Contingencies (NPM Adjustment Disputes - Settlement with 35 States and Territories and Settlement with New York) (Details) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended				3 Months Ended				9 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Apr. 30, 2018 USD ($)	Oct. 31, 2017 USD ($) state	Sep. 30, 2013 USD ($) state	Nov. 30, 1998 state	Sep. 30, 2018 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2018 USD ($) state	Mar. 31, 2018 USD ($) state	Sep. 30, 2017 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018 USD ($) state claim	Sep. 30, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 state
Health Care Cost Recovery Actions [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of states with settled litigation | state				46
Litigation settlement					$ 1,200			$ 1,100	$ 3,200	$ 3,400
PM USA [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Loss contingency, number of states | state									52
Loss contingency, reduction to cost of sales						$ 90	$ 81
PM USA [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions [Member] | Settled Litigation [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of claims resolved | claim									2
Number of states with settled litigation | state									37
Loss contingency, number of states with settled litigation including new york | state												19
Loss contingency, number of states with settled litigation including New York, subsequent expansion | state									36
Litigation settlement											$ 217
PM USA [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions, 2003-2015 NPM Adjustments [Member] | Settled Litigation [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Loss contingency, number of states with settled litigation including New York, subsequent expansion | state		26
Litigation settlement		$ 740
PM USA [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions, 2004-2017 [Member] | Settled Litigation [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Loss contingency, number of additional states added | state							9
Litigation settlement						90	$ 81
Payments received from litigation settlement	$ 68
PM USA [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions, 2015-2017 Transition Years [Member] | Settled Litigation [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Litigation settlement						13	$ 13
PM USA [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions, 2003 NPM Adjustment [Member] | Settled Litigation [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of states with settled litigation | state			2
PM USA [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions, 2003 NPM Adjustment [Member] | Pending Litigation [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Loss contingency, number of states | state			15
Number of states that did not diligently enforcing escrow statutes | state			6
Loss contingency, number of states remaining | state			4
Loss contingency, number of disputes outstanding | state			2
PM USA [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions, 2003 NPM Adjustment [Member] | Pending Litigation [Member] | Cost of Sales [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Litigation settlement			$ 74
PM USA [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions, 2004 NPM Adjustment [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Estimate of possible gain									$ 388
PM USA [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions, 2005 NPM Adjustment [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Estimate of possible gain									181
PM USA [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions, 2006 NPM Adjustment [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Estimate of possible gain									154
PM USA [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions, 2007 NPM Adjustment [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Estimate of possible gain									185
PM USA [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions, 2008 NPM Adjustment [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Estimate of possible gain									250
PM USA [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions, 2009 NPM Adjustment [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Estimate of possible gain									211
PM USA [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions, 2010 NPM Adjustment [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Estimate of possible gain									218
PM USA [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions, 2011 NPM Adjustment [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Estimate of possible gain									166
PM USA [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions, 2012 NPM Adjustment [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Estimate of possible gain									214
PM USA [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions, 2013 NPM Adjustment [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Estimate of possible gain									224
PM USA [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions, 2014 NPM Adjustment [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Estimate of possible gain									253
PM USA [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions, 2015 NPM Adjustments [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Estimate of possible gain									300
PM USA [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions, 2016 NPM Adjustments [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Loss contingency, reduction to cost of sales								$ 39
Estimate of possible gain									295
PM USA [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions, 2017 NPM Adjustments [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Loss contingency, reduction to cost of sales						$ 38
Estimate of possible gain									$ 288
PM USA [Member] | Health Care Cost Recovery Actions, 2016 and 2017 NPM Adjustments [Member] | Settled Litigation [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Loss contingency, number of states with settled litigation including New York, subsequent expansion | state						26
Litigation settlement						$ 77