Globe Life (GL) 10-Q 12 Nov 19 2019 Q3 Quarterly report Financial data

Cover Page

Cover Page - shares	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Nov. 04, 2019
Cover page.
Document Type	10-Q
Document Quarterly Report	true
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2019
Document Transition Report	false
Entity File Number	1-8052
Entity Registrant Name	GLOBE LIFE INC.
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	DE
Entity Tax Identification Number	63-0780404
Entity Address, Address Line One	3700 South Stonebridge Drive
Entity Address, City or Town	McKinney
Entity Address, State or Province	TX
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	75070
City Area Code	972
Local Phone Number	569-4000
Title of 12(b) Security	Common Stock, $1.00 par value per share
Trading Symbol	GL
Security Exchange Name	NYSE
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Interactive Data Current	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Shell Company	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		108,288,348
Entity Central Index Key	0000320335
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2019
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Amendment Flag	false

Condensed Consolidated Balance

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Investments:
Fixed maturities—available for sale, at fair value (amortized cost: 2019—$16,209,723; 2018—$15,753,471)	$ 18,797,674	$ 16,297,932
Policy loans	568,892	550,066
Other long-term investments (includes: 2019—$184,466; 2018—$108,241 under the fair value option)	315,535	207,258
Short-term investments	77,556	63,288
Total investments	19,759,657	17,118,544
Cash	66,675	121,026
Accrued investment income	253,125	243,003
Other receivables	432,236	415,157
Deferred acquisition costs	4,281,018	4,137,925
Goodwill	441,591	441,591
Other assets	557,604	549,899
Assets related to discontinued operations	0	68,577
Total assets	25,791,906	23,095,722
Liabilities:
Future policy benefits	14,358,592	13,953,826
Unearned and advance premium	62,586	61,208
Policy claims and other benefits payable	351,729	350,826
Other policyholders' funds	95,875	97,459
Total policy liabilities	14,868,782	14,463,319
Current and deferred income taxes	1,498,025	1,047,737
Short-term debt	233,314	307,848
Long-term debt (estimated fair value: 2019—$1,466,868; 2018—$1,384,455)	1,351,190	1,357,185
Other liabilities	528,064	453,270
Liabilities related to discontinued operations	0	51,186
Total liabilities	18,479,375	17,680,545
Commitments and Contingencies (Note 5)
Shareholders' equity:
Preferred stock, par value $1 per share—5,000,000 shares authorized; outstanding: 0 in 2019 and 2018	0	0
Common stock, par value $1 per share—320,000,000 shares authorized; outstanding: (2019—121,218,183 issued; 2018— 121,218,183 issued)	121,218	121,218
Additional paid-in-capital	538,051	524,414
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	1,943,124	319,475
Retained earnings	5,686,636	5,213,468
Treasury stock, at cost: (2019—12,773,862 shares; 2018—10,525,147 shares)	(976,498)	(763,398)
Total shareholders' equity	7,312,531	5,415,177
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	$ 25,791,906	$ 23,095,722

Condensed Consolidated Balanc_2

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Fixed maturities, available for sale, amortized cost	$ 16,209,723	$ 15,753,471
Other long-term investments under fair value option	315,535	207,258
Long-term debt, fair value	$ 1,466,868	$ 1,384,455
Preferred stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 1	$ 1
Preferred stock, shares authorized (in shares)	5,000,000	5,000,000
Preferred stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	0	0
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 1	$ 1
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	320,000,000	320,000,000
Common stock, shares issued (in shares)	121,218,183	121,218,183
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	121,218,183	121,218,183
Common stock, shares held in treasury (in shares)	12,773,862	10,525,147
Partnership Interest - Fair Value Option | Investment in limited partnerships
Other long-term investments under fair value option	$ 184,466	$ 108,241

Condensed Consolidated Statemen

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
Revenue:
Premium	$ 899,993	$ 860,750	$ 2,688,450	$ 2,564,835
Net investment income	228,905	221,627	683,003	658,279
Realized gains (losses)	11,943	1,032	18,426	14,796
Other income	438	393	1,077	1,104
Total revenue	1,141,279	1,083,802	3,390,956	3,239,014
Benefits and expenses:
Life policyholder benefits	406,963	396,701	1,227,616	1,196,616
Health policyholder benefits	170,875	162,574	511,403	483,654
Other policyholder benefits	7,854	8,581	23,792	25,852
Total policyholder benefits	585,692	567,856	1,762,811	1,706,122
Amortization of deferred acquisition costs	138,449	129,492	412,436	388,189
Commissions, premium taxes, and non-deferred acquisition costs	74,139	69,632	221,302	208,698
Other operating expense	74,575	74,059	226,412	209,503
Interest expense	21,094	22,433	63,804	66,466
Total benefits and expenses	893,949	863,472	2,686,765	2,578,978
Income before income taxes	247,330	220,330	704,191	660,036
Income tax benefit (expense)	(45,512)	(41,630)	(130,370)	(123,232)
Income from continuing operations	201,818	178,700	573,821	536,804
Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax	0	24	(92)	(55)
Net income	$ 201,818	$ 178,724	$ 573,729	$ 536,749
Basic net income (loss) per common share:
Continuing operations (in dollars per share)	$ 1.85	$ 1.59	$ 5.24	$ 4.74
Discontinued operations (in dollars per share)	0	0	0	(0.01)
Total basic net income per common share (in dollars per share)	1.85	1.59	5.24	4.73
Diluted net income (loss) per common share:
Continuing operations (in dollars per share)	1.82	1.55	5.14	4.64
Discontinued operations (in dollars per share)	0	0	0	0
Total diluted net income per common share (in dollars per share)	$ 1.82	$ 1.55	$ 5.14	$ 4.64
Life premium
Revenue:
Premium	$ 630,824	$ 605,547	$ 1,886,314	$ 1,806,384
Health premium
Revenue:
Premium	269,166	255,201	802,132	758,439
Other premium
Revenue:
Premium	$ 3	$ 2	$ 4	$ 12

Condensed Consolidated Statem_2

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
Net income	$ 201,818	$ 178,724	$ 573,729	$ 536,749
Unrealized gains (losses) on fixed maturities:
Unrealized gains (losses) on fixed maturities	639,378	(164,122)	2,052,553	(1,205,609)
Less applicable tax (expense) benefit	(134,272)	34,464	(431,037)	253,176
Unrealized gains (losses) on investments, net of tax	505,106	(129,658)	1,621,516	(952,433)
Unrealized gains (losses) attributable to deferred acquisition costs	402	1,178	(2,627)	3,669
Less applicable tax (expense) benefit	(84)	(248)	552	(771)
Unrealized gains (losses) attributable to deferred acquisition costs, net of tax	318	930	(2,075)	2,898
Foreign exchange translation adjustments, other than securities	(4,082)	(168)	(1,031)	(7,684)
Less applicable tax (expense) benefit	858	36	218	1,615
Foreign exchange translation adjustments, other than securities, net of tax	(3,224)	(132)	(813)	(6,069)
Pension:
Amortization of pension costs	2,117	3,778	6,355	11,334
Less applicable tax (expense) benefit	(443)	(793)	(1,334)	(2,380)
Pension adjustments, net of tax	1,674	2,985	5,021	8,954
Other comprehensive income (loss)	503,874	(125,875)	1,623,649	(946,650)
Comprehensive income (loss)	705,692	52,849	2,197,378	(409,901)
Securities
Unrealized gains (losses) on fixed maturities:
Unrealized holding gains (losses) arising during period	649,270	(173,598)	2,057,614	(1,202,762)
Reclassifications adjustments included in net income	(11,020)	(458)	(14,307)	(9,715)
Foreign exchange adjustment on securities recorded at fair value	(301)	8,624	183	7,360
Unrealized gains (losses) on fixed maturities	637,949	(165,432)	2,043,490	(1,205,117)
Other
Unrealized gains (losses) on fixed maturities:
Unrealized holding gains (losses) arising during period	$ 1,429	$ 1,310	$ 9,063	$ (492)

Condensed Consolidated Statem_3

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Shareholders' Equity - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Total	Preferred Stock	Common Stock	Additional Paid-in Capital	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	Retained Earnings	Treasury Stock
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2017	$ 6,231,421	$ 0	$ 124,218	$ 508,476	$ 1,424,274	$ 4,806,208	$ (631,755)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity
Comprehensive income (loss)	(310,475)				(484,075)	173,600
Common dividends declared	(18,216)					(18,216)
Acquisition of treasury stock	(109,954)						(109,954)
Stock-based compensation	9,060			465		(1,803)	10,398
Exercise of stock options	13,569					(9,077)	22,646
Ending balance at Mar. 31, 2018	5,820,301	0	124,218	508,941	940,199	4,955,608	(708,665)
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2017	6,231,421	0	124,218	508,476	1,424,274	4,806,208	(631,755)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity
Comprehensive income (loss)	(409,901)
Ending balance at Sep. 30, 2018	5,538,905	0	124,218	527,489	477,624	5,267,964	(858,390)
Beginning balance at Mar. 31, 2018	5,820,301	0	124,218	508,941	940,199	4,955,608	(708,665)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity
Comprehensive income (loss)	(152,275)				(336,700)	184,425
Common dividends declared	(18,062)					(18,062)
Acquisition of treasury stock	(96,635)						(96,635)
Stock-based compensation	10,497			8,136		0	2,361
Exercise of stock options	7,783					(6,900)	14,683
Ending balance at Jun. 30, 2018	5,571,609	0	124,218	517,077	603,499	5,115,071	(788,256)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity
Comprehensive income (loss)	52,849				(125,875)	178,724
Common dividends declared	(17,953)					(17,953)
Acquisition of treasury stock	(91,725)						(91,725)
Stock-based compensation	10,412			10,412		0	0
Exercise of stock options	13,713					(7,878)	21,591
Ending balance at Sep. 30, 2018	5,538,905	0	124,218	527,489	477,624	5,267,964	(858,390)
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2018	5,415,177	0	121,218	524,414	319,475	5,213,468	(763,398)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity
Comprehensive income (loss)	735,937				550,592	185,345
Common dividends declared	(18,943)					(18,943)
Acquisition of treasury stock	(110,896)						(110,896)
Stock-based compensation	10,559			(5,885)		(6,817)	23,261
Exercise of stock options	12,089					(7,736)	19,825
Ending balance at Mar. 31, 2019	6,043,426	0	121,218	518,529	870,067	5,364,820	(831,208)
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2018	5,415,177	0	121,218	524,414	319,475	5,213,468	(763,398)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity
Comprehensive income (loss)	2,197,378
Ending balance at Sep. 30, 2019	7,312,531	0	121,218	538,051	1,943,124	5,686,636	(976,498)
Beginning balance at Mar. 31, 2019	6,043,426	0	121,218	518,529	870,067	5,364,820	(831,208)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity
Other	105					105
Comprehensive income (loss)	755,749				569,183	186,566
Common dividends declared	(18,838)					(18,838)
Acquisition of treasury stock	(119,201)						(119,201)
Stock-based compensation	11,256			7,989		0	3,267
Exercise of stock options	27,901					(18,136)	46,037
Ending balance at Jun. 30, 2019	6,700,398	0	121,218	526,518	1,439,250	5,514,517	(901,105)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity
Comprehensive income (loss)	705,692				503,874	201,818
Common dividends declared	(18,695)					(18,695)
Acquisition of treasury stock	(104,372)						(104,372)
Stock-based compensation	11,533			11,533		0	0
Exercise of stock options	17,975					(11,004)	28,979
Ending balance at Sep. 30, 2019	$ 7,312,531	$ 0	$ 121,218	$ 538,051	$ 1,943,124	$ 5,686,636	$ (976,498)

Condensed Consolidated Statem_4

Condensed Consolidated Statements Of Shareholders' Equity (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	3 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018
Statement of Stockholders' Equity [Abstract]
Common dividends declared, per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.1725	$ 0.1725	$ 0.1725	$ 0.16	$ 0.16	$ 0.16

Condensed Consolidated Statem_5

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
Cash provided from (used for) operating activities:
Cash provided from (used for) operating activities	$ 1,030,175	$ 937,289
Cash provided from (used for) investing activities:
Fixed maturities available for sale—sold	62,151	12,162
Fixed maturities available for sale—matured or other redemptions	604,701	266,736
Other long-term investments	0	47
Total investments sold or matured	666,852	278,945
Acquisition of investments:
Fixed maturities—available for sale	(1,056,822)	(727,296)
Other long-term investments	(107,660)	(74,396)
Total investments acquired	(1,164,482)	(801,692)
Net increase (decrease) in policy loans	(18,826)	(14,307)
Net increase (decrease) in short-term investments	(5,270)	(506,419)
Additions to properties	(30,049)	(27,316)
Dispositions of properties	32	17
Investment in low-income housing interests	(16,824)	(19,075)
Cash provided from (used for) investing activities	(568,567)	(1,089,847)
Cash provided from (used for) financing activities:
Issuance of common stock	57,573	35,065
Cash dividends paid to shareholders	(55,493)	(53,481)
Repayment of debt	(5,000)	(23,125)
Proceeds from issuance of debt	0	550,000
Payment for debt issuance costs	0	(6,797)
Net borrowing (repayment) of commercial paper	(76,409)	(7,196)
Acquisition of treasury stock	(334,469)	(298,314)
Net receipts (payments) from deposit product	(95,626)	(87,561)
Cash provided from (used for) financing activities	(509,424)	108,591
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash	(6,535)	2,843
Net increase (decrease) in cash	(54,351)	(41,124)
Cash at beginning of year	121,026	118,563
Cash at end of period	$ 66,675	$ 77,439

