Document and Entity Information - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Jan. 31, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	HUMANA INC
Trading Symbol	HUM
Entity Central Index Key	0000049071
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-K
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2017
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2017
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		137,684,326
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Public Float			$ 34,733,751,307