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Accounting Changes (Policies)
 3 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2020
Accounting Changes and Error Corrections [Abstract]  
New Accounting Principles Adopted New Accounting Principle AdoptedIn June 2016, the FASB issued a new accounting standard which requires earlier recognition of credit losses on loans and other financial instruments held by entities, including trade receivables. The new standard requires entities to measure all expected credit losses for financial assets held at each reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. The Company’s adoption of this accounting standard on October 1, 2020, using the modified retrospective method, did not have a material impact on the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements.
Commitments and Contingencies
Given the uncertain nature of litigation generally, the Company is not able, in all cases, to estimate the amount or range of loss that could result from an unfavorable outcome of the litigation to which the Company is a party. In accordance with U.S. GAAP, the Company establishes accruals to the extent probable future losses are estimable (in the case of environmental matters, without considering possible third-party recoveries). With respect to putative class action lawsuits in the United States and certain of the Canadian lawsuits described below relating to product liability matters, the Company is unable to estimate a range of reasonably possible losses for the following reasons: (i) all or certain of the proceedings are in early stages; (ii) the Company has not received and reviewed complete information regarding all or certain of the plaintiffs and their medical conditions; and/or (iii) there are significant factual issues to be resolved. In addition, there is uncertainty as to the likelihood of a class being certified or the ultimate size of the class. With respect to the civil investigative demand (“CID”) served by the Department of Justice, discussed below, the Company is unable to estimate a range of reasonably possible losses for the following reasons: (i) all or certain of the proceedings are in early stages; and/or (ii) there are significant factual and legal issues to be resolved.
In view of the uncertainties discussed below, the Company could incur charges in excess of any currently established accruals and, to the extent available, liability insurance. In the opinion of management, any such future charges, individually or in the aggregate, could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated results of operations and consolidated cash flows.
Revenue
Measurement of Revenues
The Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts reflects the current estimate of credit losses expected to be incurred over the life of its trade receivables. Such estimated credit losses are determined based on historical loss experiences, customer-specific credit risk, and reasonable and supportable forward-looking information, such as country or regional risks that are not captured in the historical loss information. The allowance for doubtful accounts for trade receivables is not material to the Company's consolidated financial results.
The Company's gross revenues are subject to a variety of deductions which are recorded in the same period that the underlying revenues are recognized. Such variable consideration includes rebates, sales discounts and sales returns. The impact of other forms of variable consideration, including sales discounts and sales returns, is not material to the Company's revenues.
Derivatives The Company uses derivative instruments to mitigate certain exposures. The Company does not enter into derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes. The effects these derivative instruments and hedged items have on financial position, financial performance, and cash flows are provided below.Hedges of the transactional foreign exchange exposures resulting primarily from intercompany payables and receivables are undesignated hedges.
The Company’s policy is to manage interest rate exposure using a mix of fixed and variable rate debt. The Company periodically uses interest rate swaps to manage such exposures. Under these interest rate swaps, the Company exchanges, at specified intervals, the difference between fixed and floating interest amounts calculated by reference to an agreed-upon notional principal amount. These swaps are designated as either fair value or cash flow hedges.
For interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges (i.e., hedges against the exposure to changes in the fair value of an asset or a liability or an identified portion thereof that is attributable to a particular risk), changes in the fair value of the interest rate swaps offset changes in the fair value of the fixed rate debt due to changes in market interest rates.
The total notional amount of the Company’s outstanding interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges was $375 million at December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020. The outstanding swaps represent fixed-to-floating interest rate swap agreements the Company entered into to convert the interest payments on certain long-term notes from the fixed rate to a floating interest rate based on LIBOR. Changes in the fair value of the interest rate swaps offset changes in the fair value of the fixed rate debt. The amounts recorded during the three months ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 for changes in the fair value of these hedges were immaterial to the Company's consolidated financial results.
Changes in the fair value of the interest rate swaps designated as cash flow hedges (i.e., hedging the exposure to variability in expected future cash flows that is attributable to a particular risk) are recorded in Other comprehensive income (loss). If interest rate derivatives designated as cash flow hedges are terminated, the balance in Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) attributable to those derivatives is reclassified into earnings over the remaining life of the hedged debt.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The Company’s cash and equivalents include institutional money market accounts, which permit daily redemption, and an ultra-short bond fund. The fair values of these investments are based upon the quoted prices in active markets provided by the holding financial institutions, which are considered Level 1 inputs in the fair value hierarchy. The fair values of these accounts were $1.1 billion and $1.5 billion at December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020, respectively. The Company’s remaining cash and equivalents, excluding restricted cash, were $2.2 billion and $1.3 billion at December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020, respectively.
Short-term investments are held to their maturities and are carried at cost, which approximates fair value. The short-term investments consist of instruments with maturities greater than three months and less than one year.
Long-term debt is recorded at amortized cost. The fair value of long-term debt is measured based upon quoted prices in active markets for similar instruments, which are considered Level 2 inputs in the fair value hierarchy. The fair value of long-term debt was $18.2 billion and $19.0 billion at December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020, respectively. The fair value of the current portion of long-term debt was $1.752 billion and $702 million at December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020, respectively.
All other instruments measured by the Company at fair value, including derivatives and contingent consideration liabilities, are immaterial to the Company's consolidated balance sheets.