Acquisitions and Divestitures (Acquisitions Narrative) (Details)							11 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Apr. 01, 2016 USD ($) item	Mar. 01, 2016 USD ($) item	Nov. 01, 2014 USD ($) item	Oct. 01, 2014 USD ($) item	Apr. 01, 2014 USD ($) item	Jan. 27, 2014 USD ($) state item $ / shares shares	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($) state item	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($)
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Goodwill							$ 8,951,000,000	$ 6,521,000,000	$ 8,965,000,000	$ 8,951,000,000
Consolidation, Less than Wholly Owned Subsidiary, Parent Ownership Interest, Changes, Purchase of Interest by Parent								$ 9,000,000	16,000,000	2,000,000
Number of States in which Entity Operates | state								21
Number of Hospitals Owned and Leased by the Company | item								155
Business Combination, Pro Forma Information, Revenue of Acquiree since Acquisition Date, Actual								$ 214,000,000
Lake Norman [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Consolidation, Less than Wholly Owned Subsidiary, Parent Ownership Interest, Changes, Purchase of Interest by Parent			$ 150,000,000
Business Acquisition, Percentage of Voting Interests Acquired			30.00%
Upstate Carolina Medical Center [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Number of Licensed Hospital or Facility Beds | item			125
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Purchase Price			$ 4,000,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Goodwill									0
Novant [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Effective Date of Acquisition								Nov. 01, 2014
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Liabilities			$ 5,000,000
Natchez Regional Medical Center [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Effective Date of Acquisition								Oct. 01, 2014
Business Acquisition, Number of Licensed Hospital or Facility Beds | item				179
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Purchase Price				$ 10,000,000
Prepayment of future property taxes				$ 8,000,000
Period of prepayment for future property taxes will be applied to the tax liability								17 years
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Goodwill									0
Sharon Regional Health System [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Effective Date of Acquisition								Apr. 01, 2014
Business Acquisition, Number of Licensed Hospital or Facility Beds | item					258
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Cash Paid for Fixed Assets					$ 67,000,000
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Cash Paid for Working Capital					1,000,000
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Liabilities					9,000,000
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Purchase Price					$ 77,000,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Goodwill									8,000,000
Munroe Regional Medical Center [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Effective Date of Acquisition								Apr. 01, 2014
Business Acquisition, Number of Licensed Hospital or Facility Beds | item					421
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Cash Paid for Fixed Assets					$ 192,000,000
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Cash Paid for Working Capital					4,000,000
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Liabilities					11,000,000
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Purchase Price					$ 207,000,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Goodwill									11,000,000
Business Acquisition, Percentage of Voting Interests Acquired					95.00%
Business Combination, Assumed Noncontrolling Interest, Fair Value					$ 10,000,000
Munroe Regional Medical Center [Member] | Affiliate of Regional Not-for-Profit Healthcare System [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Noncontrolling Interest, Ownership Percentage by Noncontrolling Owners					5.00%
Physicians' Specialty Hospital [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Effective Date of Acquisition								Apr. 01, 2016
Business Acquisition, Number of Licensed Hospital or Facility Beds | item	20
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Liabilities	$ 2,000,000
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Purchase Price	$ 14,000,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Goodwill								$ 12,000,000
Business Acquisition, Percentage of Voting Interests Acquired	80.00%
Business Combination, Assumed Noncontrolling Interest, Fair Value	$ 2,000,000
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Cash Paid	$ 12,000,000
Indiana University Health [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Effective Date of Acquisition								Mar. 01, 2016
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Liabilities		$ 8,000,000
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Purchase Price		$ 104,000,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Goodwill								$ 45,000,000
Business Acquisition, Percentage of Voting Interests Acquired		80.00%
Business Combination, Assumed Noncontrolling Interest, Fair Value		$ 25,000,000
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Cash Paid		$ 96,000,000
IU Health La Porte Hospital [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Number of Licensed Hospital or Facility Beds | item		227
IU Health Starke Hospital [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Number of Licensed Hospital or Facility Beds | item		50
Health Management Associates, Inc. [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Combination, Acquisition Related Costs									1,000,000	69,000,000
Business Acquisition, Effective Date of Acquisition								Jan. 27, 2014
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Liabilities						$ 5,662,000,000
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Purchase Price						3,531,000,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Goodwill						4,494,000,000	4,500,000,000			4,500,000,000
Business Combination, Assumed Noncontrolling Interest, Fair Value						335,000,000
Business Combination Consideration Transferred And Existing Indebtedness Assumed						7,300,000,000
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Noncurrent Liabilities, Long-term Debt						$ 3,800,000,000
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Gross, Per Share | $ / shares						$ 10.50
Business Combination Consideration Transferred Equity Interests Issued, Per Share | shares						0.06942
Business Combination Contingent Consideration Arrangements, Contingent Value Right, Number Per Share | item						1
Business Acquisition, Number of Hospitals Acquired | item						71
Number of States in which Entity Operates | state						15
Business Combination, Pro Forma Information, Revenue of Acquiree since Acquisition Date, Actual							5,300,000,000
Business Combination, Pro Forma Information, Earnings or Loss of Acquiree since Acquisition Date, Actual							564,000,000
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Cash Paid						$ 2,778,000,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Property, Plant and Equipment						2,895,000,000
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Intangible Assets, Other than Goodwill						112,000,000
Excluding Health Management Associates Inc [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Combination, Acquisition Related Costs								$ 5,000,000	8,000,000	13,000,000
Physician Practices Clinics and Other Ancillary Businesses [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Purchase Price								16,000,000	51,000,000	29,000,000
Business Combination, Assumed Noncontrolling Interest, Fair Value								6,000,000	7,000,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Property, Plant and Equipment							15,000,000	8,000,000	19,000,000	15,000,000
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Intangible Assets, Other than Goodwill							$ 14,000,000	$ 14,000,000	$ 39,000,000	$ 14,000,000
Senior Secured Notes at 5.125, Due 2021 [Member] | Senior Secured Notes [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount						$ 1,000,000,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage						5.125%
Senior Notes at 6.875, Due 2022 [Member] | Senior Notes [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount						$ 3,000,000,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage						6.875%