Significant Accounting Policies

Significant Accounting Policies	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Significant Accounting Policies	Note 1—Significant Accounting Policies Business : Effective August 8, 2019, Torchmark Corporation changed its corporate name to Globe Life Inc. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) ticker was changed to "GL" on August 9, 2019. The name change is part of a brand alignment strategy which will enhance the Company's ability to build name recognition with potential customers and agent recruits through the use of a single brand. The underwriting companies owned by Globe Life Inc. (the Parent Company) will continue to exist as legal entities, but over a period of time will go to market under the Globe Life name to leverage branding initiatives implemented at Globe Life And Accident Insurance Company in recent years. "Globe Life" and the "Company" refer to Globe Life Inc. , an insurance holding company incorporated in Delaware in 1979, and its subsidiaries and affiliates. Its primary subsidiaries are Globe Life And Accident Insurance Company, American Income Life Insurance Company (American Income), Liberty National Life Insurance Company (Liberty National), Family Heritage Life Insurance Company of America (Family Heritage), and United American Insurance Company (United American). Globe Life provides a variety of life and supplemental health insurance products and annuities to a broad base of customers. The Company is organized into four Basis of Presentation: The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements of Globe Life Inc. have been prepared in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q. Therefore, they do not include all of the disclosures required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) for annual financial statements. However, in the opinion of management, these statements include all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments, which are necessary for a fair presentation of the condensed consolidated financial position at September 30, 2019 , and the condensed consolidated results of operations, comprehensive income, and cash flows for the periods ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 . The interim period condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements that are included in the Form 10-K filed with the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 1, 2019 .

New Accounting Standards

New Accounting Standards	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Accounting Changes and Error Corrections [Abstract]
New Accounting Standards	Note 2—New Accounting Standards Accounting Pronouncements Adopted in the Current Year Standard Description Effective date Effect on the consolidated financial statements ASU No. 2016-02/2018-11 , Leases (Topic 842), with clarification guidance issued in July 2018. The standard requires lessees to record a right-of-use asset and corresponding lease liability on the balance sheet for all operating leases that do not qualify for the practical expedients allowed for in this standard. Additional qualitative and quantitative disclosures are required. This standard became effective for the Company beginning January 1, 2019. The Company adopted the optional transition method allowed for under ASU 2018-11 by not restating comparative periods and recognizing an immaterial cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings on January 1, 2019. The Company does not have any significant lessor contracts. The adoption did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements. ASU No. 2017-08 , Receivables—Nonrefundable Fees and Other Costs (Topic 310-20): Premium Amortization on Purchased Callable Debt Securities This standard was issued to shorten the amortization period for certain callable debt securities held at a premium. The standard requires the premium to be amortized to the earliest call date. This standard became effective for the Company beginning January 1, 2019. This adoption did not have a material impact on the condensed consolidated financial statements. Accounting Pronouncements Yet to be Adopted Standard Description Effective date Effect on the consolidated financial statements ASU No. 2016-13/2018-19/2019-04/2019-05 , Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, with clarification guidance issued in November 2018, along with April and May 2019. This standard ("CECL") provides financial statement users with more decision-useful information about the expected credit losses on financial instruments, such as assets recorded at amortized cost, as well as to change the loss impairment methodology for available-for-sale fixed maturities by use of an allowance rather than a direct write-down. This standard will become effective on January 1, 2020 with a modified retrospective transition and an opening balance sheet adjustment to retained earnings on January 1, 2020. The applicable section of the standard related to debt securities requires a prospective transition. The Company's available-for-sale fixed maturities and other financing receivables will be the relevant financial assets within the scope of the standard. Based on current analysis, the adoption of the guidance is not expected to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements. ASU No. 2018-12 , Financial Services - Insurance (Topic 944): Targeted Improvements to the Accounting for Long-Duration Contracts ASU 2018-12 is a significant change to our current accounting and disclosure of long-duration contracts, which is our primary business. The guidance was primarily issued to 1) improve the timeliness of recognizing changes in the liability for future policy benefits and modify the rate used to discount future cash flows, 2) simplify and improve the accounting for certain market-based options or guarantees associated with deposit (or account balance) contracts, 3) simplify the amortization of deferred acquisition costs, and 4) improve the effectiveness of the required disclosures. This standard is effective beginning January 1, 2021. In July 2019, the FASB tentatively approved a proposal to defer the adoption date by one year to January 1, 2022. While final approval was received in the third quarter, the corresponding ASU has not yet been issued. Early adoption of the amendments is permitted. The Company is currently in the process of evaluating the impact this standard will have on the consolidated financial statements and disclosures, specifically assessing key accounting policies, assumption and data inputs, controls, as well as enhanced system solutions. ASU No. 2018-13 , Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework-Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement The amendment modifies the disclosure requirements for fair value measurements by removing, modifying, or adding certain disclosures. The revised standard is effective beginning January 1, 2020. The removed and modified disclosures will be adopted on a retrospective basis and the new disclosures will be adopted on a prospective basis. Early adoption is permitted. The Company does not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements. Accounting Pronouncements Yet to be Adopted (continued) Standard Description Effective date Effect on the consolidated financial statements ASU No. 2018-14 , Compensation-Retirement Benefits-Defined Benefit Plans-General (Subtopic 715-20), Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Defined Benefit Plans The standard removes disclosures that are no longer considered cost beneficial, clarifies the specific requirements of disclosures and adds disclosure requirements identified as relevant to defined benefit plans. This standard is effective beginning January 1, 2021, and will be applied retrospectively. Early adoption is permitted. The Company does not expect the adoption of this standard to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements. ASU No. 2018-15 , Intangibles-Goodwill and Other-Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement that is a Service Contract The standard was issued to now allow the capitalization of implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with similar treatment of developed or obtained internal-use software. The standard is effective beginning January 1, 2020, and the Company plans to apply the standards on a prospective basis. Early adoption of the amendments is also permitted. The Company does not expect the adoption of this standard to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

Supplemental Information about

Supplemental Information about Changes to Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Equity [Abstract]
Supplemental Information about Changes to Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	Note 3—Supplemental Information about Changes to Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Components of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income : An analysis of the change in balance by component of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income is as follows for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 : Three Months Ended September 30, 2018 Available Deferred Foreign Pension Total Balance at July 1, 2018 $ 746,514 $ (6,579 ) $ 10,365 $ (146,801 ) $ 603,499 Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications, net of tax (129,296 ) 930 (132 ) — (128,498 ) Reclassifications, net of tax (362 ) — — 2,985 2,623 Other comprehensive income (loss) (129,658 ) 930 (132 ) 2,985 (125,875 ) Balance at September 30, 2018 $ 616,856 $ (5,649 ) $ 10,233 $ (143,816 ) $ 477,624 Three Months Ended September 30, 2019 Available Deferred Foreign Pension Total Balance at July 1, 2019 $ 1,552,108 $ (6,556 ) $ 8,906 $ (115,208 ) $ 1,439,250 Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications, net of tax 513,812 318 (3,224 ) — 510,906 Reclassifications, net of tax (8,706 ) — — 1,674 (7,032 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) 505,106 318 (3,224 ) 1,674 503,874 Balance at September 30, 2019 $ 2,057,214 $ (6,238 ) $ 5,682 $ (113,534 ) $ 1,943,124 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 Available Deferred Foreign Pension Total Balance at January 1, 2018 $ 1,569,289 $ (8,547 ) $ 16,302 $ (152,770 ) $ 1,424,274 Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications, net of tax (944,758 ) 2,898 (6,069 ) — (947,929 ) Reclassifications, net of tax (7,675 ) — — 8,954 1,279 Other comprehensive income (loss) (952,433 ) 2,898 (6,069 ) 8,954 (946,650 ) Balance at September 30, 2018 $ 616,856 $ (5,649 ) $ 10,233 $ (143,816 ) $ 477,624 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019 Available Deferred Foreign Pension Total Balance at January 1, 2019 $ 435,698 $ (4,163 ) $ 6,495 $ (118,555 ) $ 319,475 Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications, net of tax 1,632,819 (2,075 ) (813 ) — 1,629,931 Reclassifications, net of tax (11,303 ) — — 5,021 (6,282 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) 1,621,516 (2,075 ) (813 ) 5,021 1,623,649 Balance at September 30, 2019 $ 2,057,214 $ (6,238 ) $ 5,682 $ (113,534 ) $ 1,943,124 Reclassification adjustments : Reclassification adjustments out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income are presented below for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 . Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, Affected line items in the Statement of Operations Component Line Item 2019 2018 2019 2018 Unrealized investment gains (losses) on available for sale assets: Realized (gains) losses $ (12,430 ) $ (1,510 ) $ (18,337 ) $ (12,327 ) Realized investment gains (losses) Amortization of (discount) premium 1,410 1,052 4,030 2,612 Net investment income Total before tax (11,020 ) (458 ) (14,307 ) (9,715 ) Tax 2,314 96 3,004 2,040 Income taxes Total after-tax (8,706 ) (362 ) (11,303 ) (7,675 ) Pension adjustments: Amortization of prior service cost 158 119 474 357 Other operating expense Amortization of actuarial (gain) loss 1,959 3,659 5,881 10,977 Other operating expense Total before tax 2,117 3,778 6,355 11,334 Tax (443 ) (793 ) (1,334 ) (2,380 ) Income taxes Total after-tax 1,674 2,985 5,021 8,954 Total reclassification (after-tax) $ (7,032 ) $ 2,623 $ (6,282 ) $ 1,279

