Future Annual Minimum Payments Due (Detail) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Minimum Lease Payments, 2016	$ 173
Minimum Lease Payments, 2017	159
Minimum Lease Payments, 2018	127
Minimum Lease Payments, 2019	94
Minimum Lease Payments, 2020	54
Minimum Lease Payments, Thereafter	90
Minimum Lease Payments, Total	697
Sublease Rental Receipts, 2016	(16)
Sublease Rental Receipts, 2017	(16)
Sublease Rental Receipts, 2018	(14)
Sublease Rental Receipts, 2019	(11)
Sublease Rental Receipts, 2020	(7)
Sublease Rental Receipts, Thereafter	(45)
Sublease Rental Receipts, Total	(109)
Net Lease Commitments, 2016	157
Net Lease Commitments, 2017	143
Net Lease Commitments, 2018	113
Net Lease Commitments, 2019	83
Net Lease Commitments, 2020	47
Net Lease Commitments, Thereafter	45
Net Lease Commitments, Total	$ 588

This element represents the total net lease commitments after the fifth year following the balance sheet date.

No definition available.

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Namespace Prefix:	hum_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

This element represents the total net lease commitments existing as of the balance sheet date.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	hum_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
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Period Type:	instant

- Definition

This element represents the total net lease commitments within the fifth year following the balance sheet date.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	hum_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
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Period Type:	instant

- Definition

This element represents the total net lease commitments within the fourth year following the balance sheet date.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	hum_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
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- Definition

This element represents the total net lease commitments within the first year following the balance sheet date.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	hum_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

This element represents the total net lease commitments within the third year following the balance sheet date.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	hum_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
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- Definition

This element represents the total net lease commitments within the second year following the balance sheet date.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	hum_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
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- Definition

Amount of minimum sublease rentals to be received by the seller-lessee for sale-leaseback transactions accounted for using the deposit method or as a financing.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 840
-SubTopic 40
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (b)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6456377&loc=d3e50824-112756

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- Definition

Amount of minimum sublease rentals for sale-leaseback transactions accounted for using the deposit method or as a financing to be received by the seller-lessee after 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

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- Definition

Amount of minimum sublease rentals for sale-leaseback transactions accounted for using the deposit method or as a financing to be received by the seller-lessee in 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

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- Definition

Amount of minimum sublease rentals for sale-leaseback transactions accounted for using the deposit method or as a financing to be received by the seller-lessee in 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

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- Definition

Amount of minimum sublease rentals for sale-leaseback transactions accounted for using the deposit method or as a financing to be received by the seller-lessee in the next 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

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- Definition

Amount of minimum sublease rentals for sale-leaseback transactions accounted for using the deposit method or as a financing to be received by the seller-lessee in 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

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- Definition

Amount of minimum sublease rentals for sale-leaseback transactions accounted for using the deposit method or as a financing to be received by the seller-lessee in 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

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- 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.

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- Definition

Amount of required minimum rental payments for leases having an initial or remaining non-cancelable letter-terms in excess of one year.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 840
-SubTopic 10
-Section 55
-Paragraph 40
-Subparagraph (Note 3)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6584154&loc=d3e38371-112697

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 840
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6453985&loc=d3e41502-112717

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- Definition

Amount of required minimum rental payments for operating leases having an initial or remaining non-cancelable lease term in excess of one year due in the next 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

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Amount of required minimum rental payments for operating leases having an initial or remaining non-cancelable lease term in excess of one year due in 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://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 840
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6453985&loc=d3e41502-112717

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 840
-SubTopic 10
-Section 55
-Paragraph 40
-Subparagraph (Note 3)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6584154&loc=d3e38371-112697

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Amount of required minimum rental payments for operating leases having an initial or remaining non-cancelable lease term in excess of one year due in 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

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Amount of required minimum rental payments for operating leases having an initial or remaining non-cancelable lease term in excess of one year due in 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

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Amount of required minimum rental payments for operating leases having an initial or remaining non-cancelable lease term in excess of one year due in 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

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Amount of required minimum rental payments for operating leases having an initial or remaining non-cancelable lease term in excess of one year due after 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

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