Organization, Consolidation, Basis of Presentation, Business Description and Accounting Policies [Text Block]	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2020
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 underwriting, administering and/or distributing group and individual specialty benefit products, including disability, supplemental health, pet, and group life insurance 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., Independence Brokerage Group, Inc., My1HR, Inc. (“My1HR”), Torchlight Technology Group LLC (“Torchlight”) and a majority interest in PetPartners, Inc. (“PetPartners”), 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 financial holding company, and its affiliated entities, held approximately 62% of IHC's outstanding common stock at June 30, 2020.` `(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 March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of COVID-19 a global health pandemic and the United States declared a national health emergency. COVID-19 has led to largescale disruption in the global economy, market instability and widespread unemployment in the United States. The COVID-19 outbreak is a fluid situation and as it evolves, the duration of COVID-19 and its potential effects on our business cannot be certain. Regulatory mandates have affected, and we anticipate will continue to impact, the insurance industry. We currently cannot predict if there will be a material impact to our business, results of operations or financial condition in future reporting periods. Consequently, future changes in market conditions may impact estimates used in the preparation of our financial statements associated with evaluations of goodwill and other intangible assets for impairment, estimates associated with the determination of valuation allowances related to net operating loss carryforwards, and estimates of certain losses under insurance contracts. These estimates may all be subject to substantial adjustments in future periods. In addition, volatile market conditions may result in further declines in the fair value of our investment portfolio and possible impairments of certain securities. 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 June 30, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be anticipated for the entire year. `(C)` `Consolidation` In June 2020, the Company recognized a pre-tax gain of $158,000 on the sale of a wholly owned subsidiary, Cook & Company Insurance Services, Inc., that is included in other income on the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Income. `(D)` `Reclassifications` Certain amounts in prior year’s consolidated financial statements and Notes thereto have been reclassified to conform to the 2020 presentation. `(E)` `Revenue Recognition` Insurance premiums are recognized as revenue over the period insurance protection is provided. For additional information about our policies regarding the recognition of premium revenues, see Note 1 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in our 2019 Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Fee income includes fees and commissions for various sales, marketing and administrative services provided by our marketing and administrative companies. Revenue is recognized as these services are performed for most products. For these administrative service and other contracts, we have no material contract assets or contract liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet at June 30, 2020. Revenue recognized from performance obligations related to prior periods, and revenue expected to be recognized in future periods related to unfulfilled contractual performance obligations and contracts with variable consideration, is not material. Life Time value: The Company uses expected constrained life time values (“LTV”) representing the expected commissions to be received over the lifetime of certain policies sold, primarily Medicare Advantage products, on behalf of unaffiliated insurance carriers by IHC’s marketing agencies. Expected future commission revenue over the lifetime of the policies sold is recorded in the period the performance obligation is satisfied. No significant additional performance obligation occurs with renewal of the initial policy. IHC records substantially all anticipated revenue on these policies on the date a completed insurance application is submitted to the unaffiliated insurance carrier; adjusted for certain constraints including policyholder acceptance rates, cancellations and non-renewals. Increased sales of the aforementioned products to unaffiliated insurance carriers began in 2020 as a result of new contracts with those carriers and increased distribution channels. `(F)` `Recent Accounting Pronouncements` *Recently Adopted Accounting Standards* In October 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued guidance for determining whether a decision making fee is a variable interest and requires reporting entities to consider indirect interests held through related parties under common control on a proportional basis rather than as the equivalent of a direct interest. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In August 2018, the FASB issued guidance to improve the effectiveness of disclosures in the notes to financial statements regarding fair value measurements. The amendments in this guidance are effective for all entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within that fiscal year. The adoption of this guidance did not 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 guidance, 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 did not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. `Recently Issued Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted` In December 2019, the FASB issued guidance to simplify the accounting for income taxes. The guidance eliminates certain exceptions related to the approach for intra-period tax allocation, the methodology for calculating income taxes in an interim period, and the recognition of deferred tax liabilities related to changes in ownership of equity method investments and foreign subsidiaries. The guidance also simplifies aspects of accounting for franchise taxes, the requirement to allocate current and deferred tax expense to legal entities not subject to tax in its separate financial statements, enacted changes in tax laws or rates, and clarifies the accounting for transactions that result in a step-up in the tax basis of goodwill. The amendments in this guidance are effective for public business entities for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2020, 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 August 2018, the FASB issued guidance to improve existing measurements, presentation and disclosure requirements for long-duration contracts issued by insurance entities. The amendments in this guidance requires an entity to (1) review and update assumptions used to measure cash flows at least annually as well as update the discount rate assumption at each reporting date; (2) measure market risk benefits associated with deposit contracts at fair value; (3) disclose liability rollforwards and information about significant inputs, judgements assumptions, and methods used in measurement. Additionally, it simplifies the amortization of deferred acquisition costs and other balances on a constant level basis over the expected term of the related contracts. In 2019, the FASB delayed the original effective dates. For smaller reporting companies, the amendments in this guidance are now effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and for interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. Upon adoption, the amendments in this guidance should be applied to contracts in-force as of the beginning of the earliest period presented with a cumulative adjustment to beginning retained earnings. Management is evaluating the requirements and potential impact that the adoption of this guidance will have 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. In 2019, the FASB provided transition relief by providing entities with an option to irrevocably elect the fair value option on an instrument-by-instrument basis for eligible instruments upon adoption and delayed the original effective dates. For smaller reporting companies, the amendments in this guidance are now effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those years. Early adoption is permitted. 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.

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

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2020

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 underwriting, administering and/or distributing group and individual specialty benefit products, including disability, supplemental health, pet, and group life insurance 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., Independence Brokerage Group, Inc., My1HR, Inc. (“My1HR”), Torchlight Technology Group LLC (“Torchlight”) and a majority interest in PetPartners, Inc. (“PetPartners”), 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 financial holding company, and its affiliated entities, held approximately 62% of IHC's outstanding common stock at June 30, 2020.

(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 March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of COVID-19 a global health pandemic and the United States declared a national health emergency. COVID-19 has led to largescale disruption in the global economy, market instability and widespread unemployment in the United States. The COVID-19 outbreak is a fluid situation and as it evolves, the duration of COVID-19 and its potential effects on our business cannot be certain. Regulatory mandates have affected, and we anticipate will continue to impact, the insurance industry. We currently cannot predict if there will be a material impact to our business, results of operations or financial condition in future reporting periods. Consequently, future changes in market conditions may impact estimates used in the preparation of our financial statements associated with evaluations of goodwill and other intangible assets for impairment, estimates associated with the determination of valuation allowances related to net operating loss carryforwards, and estimates of certain losses under insurance contracts. These estimates may all be subject to substantial adjustments in future periods. In addition, volatile market conditions may result in further declines in the fair value of our investment portfolio and possible impairments of certain securities.

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 June 30, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be anticipated for the entire year.

(C) Consolidation

In June 2020, the Company recognized a pre-tax gain of $158,000 on the sale of a wholly owned subsidiary, Cook & Company Insurance Services, Inc., that is included in other income on the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Income.

(D) Reclassifications

Certain amounts in prior year’s consolidated financial statements and Notes thereto have been reclassified to conform to the 2020 presentation.

(E) Revenue Recognition

Insurance premiums are recognized as revenue over the period insurance protection is provided. For additional information about our policies regarding the recognition of premium revenues, see Note 1 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in our 2019 Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Fee income includes fees and commissions for various sales, marketing and administrative services provided by our marketing and administrative companies. Revenue is recognized as these services are performed for most products. For these administrative service and other contracts, we have no material contract assets or contract liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet at June 30, 2020. Revenue recognized from performance obligations related to prior periods, and revenue expected to be recognized in future periods related to unfulfilled contractual performance obligations and contracts with variable consideration, is not material.

Life Time value: The Company uses expected constrained life time values (“LTV”) representing the expected commissions to be received over the lifetime of certain policies sold, primarily Medicare Advantage products, on behalf of unaffiliated insurance carriers by IHC’s marketing agencies.

Expected future commission revenue over the lifetime of the policies sold is recorded in the period the performance obligation is satisfied. No significant additional performance obligation occurs with renewal of the initial policy. IHC records substantially all anticipated revenue on these policies on the date a completed insurance application is submitted to the unaffiliated insurance carrier; adjusted for certain constraints including policyholder acceptance rates, cancellations and non-renewals. Increased sales of the aforementioned products to unaffiliated insurance carriers began in 2020 as a result of new contracts with those carriers and increased distribution channels.

(F) Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

In October 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued guidance for determining whether a decision making fee is a variable interest and requires reporting entities to consider indirect interests held through related parties under common control on a proportional basis rather than as the equivalent of a direct interest. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In August 2018, the FASB issued guidance to improve the effectiveness of disclosures in the notes to financial statements regarding fair value measurements. The amendments in this guidance are effective for all entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within that fiscal year. The adoption of this guidance did not 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 guidance, 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 did not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Recently Issued Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted

In December 2019, the FASB issued guidance to simplify the accounting for income taxes. The guidance eliminates certain exceptions related to the approach for intra-period tax allocation, the methodology for calculating income taxes in an interim period, and the recognition of deferred tax liabilities related to changes in ownership of equity method investments and foreign subsidiaries. The guidance also simplifies aspects of accounting for franchise taxes, the requirement to allocate current and deferred tax expense to legal entities not subject to tax in its separate financial statements, enacted changes in tax laws or rates, and clarifies the accounting for transactions that result in a step-up in the tax basis of goodwill. The amendments in this guidance are effective for public business entities for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2020, 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 August 2018, the FASB issued guidance to improve existing measurements, presentation and disclosure requirements for long-duration contracts issued by insurance entities. The amendments in this guidance requires an entity to (1) review and update assumptions used to measure cash flows at least annually as well as update the discount rate assumption at each reporting date; (2) measure market risk benefits associated with deposit contracts at fair value; (3) disclose liability rollforwards and information about significant inputs, judgements assumptions, and methods used in measurement. Additionally, it simplifies the amortization of deferred acquisition costs and other balances on a constant level basis over the expected term of the related contracts. In 2019, the FASB delayed the original effective dates. For smaller reporting companies, the amendments in this guidance are now effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and for interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. Upon adoption, the amendments in this guidance should be applied to contracts in-force as of the beginning of the earliest period presented with a cumulative adjustment to beginning retained earnings. Management is evaluating the requirements and potential impact that the adoption of this guidance will have 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. In 2019, the FASB provided transition relief by providing entities with an option to irrevocably elect the fair value option on an instrument-by-instrument basis for eligible instruments upon adoption and delayed the original effective dates. For smaller reporting companies, the amendments in this guidance are now effective

for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those years. Early adoption is permitted. 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.