Compensation and Employee Benefit Plans [Text Block] (Details) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017 USD ($) shares	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($) shares	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($) shares
Independence Holding Company Share Based Plans Total Member
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Number of Shares Available for Grant | shares	1,099,100		1,099,100
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Tax Benefit from Compensation Expense	$ 145	$ 16	$ 218	$ 255
Independence Holding Company Share Based Plans Total Member | Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense	364	(41)	$ 546	$ 640
Independence Holding Company Share Based Plans Total Member | Employee Stock Option
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period			3 years
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value | $ / shares			$ 7.01
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Gross | shares			34,000	0
Proceeds from Stock Options Exercised			$ 0	$ 84
Payments Related to Tax Withholding for Share-based Compensation			303
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercises in Period, Intrinsic Value			621	67
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Tax Benefit Realized from Exercise of Stock Options			180	15
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Compensation Not yet Recognized, Stock Options	537		$ 537
Employee Service Share-Based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Total Compensation Cost Not Yet Recognized, Period For Recognition 1			2 years 3 months 18 days
Independence Holding Company Share Based Plans Total Member | Employee Stock Option | Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense	$ 36	0	$ 106	170
Independence Holding Company Share Based Plans Total Member | Employee Stock Option | Maximum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Expiration Period			10 years
Independence Holding Company Share Based Plans Total Member | Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs)
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Non-Option Equity Instruments, Outstanding, Number | shares	30,800		30,800		71,500
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Non-Option Equity Instruments, Exercised | shares			40,700
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Share-based Liabilities Paid			$ 676
Independence Holding Company Share Based Plans Total Member | Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs) | Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense	$ 305	(57)	359	410
Independence Holding Company Share Based Plans Total Member | Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs) | Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities
Deferred Compensation Share-based Arrangements, Liability, Current and Noncurrent	559		$ 559		$ 876
Independence Holding Company Share Based Plans Total Member | Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs) | Maximum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Expiration Period			10 years
Independence Holding Company Share Based Plans Total Member | Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period			3 years
Employee Service Share-Based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Total Compensation Cost Not Yet Recognized, Period For Recognition 1			1 year 9 months 18 days
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Vested in Period, Fair Value			$ 94	120
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Total Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized, Share-based Awards Other than Options	153		153
Independence Holding Company Share Based Plans Total Member | Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) | Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense	$ 23	16	$ 81	$ 60
Independence Holding Company Share Based Plans Total Member | Modified Stock Option Awards Member
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Plan Modification, Number of Employees Affected				13
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Plan Modification, Incremental Compensation Cost				$ 170
American Independence Corp Share Based Plans Total Member
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Tax Benefit from Compensation Expense		4		7
American Independence Corp Share Based Plans Total Member | Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense		$ 7		14
American Independence Corp Share Based Plans Total Member | Employee Stock Option
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercises in Period, Intrinsic Value				212
Proceeds and Excess Tax Benefit from Share-based Compensation				$ 262