Condensed Consolidating Financial Information - Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheet (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions		Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		$ 94.8	$ 69.2	$ 54.4	$ 40.5
Restricted cash		57.4	59.0	62.4	60.9
Accounts receivable		506.1	467.7
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		97.5	66.2
Total current assets		755.8	662.1
Property and equipment, net		1,959.3	1,634.8
Operating lease right-of-use assets		276.5
Goodwill		2,305.2	2,100.8	1,972.6	1,927.2
Intangible assets, net		476.3	443.4
Deferred income tax assets		2.9	42.9
Other long-term assets		304.7	291.0
Intercompany notes receivable		0.0	0.0
Intercompany receivable and investments in consolidated affiliates		0.0	0.0
Total assets	[1]	6,080.7	5,175.0
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt		39.3	35.8
Current operating lease liabilities		40.4
Accounts payable		94.6	90.0
Accrued payroll		210.5	188.4
Accrued interest payable		32.4	24.4
Other current liabilities		303.8	333.9
Total current liabilities		721.0	672.5
Long-term debt, net of current portion		3,023.3	2,478.6
Long-term operating lease liabilities		243.8
Intercompany notes payable		0.0	0.0
Self-insured risks		117.2	119.6
Other long-term liabilities		42.7	85.6
Intercompany payable		0.0	0.0
Total liabilities		4,148.0	3,356.3
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interests		239.6	261.7
Shareholders' equity
Encompass Health shareholders’ equity		1,352.2	1,276.7
Noncontrolling interests		340.9	280.3
Total shareholders’ equity		1,693.1	1,557.0	1,395.4	910.6
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity	[1]	6,080.7	5,175.0
Eliminating Entries
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Restricted cash		0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Accounts receivable		0.0	0.0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		(19.3)	(18.8)
Total current assets		(19.3)	(18.8)
Property and equipment, net		0.0	0.0
Operating lease right-of-use assets		(35.3)
Goodwill		0.0	0.0
Intangible assets, net		0.0	0.0
Deferred income tax assets		(35.5)	(34.0)
Other long-term assets		0.0	0.0
Intercompany notes receivable		(737.8)	(535.3)
Intercompany receivable and investments in consolidated affiliates		(3,679.0)	(3,362.0)
Total assets		(4,506.9)	(3,950.1)
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt		0.0	(17.5)
Current operating lease liabilities		(10.9)
Accounts payable		0.0	0.0
Accrued payroll		0.0	0.0
Accrued interest payable		0.0	(0.3)
Other current liabilities		(19.3)	(1.0)
Total current liabilities		(30.2)	(18.8)
Long-term debt, net of current portion		0.0	0.0
Long-term operating lease liabilities		(24.6)
Intercompany notes payable		(737.8)	(535.3)
Self-insured risks		0.0	0.0
Other long-term liabilities		(35.5)	(33.9)
Intercompany payable		(70.4)	(53.1)
Total liabilities		(898.5)	(641.1)
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interests		0.0	0.0
Shareholders' equity
Encompass Health shareholders’ equity		(3,608.4)	(3,309.0)
Noncontrolling interests		0.0	0.0
Total shareholders’ equity		(3,608.4)	(3,309.0)
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity		(4,506.9)	(3,950.1)
Encompass Health Corporation
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		53.7	41.5	34.3	20.6
Restricted cash		0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Accounts receivable		0.0	0.0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		64.3	36.3
Total current assets		118.0	77.8
Property and equipment, net		133.4	123.9
Operating lease right-of-use assets		10.1
Goodwill		0.0	0.0
Intangible assets, net		17.7	21.4
Deferred income tax assets		27.2	47.9
Other long-term assets		53.6	47.9
Intercompany notes receivable		737.8	535.3
Intercompany receivable and investments in consolidated affiliates		3,155.4	2,904.4
Total assets		4,253.2	3,758.6
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt		17.0	35.0
Current operating lease liabilities		1.3
Accounts payable		9.8	8.9
Accrued payroll		34.8	35.0
Accrued interest payable		30.4	22.3
Other current liabilities		82.2	154.5
Total current liabilities		175.5	255.7
Long-term debt, net of current portion		2,670.6	2,188.7
Long-term operating lease liabilities		9.0
Intercompany notes payable		0.0	0.0
Self-insured risks		19.3	16.1
Other long-term liabilities		26.6	21.4
Intercompany payable		0.0	0.0
Total liabilities		2,901.0	2,481.9
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interests		0.0	0.0
Shareholders' equity
Encompass Health shareholders’ equity		1,352.2	1,276.7
Noncontrolling interests		0.0	0.0
Total shareholders’ equity		1,352.2	1,276.7
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity		4,253.2	3,758.6
Guarantor Subsidiaries
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		5.2	3.0	2.9	1.6