Investments

Investments	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]
Investments	Note 4—Investments Portfolio Composition : Summaries of fixed maturities available for sale by cost or amortized cost and estimated fair value at September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018 are as follows. Redeemable preferred stock is included within the corporates by sector. At September 30, 2019 Cost or Gross Gross Fair Value (1) % of Total (2) Fixed maturities available for sale: U.S. Government direct, guaranteed, and government-sponsored enterprises $ 393,186 $ 55,730 $ (291 ) $ 448,625 2 States, municipalities, and political subdivisions 1,459,986 174,070 (242 ) 1,633,814 9 Foreign governments 24,428 2,442 (98 ) 26,772 — Corporates, by sector: Financial 4,031,919 721,475 (27,772 ) 4,725,622 25 Utilities 1,939,618 454,518 (1,640 ) 2,392,496 13 Energy 1,658,861 269,339 (35,836 ) 1,892,364 10 Other corporate sectors 6,500,351 970,984 (21,765 ) 7,449,570 40 Total corporates 14,130,749 2,416,316 (87,013 ) 16,460,052 88 Collateralized debt obligations 56,815 28,275 (6,929 ) 78,161 — Other asset-backed securities 144,559 5,967 (276 ) 150,250 1 Total fixed maturities $ 16,209,723 $ 2,682,800 $ (94,849 ) $ 18,797,674 100 (1) Amount reported in the balance sheet. (2) At fair value. At December 31, 2018 Cost or Gross Gross Fair Value (1) % of Total (2) Fixed maturities available for sale: U.S. Government direct, guaranteed, and government-sponsored enterprises $ 390,351 $ 5,104 $ (2,787 ) $ 392,668 2 States, municipalities, and political subdivisions 1,354,810 83,600 (1,750 ) 1,436,660 9 Foreign governments 19,006 1,810 — 20,816 — Corporates, by sector: Financial 3,759,768 262,875 (87,515 ) 3,935,128 24 Utilities 1,989,506 217,846 (24,399 ) 2,182,953 13 Energy 1,652,700 93,880 (62,371 ) 1,684,209 10 Other corporate sectors 6,382,707 283,524 (242,509 ) 6,423,722 40 Total corporates 13,784,681 858,125 (416,794 ) 14,226,012 87 Collateralized debt obligations 57,769 22,014 (6,414 ) 73,369 1 Other asset-backed securities 146,854 2,187 (634 ) 148,407 1 Total fixed maturities $ 15,753,471 $ 972,840 $ (428,379 ) $ 16,297,932 100 (1) Amount reported in the balance sheet. (2) At fair value. A schedule of fixed maturities available for sale by contractual maturity date at September 30, 2019 is shown below on an amortized cost basis and on a fair value basis. Actual disposition dates could differ from contractual maturities due to call or prepayment provisions. At September 30, 2019 Amortized Fair Fixed maturities available for sale: Due in one year or less $ 100,626 $ 102,237 Due after one year through five years 643,842 691,898 Due after five years through ten years 1,670,278 1,924,341 Due after ten years through twenty years 5,246,650 6,314,401 Due after twenty years 8,346,465 9,535,865 Mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities 201,862 228,932 $ 16,209,723 $ 18,797,674 Analysis of investment operations: Net investment income for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 is summarized as follows: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2019 2018 2019 2018 Fixed maturities available for sale $ 216,154 $ 210,929 $ 647,784 $ 629,242 Policy loans 10,959 10,490 32,416 30,889 Other long-term investments 5,105 3,682 12,484 8,656 Short-term investments 514 489 2,096 1,313 232,732 225,590 694,780 670,100 Less investment expense (3,827 ) (3,963 ) (11,777 ) (11,821 ) Net investment income $ 228,905 $ 221,627 $ 683,003 $ 658,279 Selected information about sales of fixed maturities available for sale is as follows: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2019 2018 2019 2018 Fixed maturities available for sale: Proceeds from sales (1) $ 27,154 $ 12,162 $ 62,151 $ 12,162 Gross realized gains 1,031 66 1,077 66 Gross realized losses (604 ) — (3,631 ) — (1) There were no unsettled sales in the periods ended September 30, 2019 and 2018. An analysis of realized gains (losses) is as follows: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2019 2018 2019 2018 Realized investment gains (losses): Fixed maturities available for sale: Sales and other (1) $ 12,430 $ 1,510 $ 18,337 $ 12,327 Fair value option—change in fair value (487 ) (456 ) 197 2,405 Other investments — (22 ) (108 ) 64 Realized gains (losses) from investments 11,943 1,032 18,426 14,796 Applicable tax (2,508 ) (217 ) (3,869 ) (3,107 ) Realized gains (losses), net of tax $ 9,435 $ 815 $ 14,557 $ 11,689 (1) During the three months ended September 30, 2019 , the Company recorded $43.7 million of exchanges of fixed maturities (noncash transactions) that resulted in $11.8 million in realized gains (losses). During the same period of 2018 , there were no exchanges. During the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 , the Company recorded $161.0 million and $128.9 million of exchanges of fixed maturities (noncash transactions) that resulted in $20.1 million and $10.4 million Fair value measurements: The following tables represent the fair value of fixed maturities measured on a recurring basis at September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018 : Fair Value Measurement at September 30, 2019 Using: Quoted Prices in Significant Other Significant Total Fair Fixed maturities available for sale U.S. Government direct, guaranteed, and government-sponsored enterprises $ — $ 448,625 $ — $ 448,625 States, municipalities, and political subdivisions — 1,633,814 — 1,633,814 Foreign governments — 26,772 — 26,772 Corporates, by sector: Financial — 4,680,315 45,307 4,725,622 Utilities — 2,234,140 158,356 2,392,496 Energy — 1,850,580 41,784 1,892,364 Other corporate sectors 25 7,117,250 332,295 7,449,570 Total corporates 25 15,882,285 577,742 16,460,052 Collateralized debt obligations — — 78,161 78,161 Other asset-backed securities — 136,568 13,682 150,250 Total fixed maturities $ 25 $ 18,128,064 $ 669,585 $ 18,797,674 Percentage of total — % 96 % 4 % 100 % Fair Value Measurement at December 31, 2018 Using: Quoted Prices in Significant Other Significant Total Fair Fixed maturities available for sale U.S. Government direct, guaranteed, and government-sponsored enterprises $ — $ 392,668 $ — $ 392,668 States, municipalities, and political subdivisions — 1,436,660 — 1,436,660 Foreign governments — 20,816 — 20,816 Corporates, by sector: Financial — 3,891,728 43,400 3,935,128 Utilities — 2,032,127 150,826 2,182,953 Energy — 1,645,077 39,132 1,684,209 Other corporate sectors — 6,103,609 320,113 6,423,722 Total corporates — 13,672,541 553,471 14,226,012 Collateralized debt obligations — — 73,369 73,369 Other asset-backed securities — 135,425 12,982 148,407 Total fixed maturities $ — $ 15,658,110 $ 639,822 $ 16,297,932 Percentage of total — % 96 % 4 % 100 % The following tables represent changes in fixed maturities measured at fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3): Analysis of Changes in Fair Value Measurements Using Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Asset- backed Securities Collateralized Corporates (1) Total Balance at January 1, 2019 $ 12,982 $ 73,369 $ 553,471 $ 639,822 Total gains or losses: Included in realized gains / losses — — — — Included in other comprehensive income 1,043 5,745 34,971 41,759 Acquisitions — — — — Sales — — — — Amortization — 3,459 10 3,469 Other (2) (343 ) (4,412 ) (10,710 ) (15,465 ) Transfers into (out of) Level 3 (3) — — — — Balance at September 30, 2019 $ 13,682 $ 78,161 $ 577,742 $ 669,585 Percent of total fixed maturities — % 1 % 3 % 4 % (1) Includes redeemable preferred stocks. (2) Includes capitalized interest, foreign exchange adjustments, and principal repayments. (3) Considered to be transferred at the end of the period. Transfers into Level 3 occur when observable inputs are no longer available. Transfers out of Level 3 occur when observable inputs become available. Analysis of Changes in Fair Value Measurements Using Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Asset- backed Securities Collateralized Corporates (1) Total Balance at January 1, 2018 $ 14,049 $ 71,581 $ 582,810 $ 668,440 Total gains or losses: Included in realized gains / losses — — 698 698 Included in other comprehensive income (950 ) 8,691 (21,854 ) (14,113 ) Acquisitions — — 27,453 27,453 Sales — — — — Amortization — 3,572 13 3,585 Other (2) (315 ) (4,928 ) (37,619 ) (42,862 ) Transfers into (out of) Level 3 (3) — — 4,533 4,533 Balance at September 30, 2018 $ 12,784 $ 78,916 $ 556,034 $ 647,734 Percent of total fixed maturities — % 1 % 3 % 4 % (1) Includes redeemable preferred stocks. (2) Includes capitalized interest, foreign exchange adjustments, and principal repayments. (3) Considered to be transferred at the end of the period. Transfers into Level 3 occur when observable inputs are no longer available. Transfers out of Level 3 occur when observable inputs become available. The following table presents transfers in and out of each of the valuation levels of fair values: Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019 2018 In Out Net In Out Net Level 1 $ 14,597 $ — $ 14,597 $ — $ — $ — Level 2 — (14,597 ) (14,597 ) — (4,533 ) (4,533 ) Level 3 — — — 4,533 — 4,533 Other investment information : Other long-term investments consist of the following: September 30, 2019 December 31, 2018 Investment in limited partnerships (1) $ 184,466 $ 108,241 Commercial mortgage loan participations (2) 127,953 96,266 Other 3,116 2,751 Total $ 315,535 $ 207,258 (1) See the following section for more information regarding the fair value method used to account for these investments. (2) Globe Life invests in a portfolio of commercial mortgage loan participations. As of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , the Company evaluated the portfolio on a loan-by-loan basis to determine any allowance for loan loss. Factors considered include, but are not limited to, collateral value, loan-to-value ratio, debt service coverage ratio, local market conditions, credit quality of the borrower and tenants, and loan performance. There were no material changes to these factors during the period . As of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018 Fair Value Option : The following table represents the fair value of certain limited partnership investments elected for the fair value option method measured on a recurring basis at September 30, 2019 , and the changes in fair value for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 . All changes in fair value are recognized in "Realized Investment Gains (Losses)" in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations . Distributions received on a periodic basis are recorded in Net Investment Income. Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) Significant Other Observable Inputs Significant Unobservable Inputs Total Fair Value Fair Value Measurements at: September 30, 2019 $ — $ 184,466 $ — $ 184,466 December 31, 2018 — 108,241 — 108,241 Changes in Fair Values for the Period for Items Measured at Fair Value Pursuant to Election of the Fair Value Option Net Gains and Losses Recognized During the Period Less Net Gains and Losses Recognized due to Sales Total Changes in Fair Values Included in Current-Period Earnings Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019 $ 197 $ — $ 197 2018 2,405 — 2,405 Other-than-temporary impairments (OTTI) : In accordance with the other-than-temporary impairment (OTTI) policy, the Company evaluated its fixed maturities available for sale in an unrealized loss position to determine if there was any impairment for the quarter. Gross unrealized losses may fluctuate quarter over quarter due to adverse factors in the market that affect our holdings, such as changes in the interest rates or credit spreads. While the Company holds securities that may be in an unrealized loss position from time to time, Globe Life has the ability and intent to hold these investments to recovery. Additionally, the Company does not expect to be required to sell any of its securities due to the strong cash flows generated by its insurance operations. For the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 , the Company concluded that there were no other-than-temporary impairments. Unrealized Loss Analysis : The following table discloses information about fixed maturities available for sale in an unrealized loss position. Less than Twelve Months Twelve Months or Longer Total Number of issues (CUSIP numbers) held: As of September 30, 2019 46 59 105 As of December 31, 2018 495 234 729 Globe Life's entire fixed maturity portfolio consisted of 1,585 issues at September 30, 2019 and 1,548 issues at December 31, 2018 . The weighted-average quality rating of all unrealized loss positions at amortized cost as of September 30, 2019 was BB+ compared with BBB+ as of December 31, 2018 . The drop in quality rating is attributed to the overall decreasing interest rate that has caused certain securities to move from an unrealized loss position to an unrealized gain position. The following tables disclose unrealized investment losses by class and major sector of fixed maturities available for sale at September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , respectively. Globe Life considers these investments to be only temporarily impaired. Analysis of Gross Unrealized Investment Losses At September 30, 2019 Less than Twelve Months Twelve Months or Longer Total Fair Unrealized Fair Unrealized Fair Unrealized Fixed maturities available for sale: Investment grade securities: U.S. Government direct, guaranteed, and government-sponsored enterprises $ 1,158 $ (1 ) $ 21,089 $ (290 ) $ 22,247 $ (291 ) States, municipalities and political subdivisions 19,654 (242 ) — — 19,654 (242 ) Foreign governments 6,400 (98 ) — — 6,400 (98 ) Corporates, by sector: Financial 157,535 (2,335 ) 6,763 (1,737 ) 164,298 (4,072 ) Utilities 3,706 (8 ) — — 3,706 (8 ) Energy 71,563 (2,439 ) 29,469 (5,975 ) 101,032 (8,414 ) Other corporate sectors 125,509 (1,711 ) 99,645 (4,376 ) 225,154 (6,087 ) Total corporates 358,313 (6,493 ) 135,877 (12,088 ) 494,190 (18,581 ) Other asset-backed securities — — — — — — Total investment grade securities 385,525 (6,834 ) 156,966 (12,378 ) 542,491 (19,212 ) Below investment grade securities: States, municipalities and political subdivisions — — — — — — Corporates, by sector: Financial — — 109,052 (23,700 ) 109,052 (23,700 ) Utilities 7,651 (14 ) 14,631 (1,618 ) 22,282 (1,632 ) Energy 6,328 (582 ) 38,839 (26,840 ) 45,167 (27,422 ) Other corporate sectors — — 63,797 (15,678 ) 63,797 (15,678 ) Total corporates 13,979 (596 ) 226,319 (67,836 ) 240,298 (68,432 ) Collateralized debt obligations — — 13,070 (6,929 ) 13,070 (6,929 ) Other asset-backed securities — — 14,049 (276 ) 14,049 (276 ) Total below investment grade securities 13,979 (596 ) 253,438 (75,041 ) 267,417 (75,637 ) Total fixed maturities $ 399,504 $ (7,430 ) $ 410,404 $ (87,419 ) $ 809,908 $ (94,849 ) Analysis of Gross Unrealized Investment Losses At December 31, 2018 Less than Twelve Months Twelve Months or Longer Total Fair Unrealized Fair Unrealized Fair Unrealized Fixed maturities available for sale: Investment grade securities: U.S. Government direct, guaranteed, and government-sponsored enterprises $ 37,182 $ (212 ) $ 89,664 $ (2,575 ) $ 126,846 $ (2,787 ) States, municipalities and political subdivisions 124,907 (1,648 ) 7,981 (102 ) 132,888 (1,750 ) Corporates, by sector: Financial 931,161 (36,337 ) 241,442 (21,572 ) 1,172,603 (57,909 ) Utilities 329,753 (11,680 ) 121,308 (9,442 ) 451,061 (21,122 ) Energy 475,736 (29,426 ) 54,937 (9,382 ) 530,673 (38,808 ) Other corporate sectors 2,515,541 (149,168 ) 575,796 (62,994 ) 3,091,337 (212,162 ) Total corporates 4,252,191 (226,611 ) 993,483 (103,390 ) 5,245,674 (330,001 ) Other asset-backed securities 44,603 (634 ) — — 44,603 (634 ) Total investment grade securities 4,458,883 (229,105 ) 1,091,128 (106,067 ) 5,550,011 (335,172 ) Below investment grade securities: Corporates, by sector: Financial 22,087 (8,674 ) 81,101 (20,932 ) 103,188 (29,606 ) Utilities 28,613 (3,277 ) — — 28,613 (3,277 ) Energy 42,874 (3,901 ) 36,122 (19,662 ) 78,996 (23,563 ) Other corporate sectors 146,373 (7,235 ) 69,053 (23,112 ) 215,426 (30,347 ) Total corporates 239,947 (23,087 ) 186,276 (63,706 ) 426,223 (86,793 ) Collateralized debt obligations — — 13,586 (6,414 ) 13,586 (6,414 ) Total below investment grade securities 239,947 (23,087 ) 199,862 (70,120 ) 439,809 (93,207 ) Total fixed maturities $ 4,698,830 $ (252,192 ) $ 1,290,990 $ (176,187 ) $ 5,989,820 $ (428,379 )

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	Note 5—Commitments and Contingencies Guarantees : The Parent Company has guaranteed letters of credit in connection with its credit facility with a group of banks. The letters of credit were issued by TMK Re, Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary, to secure TMK Re, Ltd.’s obligation for claims on certain policies reinsured by TMK Re, Ltd. that were sold by other Globe Life Inc. insurance subsidiaries. These letters of credit facilitate TMK Re, Ltd.’s ability to reinsure the business of Globe Life's insurance carriers. The agreement expires in 2021. The maximum amount of letters of credit available is $250 million . The Parent Company would be liable to the extent that TMK Re, Ltd. does not pay the reinsured party. On April 2, 2019 , the letters of credit were amended to reduce the current amount outstanding from $155 million to $150 million . As of September 30, 2019 , the outstanding balance remained unchanged. Litigation : Globe Life Inc. (formerly Torchmark Corporation) and its subsidiaries, in common with the insurance industry in general, are subject to litigation, including putative class action litigation, alleged breaches of contract, torts, including bad faith and fraud claims based on alleged wrongful or fraudulent acts of agents of the Parent Company's insurance subsidiaries, employment discrimination, and miscellaneous other causes of action. Based upon information presently available, and in light of legal and other factual defenses available to the Parent Company and its subsidiaries, management does not believe that it is reasonably possible that such litigation will have a material adverse effect on Globe Life's financial condition, future operating results or liquidity; however, assessing the eventual outcome of litigation necessarily involves forward-looking speculation as to judgments to be made by judges, juries and appellate courts in the future. This bespeaks caution, particularly in states with reputations for high punitive damage verdicts. Globe Life's management recognizes that large punitive damage awards bearing little or no relation to actual damages continue to be awarded by juries in jurisdictions in which the Company has substantial business, creating the potential for unpredictable material adverse judgments in any given punitive damage suit. On September 12, 2018, putative class action litigation was filed against American Income in California’s Contra Costa County Superior Court ( Joh v. American Income Life Insurance Company, Case No. C18-01863) ( Joh Action). An amended complaint was filed on October 18, 2018. American Income removed the case to the United States District Court for the Northern District of California (Case No. 3:18-cv-06364-TSH). A second amended complaint was filed on May 20, 2019. The plaintiffs, former insurance sales agents of American Income, are suing on behalf of all current and former trainees and sales agents who sold insurance for American Income in the State of California for the four years prior to the filing of the complaint. The second amended complaint alleges that such individuals are employees and asserts claims under the California Labor Code, California Business and Professions Code, and California Private Attorney General Act. The complaint seeks compensatory damages, penalties and attorney fees on claims for failure to pay wages/commissions, failure to appropriately pay agents at termination, failure to provide itemized wage statements, failure to reimburse expenses, misclassification and unfair business practices. On October 18, 2018, putative class action litigation was filed against Torchmark Corporation and American Income in California’s Los Angeles County Superior Court ( Golz v. American Income Life Insurance Company , et al., Case No. 18STCV01354) ( Golz Action). American Income removed the case to the United States District Court for the Central District of California (Case No. 2:18-cv-09879 R (SSx)). An amended complaint was filed on February 5, 2019. On February 6, 2019, Torchmark Corporation was dismissed without prejudice and the case proceeded with respect to American Income. On April 2, 2019, the District Court granted American Income’s motion to dismiss four of the five causes of action asserted. The amended complaint’s remaining claim alleges that plaintiff, as an American Income insurance agent trainee in California, was an employee who should have been compensated accordingly. The plaintiff seeks to represent a class of individuals in California who trained to contract as American Income agents and who subsequently worked as contracted agents. The class period is alleged to begin four years prior to the complaint’s filing. The complaint seeks restitution under the California Business and Professions Code for alleged unfair business practices such as failure to pay minimum wage and overtime, failure to provide meal and rest breaks, and failure to reimburse business expenses. On December 14, 2018, putative class action litigation was filed against American Income in United States District Court for the Northern District of California ( Hamilton v. American Income Life Insurance Company , Case No. 4:18-cv-7535-KAW) ( Hamilton Action). An amended complaint was filed on January 23, 2019. The plaintiffs, former insurance sales agents of American Income, are suing on behalf of all current and former sales agents who sold insurance for American Income in the State of California for the last four years prior to the filing of the complaint. The lawsuit alleges that putative class members are employees and asserts claims under the California Labor Code, California Business and Professions Code, and California Private Attorney General Act. The complaint seeks compensatory damages, penalties and attorney fees on claims for failure to pay minimum wage and overtime, failure to provide meal and rest breaks, failure to appropriately pay agents at termination, failure to provide itemized wage statements, failure to reimburse expenses, misclassification and unfair business practices. On January 16, 2019, putative class action litigation was filed against American Income in Orange County, California Superior Court ( Putros v. American Income Life Insurance Company , Case No. 30-2019-01044772-CU-OE-CXC) ( Putros Action). An amended complaint was filed on January 22, 2019. The plaintiff, a former insurance sales agent of American Income, is suing on behalf of all current and former sales agents who sold insurance for American Income in the State of California for the year prior to the filing of the complaint. The lawsuit alleges that putative class members are employees and asserts claims under the California Private Attorney General Act. The complaint seeks penalties for failure to pay minimum wage, failure to provide meal and rest breaks, failure to appropriately pay agents at termination, failure to provide itemized wage statements, failure to reimburse expenses, and misclassification. With respect to the four related cases above, on August 1, 2019, Plaintiffs in the Joh/Hamilton Actions jointly moved for preliminary approval of a settlement of all class and representative claims—which broadly covers “all individuals who trained to become and/or worked as sales agents in California for Defendant during the last four years prior to the filing of the original Complaint in Joh and whose training and/or work began before the date of preliminary approval of this Settlement”—and explained that “The proposed settlement reached here will resolve all claims in Joh and Hamilton , and, in doing so, encompasses all claims asserted in the Putros and Golz actions as well.” On August 16, 2019, the Northern District of California granted the Motion for Preliminary Approval of Class Action Settlement and scheduled a hearing for final approval of the settlement for January 9, 2020. With respect to the aforementioned litigation, at this time, management believes that the possibility of a material judgment adverse to the Company is remote.

Liability for Unpaid Claims

Liability for Unpaid Claims	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Insurance [Abstract]
Liability for Unpaid Claims	Note 6—Liability for Unpaid Claims Activity in the liability for unpaid health claims is summarized as follows: Nine Months Ended 2019 2018 Balance at beginning of period $ 154,528 $ 146,865 Incurred related to: Current year 454,186 411,662 Prior year (851 ) (3,795 ) Total incurred 453,335 407,867 Paid related to: Current year 326,553 293,800 Prior year 123,803 113,109 Total paid 450,356 406,909 Balance at end of period $ 157,507 $ 147,823 Below is the reconciliation of the liability of "Policy claims and other benefits payable " in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets . September 30, December 31, 2018 Policy claims and other benefits payable: Life insurance $ 194,222 $ 196,298 Health insurance 157,507 154,528 Total $ 351,729 $ 350,826

Postretirement Benefits

Postretirement Benefits	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]
Postretirement Benefits	Note 7—Postretirement Benefits Globe Life Pension Assets: The following table presents the assets of the Company's defined benefit pension plans at September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018 . Pension Assets by Component at September 30, 2019 Fair Value Determined by: Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) Significant Observable Inputs (Level 2) Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Total Amount % to Total Corporate bonds: Financial $ — $ 51,045 $ — $ 51,045 11 Utilities — 43,401 — 43,401 10 Energy — 21,919 — 21,919 5 Other corporates — 92,421 — 92,421 20 Total corporate bonds — 208,786 — 208,786 46 Exchange traded fund (1) 189,103 — — 189,103 41 Other bonds — 258 — 258 — Other long-term investments — 11,959 — 11,959 3 Guaranteed annuity contract (2) — 28,360 — 28,360 6 Short-term investments 10,107 — — 10,107 2 Other 7,162 — — 7,162 2 Total pension assets $ 206,372 $ 249,363 $ — $ 455,735 100 (1) A fund including marketable securities that mirror the S&P 500 index. (2) Representing a guaranteed annuity contract issued by Globe Life Inc.'s subsidiary, American Income, to fund the obligations of the American Income Life Insurance Company Non-Exempt Employees Defined Benefit Pension Plan ("American Income Pension Plan"). Pension Assets by Component at December 31, 2018 Fair Value Determined by: Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) Significant Observable Inputs (Level 2) Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Total Amount % to Total Corporate bonds: Financial $ — $ 44,236 $ — $ 44,236 11 Utilities — 39,443 — 39,443 10 Energy — 19,744 — 19,744 5 Other corporates — 83,202 — 83,202 22 Total corporate bonds — 186,625 — 186,625 48 Exchange traded fund (1) 157,717 — — 157,717 40 Other bonds — 245 — 245 — Other long-term investments — 8,475 — 8,475 2 Guaranteed annuity contract (2) — 26,505 — 26,505 7 Short-term investments 9,289 — — 9,289 2 Other 3,816 — — 3,816 1 Total pension assets $ 170,822 $ 221,850 $ — $ 392,672 100 (1) A fund including marketable securities that mirror the S&P 500 index. (2) Representing a guaranteed annuity contract issued by Globe Life Inc.'s subsidiary, American Income, to fund the obligations of the American Income Pension Plan. SERP : The following table includes information regarding the SERP at September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018 . September 30, December 31, Premiums paid for insurance coverage $ 2,394 $ 2,997 Total investments: Company owned life insurance $ 47,406 $ 44,285 Exchange traded funds 62,944 52,659 $ 110,350 $ 96,944 Pension and SERP Liabilities : The following table presents liabilities for the defined benefit pension plans and SERP at September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018 . September 30, December 31, Funded defined benefit pension $ 534,798 $ 481,792 SERP 75,531 74,407 Pension benefit obligation $ 610,329 $ 556,199 Net Periodic Benefit Cost: The following table presents the net periodic benefit costs for the defined benefit pension plans and SERP by expense components for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 . Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2019 2018 2019 2018 Service cost $ 4,982 $ 5,277 $ 14,947 $ 15,831 Interest cost 5,964 5,496 17,892 16,482 Expected return on assets (6,966 ) (6,363 ) (20,898 ) (19,089 ) Amortization: Prior service cost 158 119 474 357 Actuarial (gain) loss 1,894 3,636 5,684 10,908 Net periodic benefit cost $ 6,032 $ 8,165 $ 18,099 $ 24,489

Earnings Per Share

Earnings Per Share	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Earnings Per Share	Note 8—Earnings Per Share Earnings per Share : A reconciliation of basic and diluted weighted-average shares outstanding used in the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share is as follows: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2019 2018 2019 2018 Basic weighted average shares outstanding 108,813,355 112,587,623 109,582,748 113,366,465 Weighted average dilutive options outstanding 2,100,378 2,386,831 2,009,262 2,418,281 Diluted weighted average shares outstanding 110,913,733 114,974,454 111,592,010 115,784,746 Antidilutive shares — 1,375,186 1,359,186 1,097,439

Business Segments

Business Segments	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Business Segments	Note 9—Business Segments Globe Life is organized into four segments: life insurance, supplemental health insurance, annuities, and investments. In addition, other expenses not included in these segments are reported in "Corporate & Other." Globe Life's reportable segments are based on the insurance product lines it markets and administers: life insurance, supplemental health insurance, and annuities. These major product lines are set out as reportable segments because of the common characteristics of products within these categories, comparability of margins, and the similarity in regulatory environment and management techniques. There is also an investment segment which manages the investment portfolio, debt, and cash flow for the insurance segments and the corporate function. The Company's chief operating decision makers evaluate the overall performance of the operations of the Company in accordance with these segments. Management’s measure of profitability for each insurance segment is insurance underwriting margin, which is underwriting income before other income and insurance administrative expenses. It represents the profit margin on insurance products before administrative expenses, and is calculated by deducting net policy obligations (claims incurred and change in reserves), commissions and other acquisition expenses from premium revenue. Globe Life further views the profitability of each insurance product segment by the marketing groups that distribute the products of that segment: direct response, independent agencies, or captive agencies. Globe Life 's management prefers to evaluate the performance of its underwriting and investment activities separately, rather than allocating investment income to the underwriting results. As such, the investment function is presented as a stand-alone segment. The investment segment includes management of the investment portfolio, debt, and cash flow. Management’s measure of profitability for this segment is excess investment income, which is the income earned on the investment portfolio less the required interest on net policy liabilities and financing costs. Financing costs include the interest on the Parent Company's debt. Other income and insurance administrative expense are classified in a separate Corporate and Other segment. The majority of the Company’s required interest on net policy liabilities (benefit reserves less the deferred acquisition cost asset) is not credited to policyholder accounts. Instead, it is an actuarial assumption for discounting cash flows in the computation of benefit reserves and the amortization of the deferred acquisition cost asset. Investment income required to fund the required interest on net policy liabilities is removed from the investment segment and applied to the insurance segments to eliminate the effect of the required interest from the insurance segments. As a result, the investment segment measures net investment income against the required interest on net policy liabilities and financing costs, while the insurance segments simply measure premiums against net policy benefits and expenses. Management believes this presentation facilitates a more meaningful analysis of the Company’s underwriting and investment performance as the underwriting results are based on premiums, claims, and expenses and are not affected by unanticipated fluctuations in investment yields. As noted, Globe Life's core operations are insurance and investment management. The insurance segments issue policies for which premiums are collected for the eventual payment of policy benefits. In addition to policy benefits, operating expenses are incurred including acquisition costs, administrative expenses, and taxes. Because life and health contracts can be long term, premium receipts in excess of current expenses are invested. Investment activities, conducted by the investment segment, focus on seeking quality investments with a yield and term appropriate to support the insurance product obligations. These investments generally consist of fixed maturities and, over the long term, the expected yields are taken into account when setting insurance premium rates and product profitability expectations. As a result, fixed maturities are generally held for long periods to support the liabilities, and the Company generally expects to hold investments until maturity. However, dispositions of investments occur from time to time, generally for reasons such as credit concerns, calls by issuers, or other factors. Since Globe Life does not actively trade investments, realized gains and losses from the disposition and write down of investments are generally incidental to operations and are not considered a material factor in insurance pricing or product profitability. While from time to time these realized gains and losses could be significant to net income in the period in which they occur, they generally have a limited effect on the yield of the total investment portfolio. Further, the disposals have little effect on the size of the portfolio as the proceeds of the disposals are reinvested in the portfolio and the income from the reinvestments is included in net investment income. Therefore, management removes realized investment gains and losses from results of core operations when evaluating the performance of the Company. For this reason, these gains and losses are excluded from the Company's operating segments. Globe Life accounts for its stock options and restricted stock under current accounting guidance requiring stock options and stock grants to be expensed based on fair value at the time of grant. Management considers stock compensation expense to be an expense of the Parent Company. Therefore, stock compensation expense is treated as a corporate expense in Globe Life's segment analysis. The following tables set forth a reconciliation of the Company's revenues and operations by segment to its pre-tax income and each significant line item in its Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations . The following tables set forth a reconciliation of Globe Life's revenues and operations by segment to its major income statement line items: Three Months Ended September 30, 2019 Life Health Annuity Investment Corporate & Other Adjustments Consolidated Revenue: Premium $ 630,824 $ 269,166 $ 3 $ — $ — $ — $ 899,993 Net investment income — — — 228,905 — — 228,905 Other income — — — — 438 — 438 Total revenue 630,824 269,166 3 228,905 438 — 1,129,336 Expenses: Policy benefits 406,963 170,875 7,854 — — — 585,692 Required interest on reserves (167,719 ) (21,955 ) (10,832 ) 200,506 — — — Required interest on DAC 50,948 6,395 125 (57,468 ) — — — Amortization of acquisition costs 108,798 29,151 500 — — — 138,449 Commissions, premium taxes, and non-deferred acquisition costs 50,375 23,759 5 — — — 74,139 Insurance administrative expense (1) — — — — 60,570 — 60,570 Parent expense — — — — 2,472 — 2,472 Stock-based compensation expense — — — — 11,533 — 11,533 Interest expense — — — 21,094 — — 21,094 Total expenses 449,365 208,225 (2,348 ) 164,132 74,575 — 893,949 Subtotal 181,459 60,941 2,351 64,773 (74,137 ) — 235,387 Non-operating items — — — — — — — Measure of segment profitability (pretax) $ 181,459 $ 60,941 $ 2,351 $ 64,773 $ (74,137 ) $ — 235,387 Realized gain (loss)—investments 11,943 Income before income taxes per Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations $ 247,330 (1) Administrative expense is not allocated to insurance segments. Three Months Ended September 30, 2018 Life Health Annuity Investment Corporate & Other Adjustments Consolidated Revenue: Premium $ 605,547 $ 255,201 $ 2 $ — $ — $ — $ 860,750 Net investment income — — — 221,627 — — 221,627 Other income — — — — 416 (23 ) (2) 393 Total revenue 605,547 255,201 2 221,627 416 (23 ) 1,082,770 Expenses: Policy benefits 396,701 162,574 8,581 — — — 567,856 Required interest on reserves (160,058 ) (20,965 ) (11,831 ) 192,854 — — — Required interest on DAC 48,907 6,136 145 (55,188 ) — — — Amortization of acquisition costs 103,792 25,162 538 — — — 129,492 Commissions, premium taxes, and non-deferred acquisition costs 47,609 22,041 5 — — (23 ) (2) 69,632 Insurance administrative expense (1) — — — — 55,812 3,590 (3) 59,402 Parent expense — — — — 2,667 1,578 (4) 4,245 Stock-based compensation expense — — — — 10,412 — 10,412 Interest expense — — — 22,433 — — 22,433 Total expenses 436,951 194,948 (2,562 ) 160,099 68,891 5,145 863,472 Subtotal 168,596 60,253 2,564 61,528 (68,475 ) (5,168 ) 219,298 Non-operating items — — — — — 5,168 (3,4) 5,168 Measure of segment profitability (pretax) $ 168,596 $ 60,253 $ 2,564 $ 61,528 $ (68,475 ) $ — 224,466 Realized gain (loss)—investments 1,032 Administrative settlements (3,590 ) Non-operating fees (1,578 ) Income before income taxes per Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations $ 220,330 (1) Administrative expense is not allocated to insurance segments. (2) Elimination of intersegment commission. (3) In 2018 , the Company recorded $3.6 million in administrative settlements related to state regulatory examinations. These administrative settlements were included in "Policyholder benefits" in the Consolidated Statements of Operations . (4) Non-operating fees. Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019 Life Health Annuity Investment Corporate & Other Adjustments Consolidated Revenue: Premium $ 1,886,314 $ 802,132 $ 4 $ — $ — $ — $ 2,688,450 Net investment income — — — 683,003 — — 683,003 Other income — — — — 1,077 — 1,077 Total revenue 1,886,314 802,132 4 683,003 1,077 — 3,372,530 Expenses: Policy benefits 1,227,616 511,403 23,792 — — — 1,762,811 Required interest on reserves (496,894 ) (65,131 ) (32,840 ) 594,865 — — — Required interest on DAC 151,270 19,019 383 (170,672 ) — — — Amortization of acquisition costs 327,407 83,508 1,521 — — — 412,436 Commissions, premium taxes, and non-deferred acquisition costs 150,567 70,719 16 — — — 221,302 Insurance administrative expense (1) — — — — 179,177 5,900 (2,3) 185,077 Parent expense — — — — 7,987 — 7,987 Stock-based compensation expense — — — — 33,348 — 33,348 Interest expense — — — 63,804 — — 63,804 Total expenses 1,359,966 619,518 (7,128 ) 487,997 220,512 5,900 2,686,765 Subtotal 526,348 182,614 7,132 195,006 (219,435 ) (5,900 ) 685,765 Non-operating items — — — — — 5,900 (2,3) 5,900 Measure of segment profitability (pretax) $ 526,348 $ 182,614 $ 7,132 $ 195,006 $ (219,435 ) $ — 691,665 Realized gain (loss)—investments 18,426 Administrative settlements (400 ) Legal proceedings (5,500 ) Income before income taxes per Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations $ 704,191 (1) Administrative expense is not allocated to insurance segments. (2) During the first quarter of 2019 , Globe Life recorded $400 thousand in administrative settlements related to state regulatory examinations. (3) Legal proceedings—See Note 5 for further discussion. Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 Life Health Annuity Investment Corporate & Other Adjustments Consolidated Revenue: Premium $ 1,806,384 $ 758,439 $ 12 $ — $ — $ — $ 2,564,835 Net investment income — — — 658,279 — — 658,279 Other income — — — — 1,180 (76 ) (2) 1,104 Total revenue 1,806,384 758,439 12 658,279 1,180 (76 ) 3,224,218 Expenses: Policy benefits 1,196,616 483,654 25,852 — — — 1,706,122 Required interest on reserves (474,373 ) (62,095 ) (35,733 ) 572,201 — — — Required interest on DAC 145,126 18,228 448 (163,802 ) — — — Amortization of acquisition costs 312,168 74,311 1,710 — — — 388,189 Commissions, premium taxes, and non-deferred acquisition costs 142,253 66,502 19 — — (76 ) (2) 208,698 Insurance administrative expense (1) — — — — 166,560 3,590 (3) 170,150 Parent expense — — — — 7,806 1,578 (4) 9,384 Stock-based compensation expense — — — — 29,969 — 29,969 Interest expense — — — 66,466 — — 66,466 Total expenses 1,321,790 580,600 (7,704 ) 474,865 204,335 5,092 2,578,978 Subtotal 484,594 177,839 7,716 183,414 (203,155 ) (5,168 ) 645,240 Non-operating items — — — — — 5,168 (3,4) 5,168 Measure of segment profitability (pretax) $ 484,594 $ 177,839 $ 7,716 $ 183,414 $ (203,155 ) $ — 650,408 Realized gain (loss)—investments 14,796 Administrative settlements (3,590 ) Non-operating fees (1,578 ) Income before income taxes per Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations $ 660,036 (1) Administrative expense is not allocated to insurance segments. (2) Elimination of intersegment commission. (3) In 2018 , the Company recorded $3.6 million in administrative settlements related to state regulatory examinations. These administrative settlements were included in "Policyholder benefits" in the Consolidated Statements of Operations . (4) Non-operating fees.

Significant Accounting Polici_2

Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation: The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements of Globe Life Inc. have been prepared in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q. Therefore, they do not include all of the disclosures required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) for annual financial statements. However, in the opinion of management, these statements include all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments, which are necessary for a fair presentation of the condensed consolidated financial position at September 30, 2019 , and the condensed consolidated results of operations, comprehensive income, and cash flows for the periods ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 . The interim period condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements that are included in the Form 10-K filed with the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 1, 2019 .
Accounting Pronouncements Adopted in the Current Year / Yet to be Adopted	Accounting Pronouncements Adopted in the Current Year Standard Description Effective date Effect on the consolidated financial statements ASU No. 2016-02/2018-11 , Leases (Topic 842), with clarification guidance issued in July 2018. The standard requires lessees to record a right-of-use asset and corresponding lease liability on the balance sheet for all operating leases that do not qualify for the practical expedients allowed for in this standard. Additional qualitative and quantitative disclosures are required. This standard became effective for the Company beginning January 1, 2019. The Company adopted the optional transition method allowed for under ASU 2018-11 by not restating comparative periods and recognizing an immaterial cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings on January 1, 2019. The Company does not have any significant lessor contracts. The adoption did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements. ASU No. 2017-08 , Receivables—Nonrefundable Fees and Other Costs (Topic 310-20): Premium Amortization on Purchased Callable Debt Securities This standard was issued to shorten the amortization period for certain callable debt securities held at a premium. The standard requires the premium to be amortized to the earliest call date. This standard became effective for the Company beginning January 1, 2019. This adoption did not have a material impact on the condensed consolidated financial statements. Accounting Pronouncements Yet to be Adopted Standard Description Effective date Effect on the consolidated financial statements ASU No. 2016-13/2018-19/2019-04/2019-05 , Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, with clarification guidance issued in November 2018, along with April and May 2019. This standard ("CECL") provides financial statement users with more decision-useful information about the expected credit losses on financial instruments, such as assets recorded at amortized cost, as well as to change the loss impairment methodology for available-for-sale fixed maturities by use of an allowance rather than a direct write-down. This standard will become effective on January 1, 2020 with a modified retrospective transition and an opening balance sheet adjustment to retained earnings on January 1, 2020. The applicable section of the standard related to debt securities requires a prospective transition. The Company's available-for-sale fixed maturities and other financing receivables will be the relevant financial assets within the scope of the standard. Based on current analysis, the adoption of the guidance is not expected to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements. ASU No. 2018-12 , Financial Services - Insurance (Topic 944): Targeted Improvements to the Accounting for Long-Duration Contracts ASU 2018-12 is a significant change to our current accounting and disclosure of long-duration contracts, which is our primary business. The guidance was primarily issued to 1) improve the timeliness of recognizing changes in the liability for future policy benefits and modify the rate used to discount future cash flows, 2) simplify and improve the accounting for certain market-based options or guarantees associated with deposit (or account balance) contracts, 3) simplify the amortization of deferred acquisition costs, and 4) improve the effectiveness of the required disclosures. This standard is effective beginning January 1, 2021. In July 2019, the FASB tentatively approved a proposal to defer the adoption date by one year to January 1, 2022. While final approval was received in the third quarter, the corresponding ASU has not yet been issued. Early adoption of the amendments is permitted. The Company is currently in the process of evaluating the impact this standard will have on the consolidated financial statements and disclosures, specifically assessing key accounting policies, assumption and data inputs, controls, as well as enhanced system solutions. ASU No. 2018-13 , Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework-Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement The amendment modifies the disclosure requirements for fair value measurements by removing, modifying, or adding certain disclosures. The revised standard is effective beginning January 1, 2020. The removed and modified disclosures will be adopted on a retrospective basis and the new disclosures will be adopted on a prospective basis. Early adoption is permitted. The Company does not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements. Accounting Pronouncements Yet to be Adopted (continued) Standard Description Effective date Effect on the consolidated financial statements ASU No. 2018-14 , Compensation-Retirement Benefits-Defined Benefit Plans-General (Subtopic 715-20), Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Defined Benefit Plans The standard removes disclosures that are no longer considered cost beneficial, clarifies the specific requirements of disclosures and adds disclosure requirements identified as relevant to defined benefit plans. This standard is effective beginning January 1, 2021, and will be applied retrospectively. Early adoption is permitted. The Company does not expect the adoption of this standard to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements. ASU No. 2018-15 , Intangibles-Goodwill and Other-Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement that is a Service Contract The standard was issued to now allow the capitalization of implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with similar treatment of developed or obtained internal-use software. The standard is effective beginning January 1, 2020, and the Company plans to apply the standards on a prospective basis. Early adoption of the amendments is also permitted. The Company does not expect the adoption of this standard to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

