SIGNIFICANT TRANSACTIONS - Total Intangible Assets (Details) - Individual Life Business - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jun. 01, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Other intangibles	$ 28,600
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Net, Amortization Expense, Fiscal Year Maturity [Abstract]
Remainder of 2019		$ 1,279
2020		2,193
2021		2,193
2022		2,193
2023		2,193
Expected Amortization Expense VOBA [Abstract]
Remainder of 2019		(4,966)
2020		(12,292)
2021		(6,807)
2022		(1,010)
2023		$ 3,259
Distribution relationships
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Other intangibles	$ 15,000
Estimated Useful Life	18 years
Technology
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Other intangibles	$ 13,600
Estimated Useful Life	10 years

Expected Amortization Expense VOBA [Abstract]

No definition available.

Name:	plico_ExpectedAmortizationExpenseVOBAAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	plico_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Expected Amortization Expense of Valuation Of Business Acquisition (VOBA) Remainder of Fiscal Year

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	plico_ExpectedAmortizationExpenseofValuationOfBusinessAcquisitionVOBARemainderofFiscalYear
Namespace Prefix:	plico_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Expected Amortization Expense of Valuation Of Business Acquisition (VOBA) Year Five

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	plico_ExpectedAmortizationExpenseofValuationOfBusinessAcquisitionVOBAYearFive
Namespace Prefix:	plico_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Expected Amortization Expense of Valuation Of Business Acquisition (VOBA) Year Four

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	plico_ExpectedAmortizationExpenseofValuationOfBusinessAcquisitionVOBAYearFour
Namespace Prefix:	plico_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Expected Amortization Expense of Valuation Of Business Acquisition (VOBA) Year Three

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	plico_ExpectedAmortizationExpenseofValuationOfBusinessAcquisitionVOBAYearThree
Namespace Prefix:	plico_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Expected Amortization Expense of Valuation Of Business Acquisition (VOBA) Year Two

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	plico_ExpectedAmortizationExpenseofValuationOfBusinessAcquisitionVOBAYearTwo
Namespace Prefix:	plico_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

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

- Definition

Amount of intangible assets, excluding goodwill, acquired at the acquisition date.

+ References

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 805
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (c)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=116869197&loc=d3e4845-128472

+ Details

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

- Definition

Useful life of finite-lived intangible assets, 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_FiniteLivedIntangibleAssetUsefulLife
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of amortization expense for assets, excluding financial assets and goodwill, lacking physical substance with a finite life expected to be recognized in the remainder of the fiscal year following the latest fiscal year. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported on a rolling approach, from latest balance sheet date.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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

- Definition

Amount of amortization expense for assets, excluding financial assets and goodwill, lacking physical substance with a finite life expected to be recognized during the fifth fiscal year following the latest fiscal year. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported on a rolling approach, from latest balance sheet date.

+ References

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 350
-SubTopic 30
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (a)(3)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=66006027&loc=d3e16323-109275

+ Details

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

- Definition

Amount of amortization expense for assets, excluding financial assets and goodwill, lacking physical substance with a finite life expected to be recognized during the fourth fiscal year following the latest fiscal year. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported on a rolling approach, from latest balance sheet date.

+ References

+ Details

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

- Definition

Amount of amortization expense for assets, excluding financial assets and goodwill, lacking physical substance with a finite life expected to be recognized during the third fiscal year following the latest fiscal year. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported on a rolling approach, from latest balance sheet date.

+ References

+ Details

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

- Definition

Amount of amortization expense for assets, excluding financial assets and goodwill, lacking physical substance with a finite life expected to be recognized during the second fiscal year following the latest fiscal year. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported on a rolling approach, from latest balance sheet date.

+ References

+ Details

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

- References

No definition available.

+ Details

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

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionAxis=plico_IndividualLifeBusinessMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FiniteLivedIntangibleAssetsByMajorClassAxis=plico_DistributionRelationshipsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FiniteLivedIntangibleAssetsByMajorClassAxis=us-gaap_TechnologyBasedIntangibleAssetsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: