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Note 1. Significant Accounting Policies and Practices
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2014
Notes  
Note 1. Significant Accounting Policies and Practices

1.             Significant Accounting Policies and Practices

 

                (A)          Business and Organization

 

American Independence Corp. is a Delaware corporation (NASDAQ: AMIC).  We are a holding company principally engaged in the insurance and reinsurance business through: a) our wholly owned insurance company, Independence American Insurance Company ("Independence American"); b) our full service direct writer of medical stop-loss insurance for self-insured employer groups, IHC Risk Solutions, LLC (“Risk Solutions”); c) our 23% investment in Majestic Underwriters LLC ("Majestic"); d) our 51% ownership in HealthInsurance.org, LLC (“HIO”), a lead generation agency; e) our wholly owned sales and marketing  company, IHC Specialty Benefits, Inc. (“Specialty Benefits”); f) our 40% ownership in Global Accident Facilities, LLC (“GAF”), a holding company for a managing general underwriting agency for non-subscriber occupational accident business; g) our 90% ownership in IPA Family, LLC (“IPA Family”), a consumer direct sales agency; and h) our 92% ownership in IPA Direct, LLC (“IPAD”), a consumer direct sales call center. 

 

As used in this report, unless otherwise required by the context, AMIC and its subsidiaries are sometimes collectively referred to as the "Company" or "AMIC", or are implicit in the terms "we", "us" and "our".  Risk Solutions, Specialty Benefits, HIO, IPAD and IPA Family are collectively referred to as “our Agencies”.

 

Since November 2002, AMIC has been affiliated with Independence Holding Company ("IHC").  In October 2013, IHC purchased 762,640 shares of AMIC stock for $10.00 per share in connection with a tender offer for such shares and, as a result, IHC and its subsidiaries further increased its ownership of AMIC to 90.0%.  The senior management of IHC provides direction to the Company through a service agreement between the Company and IHC.  IHC has also entered into reinsurance treaties through its wholly owned subsidiaries, Standard Security Life Insurance Company of New York (“Standard Security Life”) and Madison National Life Insurance Company, Inc. (“Madison National Life”), whereby the Company assumes reinsurance premiums from the following lines of business: medical stop-loss, New York statutory disability (“DBL”), short-term medical, long-term disability (“LTD”) and group major medical.

 

(B)                Basis of Presentation

 

The condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) and include the accounts of AMIC and its consolidated subsidiaries. All 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; (ii) the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements; and (iii) the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. AMIC’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, should be read in conjunction with the accompanying 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 condensed consolidated financial position and results of operations for the interim periods have been included. The Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income for the three months ended March 31, 2014 is not necessarily indicative of the results to be anticipated for the entire year.

 

(C)                Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

 

In July 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), issued guidance for the presentation of unrecognized tax benefits to better reflect the manner in which an entity would settle, at the reporting date, any additional income taxes that would result from the disallowance of a tax position when net operating loss carryforwards, similar tax losses, or tax credit carryforwards exist. The adoption of this guidance, effective January 1, 2014, did not have an effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

 

In July 2011, the FASB issued guidance specifying that the liability for the fees paid to the Federal Government by health insurers as a result of recent healthcare reform legislation should be estimated and recorded in full once the entity provides qualifying health insurance in the applicable calendar year in which the fee is payable with a corresponding deferred cost that is amortized to expense using a straight-line method of allocation unless another method better allocates the fee over the calendar year that it is payable. The amendments in this Update became effective January 1, 2014. The liability for the mandated fees payable to the Federal Government is immaterial for the Company.

 

Recently Issued Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted

 

In April 2014, the FASB issued guidance: (i) improving the definition of discontinued operations by limiting the reporting of discontinued operations to disposals of components that represent strategic shifts that have (or will have) a major effect on an entity’s operations and financial results; and (ii) requiring expanded disclosures for discontinued operations. Public entities are required to apply this guidance to: (i) all disposals (or classifications as held for sale) of components of the entity that occur within annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2014, and interim periods within those years; and (ii) to all businesses that, on acquisition, are classified as held for sale that occur within annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2014, and interim periods within those years. Early adoption is permitted, but only for disposals (or classifications as held for sale) that have not been reported in previously issued financial statements. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

 

(D)          Segment Reporting

 

The Company manages and reports the business as a single segment in accordance with FASB guidance, which views certain qualitative and quantitative criteria for determining whether different lines of business should be aggregated for financial reporting purposes.  FASB guidance requires the use of the “management approach” model for segment reporting. The management approach model is based on the way a company’s management organizes segments within the company for making operating decisions and assessing performance. Reportable segments are based on products and services, geography, legal structure, management structure or any other manner in which management disaggregates a company.

 

The Company is managed with a focus on its overall insurance and reinsurance capabilities as opposed to any one line of business.  Our Chief Executive Officer, who is our chief decision maker, evaluates financial information for our business as a single segment in allocating resources and assessing performance.  The integrated nature of our insurance lines of business with our Agencies is sufficiently commingled to permit their aggregation as a single reporting segment.