Supplemental Information Abou_2

Supplemental Information About Changes to Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Equity [Abstract]
Schedule of Change in Balance by Component of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	An analysis of the change in balance by component of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income is as follows for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 : Three Months Ended September 30, 2018 Available Deferred Foreign Pension Total Balance at July 1, 2018 $ 746,514 $ (6,579 ) $ 10,365 $ (146,801 ) $ 603,499 Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications, net of tax (129,296 ) 930 (132 ) — (128,498 ) Reclassifications, net of tax (362 ) — — 2,985 2,623 Other comprehensive income (loss) (129,658 ) 930 (132 ) 2,985 (125,875 ) Balance at September 30, 2018 $ 616,856 $ (5,649 ) $ 10,233 $ (143,816 ) $ 477,624 Three Months Ended September 30, 2019 Available Deferred Foreign Pension Total Balance at July 1, 2019 $ 1,552,108 $ (6,556 ) $ 8,906 $ (115,208 ) $ 1,439,250 Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications, net of tax 513,812 318 (3,224 ) — 510,906 Reclassifications, net of tax (8,706 ) — — 1,674 (7,032 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) 505,106 318 (3,224 ) 1,674 503,874 Balance at September 30, 2019 $ 2,057,214 $ (6,238 ) $ 5,682 $ (113,534 ) $ 1,943,124 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 Available Deferred Foreign Pension Total Balance at January 1, 2018 $ 1,569,289 $ (8,547 ) $ 16,302 $ (152,770 ) $ 1,424,274 Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications, net of tax (944,758 ) 2,898 (6,069 ) — (947,929 ) Reclassifications, net of tax (7,675 ) — — 8,954 1,279 Other comprehensive income (loss) (952,433 ) 2,898 (6,069 ) 8,954 (946,650 ) Balance at September 30, 2018 $ 616,856 $ (5,649 ) $ 10,233 $ (143,816 ) $ 477,624 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019 Available Deferred Foreign Pension Total Balance at January 1, 2019 $ 435,698 $ (4,163 ) $ 6,495 $ (118,555 ) $ 319,475 Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications, net of tax 1,632,819 (2,075 ) (813 ) — 1,629,931 Reclassifications, net of tax (11,303 ) — — 5,021 (6,282 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) 1,621,516 (2,075 ) (813 ) 5,021 1,623,649 Balance at September 30, 2019 $ 2,057,214 $ (6,238 ) $ 5,682 $ (113,534 ) $ 1,943,124 the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 . Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, Affected line items in the Statement of Operations Component Line Item 2019 2018 2019 2018 Unrealized investment gains (losses) on available for sale assets: Realized (gains) losses $ (12,430 ) $ (1,510 ) $ (18,337 ) $ (12,327 ) Realized investment gains (losses) Amortization of (discount) premium 1,410 1,052 4,030 2,612 Net investment income Total before tax (11,020 ) (458 ) (14,307 ) (9,715 ) Tax 2,314 96 3,004 2,040 Income taxes Total after-tax (8,706 ) (362 ) (11,303 ) (7,675 ) Pension adjustments: Amortization of prior service cost 158 119 474 357 Other operating expense Amortization of actuarial (gain) loss 1,959 3,659 5,881 10,977 Other operating expense Total before tax 2,117 3,778 6,355 11,334 Tax (443 ) (793 ) (1,334 ) (2,380 ) Income taxes Total after-tax 1,674 2,985 5,021 8,954 Total reclassification (after-tax) $ (7,032 ) $ 2,623 $ (6,282 ) $ 1,279
Summary of Reclassifications Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	Reclassification adjustments out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income are presented below for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 . Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, Affected line items in the Statement of Operations Component Line Item 2019 2018 2019 2018 Unrealized investment gains (losses) on available for sale assets: Realized (gains) losses $ (12,430 ) $ (1,510 ) $ (18,337 ) $ (12,327 ) Realized investment gains (losses) Amortization of (discount) premium 1,410 1,052 4,030 2,612 Net investment income Total before tax (11,020 ) (458 ) (14,307 ) (9,715 ) Tax 2,314 96 3,004 2,040 Income taxes Total after-tax (8,706 ) (362 ) (11,303 ) (7,675 ) Pension adjustments: Amortization of prior service cost 158 119 474 357 Other operating expense Amortization of actuarial (gain) loss 1,959 3,659 5,881 10,977 Other operating expense Total before tax 2,117 3,778 6,355 11,334 Tax (443 ) (793 ) (1,334 ) (2,380 ) Income taxes Total after-tax 1,674 2,985 5,021 8,954 Total reclassification (after-tax) $ (7,032 ) $ 2,623 $ (6,282 ) $ 1,279

Investments (Tables)

