DEBT AND OTHER OBLIGATIONS - Secured Financing Transactions (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Secured borrowings, percent of initial collateral required	102.00%
Securities lending transactions	$ 125,271
Securities loaned, fair value of collateral	132,700
Repurchase Program Borrowings
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Fair value of securities pledged under the repurchase program	1,006,600
Secured financing liabilities	$ 885,000
Reverse repurchase liability average interest rate (percent)	1.42%
Reverse repurchase maximum balance outstanding	$ 988,500	$ 1,065,800
Reverse repurchase average daily balance	$ 624,700	$ 505,400
Reverse repurchase average daily balance at average interest rate (percent)	1.01%	0.44%
Repurchase Program Borrowings \| Maximum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Term of financing agreement	90 days

Represents the average daily balance of reverse repurchase liability.

No definition available.

Name:	plico_ReverseRepurchaseAverageDailyBalance
Namespace Prefix:	plico_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Represents the average borrowing rate of average daily balance of the repurchase obligation.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	plico_ReverseRepurchaseAverageDailyBalanceAtAverageInterestRate
Namespace Prefix:	plico_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

This element represents proceeds from reverse repurchase liability for the balance sheet date.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	plico_ReverseRepurchaseLiability
Namespace Prefix:	plico_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Represents the average borrowing rate of repurchase obligation.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	plico_ReverseRepurchaseLiabilityAverageInterestRate
Namespace Prefix:	plico_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Represents the maximum outstanding balance of reverse repurchase liability.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	plico_ReverseRepurchaseMaximumBalanceOutstanding
Namespace Prefix:	plico_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Securities Lending, Percent Of Initial Collateral Required

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	plico_SecuritiesLendingPercentOfInitialCollateralRequired
Namespace Prefix:	plico_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Period of time between issuance and maturity of debt instrument, in PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents the reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentTerm
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The fair value, as of the date of each statement of financial position presented, of securities which are owned but transferred to serve as collateral for the payment of repurchase agreements, and that are reclassified and separately reported in the statement of financial position because the transferee has the right by contract or custom to sell or re-pledge them.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 860
-SubTopic 30
-Section 45
-Paragraph 1
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=66007379&loc=d3e113888-111728

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_PledgedAssetsSeparatelyReportedSecuritiesPledgedForRepurchaseAgreementsAtFairValue
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Fair value of the securities pledged as collateral against securities loaned.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 20
-Section 55
-Paragraph 12
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=82849420&loc=SL20226013-175313

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_SecuritiesLoanedFairValueOfCollateral
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount, before effects of master netting arrangements, of financial assets loaned to entities in exchange for collateral. Includes liabilities not subject to a master netting arrangement and financial assets transferred other than securities that qualify as secured borrowings.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 860
-SubTopic 30
-Section 50
-Paragraph 7
-Subparagraph (a)(1)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=64858031&loc=SL34722452-111729

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_SecuritiesLoanedIncludingNotSubjectToMasterNettingArrangementAndAssetsOtherThanSecuritiesTransferred
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis=plico_RepurchaseProgramBorrowingsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_RangeAxis=us-gaap_MaximumMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: