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") for interim financial statements and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X and, therefore, do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. The unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of IHC and its consolidated subsidiaries. All significant intercompany transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect: (i) the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements; and (ii) the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. IHC’s annual report on Form 10-K as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission should be read in conjunction with the accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring accruals) that are necessary for a fair presentation of the consolidated financial position and results of operations for the interim periods have been included. The condensed consolidated results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2017 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be anticipated for the entire year.

(C) Reclassifications

Certain amounts in prior year’s consolidated financial statements and Notes thereto have been reclassified to conform to the 2017 presentation.

(D) Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

In October 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued guidance that amends the consolidation analysis for a reporting entity that is the single decision maker of a variable interest entity. The amendments in this guidance require the decision maker’s evaluation of its interests held through related

parties that are under common control on a proportionate basis rather than in their entirety when determining whether it is the primary beneficiary of that variable interest entity. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In March 2016, the FASB issued guidance that simplify several aspects of accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification in the statement of cash flows. New guidance related to the classifications in the statement of cash flows were applied on a prospective transition basis. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In March 2016, the FASB issued guidance that eliminates the requirement for retroactive adjustments on the date that a previously held investment qualifies for the equity method of accounting as a result of an increase in ownership interest or degree of influence. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Recently Issued Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted

In May 2017, the FASB issued guidance to provide clarity and reduce both (i) diversity in practice; and (ii) cost and complexity when accounting for a change in the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award. The amendments in this guidance should be applied prospectively in annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those periods, with early adoption permitted. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In March 2017, the FASB issued guidance requiring premium amortization on callable debt securities to be amortized to the earliest call date to more closely align the amortization period with expectations incorporated in market pricing of the underlying securities. The amendments in this guidance should be applied using a modified retrospective approach for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those periods. Additional disclosures are required in the period of adoption. Early adoption is permitted. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In February 2017, the FASB issued guidance to simplify the accounting for sales of nonfinancial assets by clarifying the definition of nonfinancial assets and adding guidance pertaining to partial sales of nonfinancial assets. The amendments in this guidance can be applied using either a retrospective approach or a modified retrospective approach in annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those periods. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In January 2017, the FASB issued guidance to simplify the test for goodwill impairment by eliminating Step 2 in the goodwill impairment test. Instead, under the amendments in this Update, an entity should perform its annual or interim, goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. An entity should recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value. Additionally, an entity should consider income tax effects from any tax-deductible goodwill on the carrying amount of the reporting unit when measuring the goodwill impairment loss, if applicable. The amendments in this guidance are effective for public business entities for annual, or any interim, goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In January 2017, the FASB issued guidance that clarifies the definition of a business to assist entities with evaluating when a set of transferred assets and activities is a business. The amendments in this guidance should be applied prospectively in annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those periods, with early adoption permitted. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to

have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In November 2016, the FASB issued guidance requiring entities to show the changes in the total cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalent in the statement of cash flows. The amendments in this guidance should be applied retrospectively and is effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In October 2016, the FASB issued guidance requiring an entity to recognize the income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory when the transfer occurs. The amendments in this guidance should be applied on a modified retrospective basis through a cumulative-effect adjustment directly to retained earnings as of the beginning of the period of adoption and are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim reporting periods within those annual reporting periods. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In August 2016, the FASB issued guidance that changes how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the cash flows statement. The amendments in this Update are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those annual periods. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In June 2016, the FASB issued guidance requiring financial assets measured at amortized cost basis to be presented at the net amount expected to be collected. An allowance for credit losses will be deducted from the amortized cost basis to present the net carrying value at the amount expected to be collected with changes in the allowance recorded in earnings. Credit losses relating to available-for-sale debt securities will also be recorded through an allowance for credit losses rather than the currently applied U.S. GAAP method of taking a permanent impairment of the security, which would be limited to the amount by which fair value is below the amortized cost. Certain existing requirements used to evaluate credit losses have been removed. For public entities that are SEC filers, the amendments in this Update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those years. Early adoption is permitted for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018. The amendments in this guidance should be applied through a cumulative effect adjustment to retained earnings upon adoption as of the beginning of the first reporting period in which the guidance is effective. Management is evaluating the requirements and potential impact that the adoption of this guidance will have on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued guidance that requires lessees to recognize the assets and liabilities that arise from leases, including operating leases, on the statement of financial position. The amendments in this guidance are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 31, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years, using a modified retrospective approach. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In January 2016, the FASB issued guidance that eliminates the requirement to classify equity securities with readily determinable fair values as trading or available-for-sale. The guidance requires equity securities, other than those that result in consolidation or are accounted for under the equity method, (including other ownership interests, such as partnerships, unincorporated joint ventures, and limited liability companies) to be measured at fair value with changes in the fair value recognized through net income, simplifies the impairment assessment of equity securities without readily determinable fair values and requires changes in disclosure requirements. For public entities, the amendments in this Update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted in certain circumstances. The amendments in this Update should be applied by means of a cumulative-effect adjustment to the balance sheet as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. The amendments related to equity securities without readily determinable fair values (including disclosure

requirements) should be applied prospectively to equity investments that exist as of the date of adoption of the guidance. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet or IHC’s stockholders’ equity.

In May 2014, the FASB issued revenue recognition guidance for entities that either enter into contracts with customers to transfer goods or services or enter into contracts for the transfer of nonfinancial assets unless those contracts are within the scope of other standards such as insurance contracts or lease contracts. The amendment provides specific steps that an entity should apply in order to achieve its main objective which is recognizing revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In 2016, additional guidance and technical corrections were issued to clarify certain aspects of the implementation guidance and to clarify the identification of performance obligations. In August 2015, the effective date of this guidance has been deferred. For public entities, this guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period, and requires one of two specified retrospective methods of application. Earlier application is permitted only as of annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim reporting periods within that reporting period. The Company anticipates that any impact will only relate to contracts with customers outside the scope of Accounting Standards Codification Topic 944, Financial Services - Insurance. Our administrative and other service contracts that will be subject to the amendments in this Update are recorded in the Fee Income line item of the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Income and represents approximately 4% of our consolidated revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2017. Management is still in the process of evaluating the impact that the adoption of this guidance will have on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and the method of adoption that we will ultimately choose.