Investments (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]
Summary of Fixed Maturities and Equity Securities Available for Sale by Component	Summaries of fixed maturities available for sale by cost or amortized cost and estimated fair value at September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018 are as follows. Redeemable preferred stock is included within the corporates by sector. At September 30, 2019 Cost or Gross Gross Fair Value (1) % of Total (2) Fixed maturities available for sale: U.S. Government direct, guaranteed, and government-sponsored enterprises $ 393,186 $ 55,730 $ (291 ) $ 448,625 2 States, municipalities, and political subdivisions 1,459,986 174,070 (242 ) 1,633,814 9 Foreign governments 24,428 2,442 (98 ) 26,772 — Corporates, by sector: Financial 4,031,919 721,475 (27,772 ) 4,725,622 25 Utilities 1,939,618 454,518 (1,640 ) 2,392,496 13 Energy 1,658,861 269,339 (35,836 ) 1,892,364 10 Other corporate sectors 6,500,351 970,984 (21,765 ) 7,449,570 40 Total corporates 14,130,749 2,416,316 (87,013 ) 16,460,052 88 Collateralized debt obligations 56,815 28,275 (6,929 ) 78,161 — Other asset-backed securities 144,559 5,967 (276 ) 150,250 1 Total fixed maturities $ 16,209,723 $ 2,682,800 $ (94,849 ) $ 18,797,674 100 (1) Amount reported in the balance sheet. (2) At fair value. At December 31, 2018 Cost or Gross Gross Fair Value (1) % of Total (2) Fixed maturities available for sale: U.S. Government direct, guaranteed, and government-sponsored enterprises $ 390,351 $ 5,104 $ (2,787 ) $ 392,668 2 States, municipalities, and political subdivisions 1,354,810 83,600 (1,750 ) 1,436,660 9 Foreign governments 19,006 1,810 — 20,816 — Corporates, by sector: Financial 3,759,768 262,875 (87,515 ) 3,935,128 24 Utilities 1,989,506 217,846 (24,399 ) 2,182,953 13 Energy 1,652,700 93,880 (62,371 ) 1,684,209 10 Other corporate sectors 6,382,707 283,524 (242,509 ) 6,423,722 40 Total corporates 13,784,681 858,125 (416,794 ) 14,226,012 87 Collateralized debt obligations 57,769 22,014 (6,414 ) 73,369 1 Other asset-backed securities 146,854 2,187 (634 ) 148,407 1 Total fixed maturities $ 15,753,471 $ 972,840 $ (428,379 ) $ 16,297,932 100 (1) Amount reported in the balance sheet. (2) At fair value.
Schedule of Fixed Maturities by Contractual Maturity	A schedule of fixed maturities available for sale by contractual maturity date at September 30, 2019 is shown below on an amortized cost basis and on a fair value basis. Actual disposition dates could differ from contractual maturities due to call or prepayment provisions. At September 30, 2019 Amortized Fair Fixed maturities available for sale: Due in one year or less $ 100,626 $ 102,237 Due after one year through five years 643,842 691,898 Due after five years through ten years 1,670,278 1,924,341 Due after ten years through twenty years 5,246,650 6,314,401 Due after twenty years 8,346,465 9,535,865 Mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities 201,862 228,932 $ 16,209,723 $ 18,797,674
Schedule of Analysis of Investment Operations	Net investment income for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 is summarized as follows: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2019 2018 2019 2018 Fixed maturities available for sale $ 216,154 $ 210,929 $ 647,784 $ 629,242 Policy loans 10,959 10,490 32,416 30,889 Other long-term investments 5,105 3,682 12,484 8,656 Short-term investments 514 489 2,096 1,313 232,732 225,590 694,780 670,100 Less investment expense (3,827 ) (3,963 ) (11,777 ) (11,821 ) Net investment income $ 228,905 $ 221,627 $ 683,003 $ 658,279
Schedule of Selected Information about Sales of Fixed Maturities	Selected information about sales of fixed maturities available for sale is as follows: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2019 2018 2019 2018 Fixed maturities available for sale: Proceeds from sales (1) $ 27,154 $ 12,162 $ 62,151 $ 12,162 Gross realized gains 1,031 66 1,077 66 Gross realized losses (604 ) — (3,631 ) — (1) There were no unsettled sales in the periods ended September 30, 2019 and 2018.
Realized Gain (Loss) on Investments	An analysis of realized gains (losses) is as follows: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2019 2018 2019 2018 Realized investment gains (losses): Fixed maturities available for sale: Sales and other (1) $ 12,430 $ 1,510 $ 18,337 $ 12,327 Fair value option—change in fair value (487 ) (456 ) 197 2,405 Other investments — (22 ) (108 ) 64 Realized gains (losses) from investments 11,943 1,032 18,426 14,796 Applicable tax (2,508 ) (217 ) (3,869 ) (3,107 ) Realized gains (losses), net of tax $ 9,435 $ 815 $ 14,557 $ 11,689 (1) During the three months ended September 30, 2019 , the Company recorded $43.7 million of exchanges of fixed maturities (noncash transactions) that resulted in $11.8 million in realized gains (losses). During the same period of 2018 , there were no exchanges. During the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 , the Company recorded $161.0 million and $128.9 million of exchanges of fixed maturities (noncash transactions) that resulted in $20.1 million and $10.4 million , respectively in realized gains.
Schedule of Unrealized Investment Losses by Class of Investment	The following tables represent the fair value of fixed maturities measured on a recurring basis at September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018 : Fair Value Measurement at September 30, 2019 Using: Quoted Prices in Significant Other Significant Total Fair Fixed maturities available for sale U.S. Government direct, guaranteed, and government-sponsored enterprises $ — $ 448,625 $ — $ 448,625 States, municipalities, and political subdivisions — 1,633,814 — 1,633,814 Foreign governments — 26,772 — 26,772 Corporates, by sector: Financial — 4,680,315 45,307 4,725,622 Utilities — 2,234,140 158,356 2,392,496 Energy — 1,850,580 41,784 1,892,364 Other corporate sectors 25 7,117,250 332,295 7,449,570 Total corporates 25 15,882,285 577,742 16,460,052 Collateralized debt obligations — — 78,161 78,161 Other asset-backed securities — 136,568 13,682 150,250 Total fixed maturities $ 25 $ 18,128,064 $ 669,585 $ 18,797,674 Percentage of total — % 96 % 4 % 100 % Fair Value Measurement at December 31, 2018 Using: Quoted Prices in Significant Other Significant Total Fair Fixed maturities available for sale U.S. Government direct, guaranteed, and government-sponsored enterprises $ — $ 392,668 $ — $ 392,668 States, municipalities, and political subdivisions — 1,436,660 — 1,436,660 Foreign governments — 20,816 — 20,816 Corporates, by sector: Financial — 3,891,728 43,400 3,935,128 Utilities — 2,032,127 150,826 2,182,953 Energy — 1,645,077 39,132 1,684,209 Other corporate sectors — 6,103,609 320,113 6,423,722 Total corporates — 13,672,541 553,471 14,226,012 Collateralized debt obligations — — 73,369 73,369 Other asset-backed securities — 135,425 12,982 148,407 Total fixed maturities $ — $ 15,658,110 $ 639,822 $ 16,297,932 Percentage of total — % 96 % 4 % 100 % The following tables disclose unrealized investment losses by class and major sector of fixed maturities available for sale at September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , respectively. Globe Life considers these investments to be only temporarily impaired. Analysis of Gross Unrealized Investment Losses At September 30, 2019 Less than Twelve Months Twelve Months or Longer Total Fair Unrealized Fair Unrealized Fair Unrealized Fixed maturities available for sale: Investment grade securities: U.S. Government direct, guaranteed, and government-sponsored enterprises $ 1,158 $ (1 ) $ 21,089 $ (290 ) $ 22,247 $ (291 ) States, municipalities and political subdivisions 19,654 (242 ) — — 19,654 (242 ) Foreign governments 6,400 (98 ) — — 6,400 (98 ) Corporates, by sector: Financial 157,535 (2,335 ) 6,763 (1,737 ) 164,298 (4,072 ) Utilities 3,706 (8 ) — — 3,706 (8 ) Energy 71,563 (2,439 ) 29,469 (5,975 ) 101,032 (8,414 ) Other corporate sectors 125,509 (1,711 ) 99,645 (4,376 ) 225,154 (6,087 ) Total corporates 358,313 (6,493 ) 135,877 (12,088 ) 494,190 (18,581 ) Other asset-backed securities — — — — — — Total investment grade securities 385,525 (6,834 ) 156,966 (12,378 ) 542,491 (19,212 ) Below investment grade securities: States, municipalities and political subdivisions — — — — — — Corporates, by sector: Financial — — 109,052 (23,700 ) 109,052 (23,700 ) Utilities 7,651 (14 ) 14,631 (1,618 ) 22,282 (1,632 ) Energy 6,328 (582 ) 38,839 (26,840 ) 45,167 (27,422 ) Other corporate sectors — — 63,797 (15,678 ) 63,797 (15,678 ) Total corporates 13,979 (596 ) 226,319 (67,836 ) 240,298 (68,432 ) Collateralized debt obligations — — 13,070 (6,929 ) 13,070 (6,929 ) Other asset-backed securities — — 14,049 (276 ) 14,049 (276 ) Total below investment grade securities 13,979 (596 ) 253,438 (75,041 ) 267,417 (75,637 ) Total fixed maturities $ 399,504 $ (7,430 ) $ 410,404 $ (87,419 ) $ 809,908 $ (94,849 ) Analysis of Gross Unrealized Investment Losses At December 31, 2018 Less than Twelve Months Twelve Months or Longer Total Fair Unrealized Fair Unrealized Fair Unrealized Fixed maturities available for sale: Investment grade securities: U.S. Government direct, guaranteed, and government-sponsored enterprises $ 37,182 $ (212 ) $ 89,664 $ (2,575 ) $ 126,846 $ (2,787 ) States, municipalities and political subdivisions 124,907 (1,648 ) 7,981 (102 ) 132,888 (1,750 ) Corporates, by sector: Financial 931,161 (36,337 ) 241,442 (21,572 ) 1,172,603 (57,909 ) Utilities 329,753 (11,680 ) 121,308 (9,442 ) 451,061 (21,122 ) Energy 475,736 (29,426 ) 54,937 (9,382 ) 530,673 (38,808 ) Other corporate sectors 2,515,541 (149,168 ) 575,796 (62,994 ) 3,091,337 (212,162 ) Total corporates 4,252,191 (226,611 ) 993,483 (103,390 ) 5,245,674 (330,001 ) Other asset-backed securities 44,603 (634 ) — — 44,603 (634 ) Total investment grade securities 4,458,883 (229,105 ) 1,091,128 (106,067 ) 5,550,011 (335,172 ) Below investment grade securities: Corporates, by sector: Financial 22,087 (8,674 ) 81,101 (20,932 ) 103,188 (29,606 ) Utilities 28,613 (3,277 ) — — 28,613 (3,277 ) Energy 42,874 (3,901 ) 36,122 (19,662 ) 78,996 (23,563 ) Other corporate sectors 146,373 (7,235 ) 69,053 (23,112 ) 215,426 (30,347 ) Total corporates 239,947 (23,087 ) 186,276 (63,706 ) 426,223 (86,793 ) Collateralized debt obligations — — 13,586 (6,414 ) 13,586 (6,414 ) Total below investment grade securities 239,947 (23,087 ) 199,862 (70,120 ) 439,809 (93,207 ) Total fixed maturities $ 4,698,830 $ (252,192 ) $ 1,290,990 $ (176,187 ) $ 5,989,820 $ (428,379 )
Schedule of Changes in Assets Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis Using Significant Unobservable Inputs	The following tables represent changes in fixed maturities measured at fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3): Analysis of Changes in Fair Value Measurements Using Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Asset- backed Securities Collateralized Corporates (1) Total Balance at January 1, 2019 $ 12,982 $ 73,369 $ 553,471 $ 639,822 Total gains or losses: Included in realized gains / losses — — — — Included in other comprehensive income 1,043 5,745 34,971 41,759 Acquisitions — — — — Sales — — — — Amortization — 3,459 10 3,469 Other (2) (343 ) (4,412 ) (10,710 ) (15,465 ) Transfers into (out of) Level 3 (3) — — — — Balance at September 30, 2019 $ 13,682 $ 78,161 $ 577,742 $ 669,585 Percent of total fixed maturities — % 1 % 3 % 4 % (1) Includes redeemable preferred stocks. (2) Includes capitalized interest, foreign exchange adjustments, and principal repayments. (3) Considered to be transferred at the end of the period. Transfers into Level 3 occur when observable inputs are no longer available. Transfers out of Level 3 occur when observable inputs become available. Analysis of Changes in Fair Value Measurements Using Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Asset- backed Securities Collateralized Corporates (1) Total Balance at January 1, 2018 $ 14,049 $ 71,581 $ 582,810 $ 668,440 Total gains or losses: Included in realized gains / losses — — 698 698 Included in other comprehensive income (950 ) 8,691 (21,854 ) (14,113 ) Acquisitions — — 27,453 27,453 Sales — — — — Amortization — 3,572 13 3,585 Other (2) (315 ) (4,928 ) (37,619 ) (42,862 ) Transfers into (out of) Level 3 (3) — — 4,533 4,533 Balance at September 30, 2018 $ 12,784 $ 78,916 $ 556,034 $ 647,734 Percent of total fixed maturities — % 1 % 3 % 4 % (1) Includes redeemable preferred stocks. (2) Includes capitalized interest, foreign exchange adjustments, and principal repayments. (3) Considered to be transferred at the end of the period. Transfers into Level 3 occur when observable inputs are no longer available. Transfers out of Level 3 occur when observable inputs become available.
Transfers in and Out of Each of the Valuation Levels of Fair Values	The following table presents transfers in and out of each of the valuation levels of fair values: Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019 2018 In Out Net In Out Net Level 1 $ 14,597 $ — $ 14,597 $ — $ — $ — Level 2 — (14,597 ) (14,597 ) — (4,533 ) (4,533 ) Level 3 — — — 4,533 — 4,533
Schedule of Other Long-Term Investments	Other long-term investments consist of the following: September 30, 2019 December 31, 2018 Investment in limited partnerships (1) $ 184,466 $ 108,241 Commercial mortgage loan participations (2) 127,953 96,266 Other 3,116 2,751 Total $ 315,535 $ 207,258 (1) See the following section for more information regarding the fair value method used to account for these investments. (2) Globe Life invests in a portfolio of commercial mortgage loan participations. As of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , the Company evaluated the portfolio on a loan-by-loan basis to determine any allowance for loan loss. Factors considered include, but are not limited to, collateral value, loan-to-value ratio, debt service coverage ratio, local market conditions, credit quality of the borrower and tenants, and loan performance. There were no material changes to these factors during the period . As of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018
Fair Value Option, Disclosures	The following table represents the fair value of certain limited partnership investments elected for the fair value option method measured on a recurring basis at September 30, 2019 , and the changes in fair value for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 . All changes in fair value are recognized in "Realized Investment Gains (Losses)" in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations . Distributions received on a periodic basis are recorded in Net Investment Income. Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) Significant Other Observable Inputs Significant Unobservable Inputs Total Fair Value Fair Value Measurements at: September 30, 2019 $ — $ 184,466 $ — $ 184,466 December 31, 2018 — 108,241 — 108,241 Changes in Fair Values for the Period for Items Measured at Fair Value Pursuant to Election of the Fair Value Option Net Gains and Losses Recognized During the Period Less Net Gains and Losses Recognized due to Sales Total Changes in Fair Values Included in Current-Period Earnings Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019 $ 197 $ — $ 197 2018 2,405 — 2,405
Schedule of Additional Information about Investments in Unrealized Loss Position	The following table discloses information about fixed maturities available for sale in an unrealized loss position. Less than Twelve Months Twelve Months or Longer Total Number of issues (CUSIP numbers) held: As of September 30, 2019 46 59 105 As of December 31, 2018 495 234 729

Liability for Unpaid Claims (Ta

Liability for Unpaid Claims (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Insurance [Abstract]
Summary of Liability for Unpaid Health Claims	Activity in the liability for unpaid health claims is summarized as follows: Nine Months Ended 2019 2018 Balance at beginning of period $ 154,528 $ 146,865 Incurred related to: Current year 454,186 411,662 Prior year (851 ) (3,795 ) Total incurred 453,335 407,867 Paid related to: Current year 326,553 293,800 Prior year 123,803 113,109 Total paid 450,356 406,909 Balance at end of period $ 157,507 $ 147,823
Short-duration Insurance Contracts, Reconciliation of Claims Development to Liability	Below is the reconciliation of the liability of "Policy claims and other benefits payable " in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets . September 30, December 31, 2018 Policy claims and other benefits payable: Life insurance $ 194,222 $ 196,298 Health insurance 157,507 154,528 Total $ 351,729 $ 350,826

Postretirement Benefits (Tables

Postretirement Benefits (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]
Pension Assets by Component at Fair Value	The following table presents the assets of the Company's defined benefit pension plans at September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018 . Pension Assets by Component at September 30, 2019 Fair Value Determined by: Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) Significant Observable Inputs (Level 2) Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Total Amount % to Total Corporate bonds: Financial $ — $ 51,045 $ — $ 51,045 11 Utilities — 43,401 — 43,401 10 Energy — 21,919 — 21,919 5 Other corporates — 92,421 — 92,421 20 Total corporate bonds — 208,786 — 208,786 46 Exchange traded fund (1) 189,103 — — 189,103 41 Other bonds — 258 — 258 — Other long-term investments — 11,959 — 11,959 3 Guaranteed annuity contract (2) — 28,360 — 28,360 6 Short-term investments 10,107 — — 10,107 2 Other 7,162 — — 7,162 2 Total pension assets $ 206,372 $ 249,363 $ — $ 455,735 100 (1) A fund including marketable securities that mirror the S&P 500 index. (2) Representing a guaranteed annuity contract issued by Globe Life Inc.'s subsidiary, American Income, to fund the obligations of the American Income Life Insurance Company Non-Exempt Employees Defined Benefit Pension Plan ("American Income Pension Plan"). Pension Assets by Component at December 31, 2018 Fair Value Determined by: Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) Significant Observable Inputs (Level 2) Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Total Amount % to Total Corporate bonds: Financial $ — $ 44,236 $ — $ 44,236 11 Utilities — 39,443 — 39,443 10 Energy — 19,744 — 19,744 5 Other corporates — 83,202 — 83,202 22 Total corporate bonds — 186,625 — 186,625 48 Exchange traded fund (1) 157,717 — — 157,717 40 Other bonds — 245 — 245 — Other long-term investments — 8,475 — 8,475 2 Guaranteed annuity contract (2) — 26,505 — 26,505 7 Short-term investments 9,289 — — 9,289 2 Other 3,816 — — 3,816 1 Total pension assets $ 170,822 $ 221,850 $ — $ 392,672 100 (1) A fund including marketable securities that mirror the S&P 500 index. (2) Representing a guaranteed annuity contract issued by Globe Life Inc.'s subsidiary, American Income, to fund the obligations of the American Income Pension Plan.
Information Regarding the SERP	The following table includes information regarding the SERP at September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018 . September 30, December 31, Premiums paid for insurance coverage $ 2,394 $ 2,997 Total investments: Company owned life insurance $ 47,406 $ 44,285 Exchange traded funds 62,944 52,659 $ 110,350 $ 96,944
Pension Liability	The following table presents liabilities for the defined benefit pension plans and SERP at September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018 . September 30, December 31, Funded defined benefit pension $ 534,798 $ 481,792 SERP 75,531 74,407 Pension benefit obligation $ 610,329 $ 556,199
Total Cost of Retirement Plans Charged to Operations	The following table presents the net periodic benefit costs for the defined benefit pension plans and SERP by expense components for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 . Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2019 2018 2019 2018 Service cost $ 4,982 $ 5,277 $ 14,947 $ 15,831 Interest cost 5,964 5,496 17,892 16,482 Expected return on assets (6,966 ) (6,363 ) (20,898 ) (19,089 ) Amortization: Prior service cost 158 119 474 357 Actuarial (gain) loss 1,894 3,636 5,684 10,908 Net periodic benefit cost $ 6,032 $ 8,165 $ 18,099 $ 24,489