Restricted cash		0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Accounts receivable		280.4	270.7
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		35.4	17.6
Total current assets		321.0	291.3
Property and equipment, net		1,246.0	1,041.5
Operating lease right-of-use assets		171.5
Goodwill		912.2	912.2
Intangible assets, net		101.7	96.6
Deferred income tax assets		11.1	28.9
Other long-term assets		85.4	100.4
Intercompany notes receivable		0.0	0.0
Intercompany receivable and investments in consolidated affiliates		523.6	457.6
Total assets		3,372.5	2,928.5
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt		10.4	7.5
Current operating lease liabilities		21.9
Accounts payable		56.5	46.4
Accrued payroll		76.2	69.1
Accrued interest payable		2.0	2.4
Other current liabilities		30.5	5.1
Total current liabilities		197.5	130.5
Long-term debt, net of current portion		305.4	262.1
Long-term operating lease liabilities		153.9
Intercompany notes payable		0.0	0.0
Self-insured risks		0.0	0.0
Other long-term liabilities		12.2	17.1
Intercompany payable		0.0	0.0
Total liabilities		669.0	409.7
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interests		0.0	0.0
Shareholders' equity
Encompass Health shareholders’ equity		2,703.5	2,518.8
Noncontrolling interests		0.0	0.0
Total shareholders’ equity		2,703.5	2,518.8
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity		3,372.5	2,928.5
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		6.0	5.1	5.5	5.4
Restricted cash		57.4	59.0	62.4	60.9
Accounts receivable		125.6	121.6
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		9.3	26.2
Total current assets		198.3	211.9
Property and equipment, net		551.2	445.2
Operating lease right-of-use assets		86.5
Goodwill		323.0	293.3
Intangible assets, net		65.3	67.5
Deferred income tax assets		0.1	0.1
Other long-term assets		151.6	130.9
Intercompany notes receivable		0.0	0.0
Intercompany receivable and investments in consolidated affiliates		0.0	0.0
Total assets		1,376.0	1,148.9
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt		3.8	4.4
Current operating lease liabilities		16.0
Accounts payable		24.3	30.4
Accrued payroll		40.4	35.4
Accrued interest payable		0.0	0.0
Other current liabilities		68.8	85.7
Total current liabilities		153.3	155.9
Long-term debt, net of current portion		41.6	20.0
Long-term operating lease liabilities		73.6
Intercompany notes payable		0.0	0.0
Self-insured risks		97.9	103.5
Other long-term liabilities		2.4	5.0
Intercompany payable		66.0	48.9
Total liabilities		434.8	333.3
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interests		31.4	38.3
Shareholders' equity
Encompass Health shareholders’ equity		568.9	497.0
Noncontrolling interests		340.9	280.3
Total shareholders’ equity		909.8	777.3
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity		1,376.0	1,148.9
Holdings
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		29.9	19.6	11.7	12.9
Restricted cash		0.0	0.0	$ 0.0	$ 0.0
Accounts receivable		100.1	75.4
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		7.8	4.9
Total current assets		137.8	99.9
Property and equipment, net		28.7	24.2
Operating lease right-of-use assets		43.7
Goodwill		1,070.0	895.3
Intangible assets, net		291.6	257.9
Deferred income tax assets		0.0	0.0
Other long-term assets		14.1	11.8
Intercompany notes receivable		0.0	0.0
Intercompany receivable and investments in consolidated affiliates		0.0	0.0
Total assets		1,585.9	1,289.1
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt		8.1	6.4
Current operating lease liabilities		12.1
Accounts payable		4.0	4.3
Accrued payroll		59.1	48.9
Accrued interest payable		0.0	0.0
Other current liabilities		141.6	89.6
Total current liabilities		224.9	149.2
Long-term debt, net of current portion		5.7	7.8
Long-term operating lease liabilities		31.9
Intercompany notes payable		737.8	535.3
Self-insured risks		0.0	0.0
Other long-term liabilities		37.0	76.0
Intercompany payable		4.4	4.2
Total liabilities		1,041.7	772.5
Redeemable noncontrolling interests		208.2	223.4
Shareholders' equity
Encompass Health shareholders’ equity		336.0	293.2
Noncontrolling interests		0.0	0.0
Total shareholders’ equity		336.0	293.2
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity		$ 1,585.9	$ 1,289.1

[1] Our consolidated assets as of December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 include total assets of variable interest entities of $215.0 million and $197.5 million, respectively, which cannot be used by us to settle the obligations of other entities. Our consolidated liabilities as of December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 include total liabilities of the variable interest entities of $41.1 million and $50.8 million, respectively. See Note 3, Variable Interest Entities.