Earnings Per Share (Tables)

Earnings Per Share (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Schedule of Weighted Average Number of Shares	A reconciliation of basic and diluted weighted-average shares outstanding used in the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share is as follows: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2019 2018 2019 2018 Basic weighted average shares outstanding 108,813,355 112,587,623 109,582,748 113,366,465 Weighted average dilutive options outstanding 2,100,378 2,386,831 2,009,262 2,418,281 Diluted weighted average shares outstanding 110,913,733 114,974,454 111,592,010 115,784,746 Antidilutive shares — 1,375,186 1,359,186 1,097,439

Business Segments (Tables)

Business Segments (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Reconciliation of Segment Operating Information to Consolidated Statement of Operations	The following tables set forth a reconciliation of Globe Life's revenues and operations by segment to its major income statement line items: Three Months Ended September 30, 2019 Life Health Annuity Investment Corporate & Other Adjustments Consolidated Revenue: Premium $ 630,824 $ 269,166 $ 3 $ — $ — $ — $ 899,993 Net investment income — — — 228,905 — — 228,905 Other income — — — — 438 — 438 Total revenue 630,824 269,166 3 228,905 438 — 1,129,336 Expenses: Policy benefits 406,963 170,875 7,854 — — — 585,692 Required interest on reserves (167,719 ) (21,955 ) (10,832 ) 200,506 — — — Required interest on DAC 50,948 6,395 125 (57,468 ) — — — Amortization of acquisition costs 108,798 29,151 500 — — — 138,449 Commissions, premium taxes, and non-deferred acquisition costs 50,375 23,759 5 — — — 74,139 Insurance administrative expense (1) — — — — 60,570 — 60,570 Parent expense — — — — 2,472 — 2,472 Stock-based compensation expense — — — — 11,533 — 11,533 Interest expense — — — 21,094 — — 21,094 Total expenses 449,365 208,225 (2,348 ) 164,132 74,575 — 893,949 Subtotal 181,459 60,941 2,351 64,773 (74,137 ) — 235,387 Non-operating items — — — — — — — Measure of segment profitability (pretax) $ 181,459 $ 60,941 $ 2,351 $ 64,773 $ (74,137 ) $ — 235,387 Realized gain (loss)—investments 11,943 Income before income taxes per Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations $ 247,330 (1) Administrative expense is not allocated to insurance segments. Three Months Ended September 30, 2018 Life Health Annuity Investment Corporate & Other Adjustments Consolidated Revenue: Premium $ 605,547 $ 255,201 $ 2 $ — $ — $ — $ 860,750 Net investment income — — — 221,627 — — 221,627 Other income — — — — 416 (23 ) (2) 393 Total revenue 605,547 255,201 2 221,627 416 (23 ) 1,082,770 Expenses: Policy benefits 396,701 162,574 8,581 — — — 567,856 Required interest on reserves (160,058 ) (20,965 ) (11,831 ) 192,854 — — — Required interest on DAC 48,907 6,136 145 (55,188 ) — — — Amortization of acquisition costs 103,792 25,162 538 — — — 129,492 Commissions, premium taxes, and non-deferred acquisition costs 47,609 22,041 5 — — (23 ) (2) 69,632 Insurance administrative expense (1) — — — — 55,812 3,590 (3) 59,402 Parent expense — — — — 2,667 1,578 (4) 4,245 Stock-based compensation expense — — — — 10,412 — 10,412 Interest expense — — — 22,433 — — 22,433 Total expenses 436,951 194,948 (2,562 ) 160,099 68,891 5,145 863,472 Subtotal 168,596 60,253 2,564 61,528 (68,475 ) (5,168 ) 219,298 Non-operating items — — — — — 5,168 (3,4) 5,168 Measure of segment profitability (pretax) $ 168,596 $ 60,253 $ 2,564 $ 61,528 $ (68,475 ) $ — 224,466 Realized gain (loss)—investments 1,032 Administrative settlements (3,590 ) Non-operating fees (1,578 ) Income before income taxes per Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations $ 220,330 (1) Administrative expense is not allocated to insurance segments. (2) Elimination of intersegment commission. (3) In 2018 , the Company recorded $3.6 million in administrative settlements related to state regulatory examinations. These administrative settlements were included in "Policyholder benefits" in the Consolidated Statements of Operations . (4) Non-operating fees. Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019 Life Health Annuity Investment Corporate & Other Adjustments Consolidated Revenue: Premium $ 1,886,314 $ 802,132 $ 4 $ — $ — $ — $ 2,688,450 Net investment income — — — 683,003 — — 683,003 Other income — — — — 1,077 — 1,077 Total revenue 1,886,314 802,132 4 683,003 1,077 — 3,372,530 Expenses: Policy benefits 1,227,616 511,403 23,792 — — — 1,762,811 Required interest on reserves (496,894 ) (65,131 ) (32,840 ) 594,865 — — — Required interest on DAC 151,270 19,019 383 (170,672 ) — — — Amortization of acquisition costs 327,407 83,508 1,521 — — — 412,436 Commissions, premium taxes, and non-deferred acquisition costs 150,567 70,719 16 — — — 221,302 Insurance administrative expense (1) — — — — 179,177 5,900 (2,3) 185,077 Parent expense — — — — 7,987 — 7,987 Stock-based compensation expense — — — — 33,348 — 33,348 Interest expense — — — 63,804 — — 63,804 Total expenses 1,359,966 619,518 (7,128 ) 487,997 220,512 5,900 2,686,765 Subtotal 526,348 182,614 7,132 195,006 (219,435 ) (5,900 ) 685,765 Non-operating items — — — — — 5,900 (2,3) 5,900 Measure of segment profitability (pretax) $ 526,348 $ 182,614 $ 7,132 $ 195,006 $ (219,435 ) $ — 691,665 Realized gain (loss)—investments 18,426 Administrative settlements (400 ) Legal proceedings (5,500 ) Income before income taxes per Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations $ 704,191 (1) Administrative expense is not allocated to insurance segments. (2) During the first quarter of 2019 , Globe Life recorded $400 thousand in administrative settlements related to state regulatory examinations. (3) Legal proceedings—See Note 5 for further discussion. Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 Life Health Annuity Investment Corporate & Other Adjustments Consolidated Revenue: Premium $ 1,806,384 $ 758,439 $ 12 $ — $ — $ — $ 2,564,835 Net investment income — — — 658,279 — — 658,279 Other income — — — — 1,180 (76 ) (2) 1,104 Total revenue 1,806,384 758,439 12 658,279 1,180 (76 ) 3,224,218 Expenses: Policy benefits 1,196,616 483,654 25,852 — — — 1,706,122 Required interest on reserves (474,373 ) (62,095 ) (35,733 ) 572,201 — — — Required interest on DAC 145,126 18,228 448 (163,802 ) — — — Amortization of acquisition costs 312,168 74,311 1,710 — — — 388,189 Commissions, premium taxes, and non-deferred acquisition costs 142,253 66,502 19 — — (76 ) (2) 208,698 Insurance administrative expense (1) — — — — 166,560 3,590 (3) 170,150 Parent expense — — — — 7,806 1,578 (4) 9,384 Stock-based compensation expense — — — — 29,969 — 29,969 Interest expense — — — 66,466 — — 66,466 Total expenses 1,321,790 580,600 (7,704 ) 474,865 204,335 5,092 2,578,978 Subtotal 484,594 177,839 7,716 183,414 (203,155 ) (5,168 ) 645,240 Non-operating items — — — — — 5,168 (3,4) 5,168 Measure of segment profitability (pretax) $ 484,594 $ 177,839 $ 7,716 $ 183,414 $ (203,155 ) $ — 650,408 Realized gain (loss)—investments 14,796 Administrative settlements (3,590 ) Non-operating fees (1,578 ) Income before income taxes per Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations $ 660,036 (1) Administrative expense is not allocated to insurance segments. (2) Elimination of intersegment commission. (3) In 2018 , the Company recorded $3.6 million in administrative settlements related to state regulatory examinations. These administrative settlements were included in "Policyholder benefits" in the Consolidated Statements of Operations . (4) Non-operating fees.

Significant Accounting Polici_3

Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019segment
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Number of reportable segments	4

Supplemental Information abou_3

Supplemental Information about Changes to Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income - Schedule of Change in Balance by Component of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
Increase (Decrease) in AOCI, Net of Tax
Beginning balance	$ 6,700,398	$ 5,571,609	$ 5,415,177	$ 6,231,421
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications, net of tax	510,906	(128,498)	1,629,931	(947,929)
Reclassifications, net of tax	(7,032)	2,623	(6,282)	1,279
Other comprehensive income (loss)	503,874	(125,875)	1,623,649	(946,650)
Ending balance	7,312,531	5,538,905	7,312,531	5,538,905
Total [Member]
Increase (Decrease) in AOCI, Net of Tax
Beginning balance	1,439,250	603,499	319,475	1,424,274
Ending balance	1,943,124	477,624	1,943,124	477,624
Available for Sale Assets
Increase (Decrease) in AOCI, Net of Tax
Beginning balance	1,552,108	746,514	435,698	1,569,289
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications, net of tax	513,812	(129,296)	1,632,819	(944,758)
Reclassifications, net of tax	(8,706)	(362)	(11,303)	(7,675)
Other comprehensive income (loss)	505,106	(129,658)	1,621,516	(952,433)
Ending balance	2,057,214	616,856	2,057,214	616,856
Deferred Acquisition Costs
Increase (Decrease) in AOCI, Net of Tax
Beginning balance	(6,556)	(6,579)	(4,163)	(8,547)
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications, net of tax	318	930	(2,075)	2,898
Reclassifications, net of tax	0	0	0	0
Other comprehensive income (loss)	318	930	(2,075)	2,898
Ending balance	(6,238)	(5,649)	(6,238)	(5,649)
Foreign Exchange
Increase (Decrease) in AOCI, Net of Tax
Beginning balance	8,906	10,365	6,495	16,302
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications, net of tax	(3,224)	(132)	(813)	(6,069)
Reclassifications, net of tax	0	0	0	0
Other comprehensive income (loss)	(3,224)	(132)	(813)	(6,069)
Ending balance	5,682	10,233	5,682	10,233
Pension Adjustments
Increase (Decrease) in AOCI, Net of Tax
Beginning balance	(115,208)	(146,801)	(118,555)	(152,770)
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications, net of tax	0	0	0	0
Reclassifications, net of tax	1,674	2,985	5,021	8,954
Other comprehensive income (loss)	1,674	2,985	5,021	8,954
Ending balance	$ (113,534)	$ (143,816)	$ (113,534)	$ (143,816)

Supplemental Information abou_4

Supplemental Information about Changes to Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income - Summary of Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
Unrealized investment gains (losses) on available for sale assets:
Realized (gains) losses	$ (11,943)	$ (1,032)	$ (18,426)	$ (14,796)
Amortization of (discount) premium	(228,905)	(221,627)	(683,003)	(658,279)
Total before tax	(247,330)	(220,330)	(704,191)	(660,036)
Income tax benefit (expense)	45,512	41,630	130,370	123,232
Net income	(201,818)	(178,724)	(573,729)	(536,749)
Pension adjustments:
Income tax benefit (expense)	45,512	41,630	130,370	123,232
Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
Unrealized investment gains (losses) on available for sale assets:
Net income	(7,032)	2,623	(6,282)	1,279
Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income | Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Available for Sale Assets
Unrealized investment gains (losses) on available for sale assets:
Realized (gains) losses	(12,430)	(1,510)	(18,337)	(12,327)
Amortization of (discount) premium	1,410	1,052	4,030	2,612
Total before tax	(11,020)	(458)	(14,307)	(9,715)
Income tax benefit (expense)	2,314	96	3,004	2,040
Net income	(8,706)	(362)	(11,303)	(7,675)
Pension adjustments:
Income tax benefit (expense)	2,314	96	3,004	2,040
Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income | Amortization of prior service cost
Pension adjustments:
Pension adjustments	158	119	474	357
Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income | Amortization of actuarial (gain) loss
Pension adjustments:
Pension adjustments	1,959	3,659	5,881	10,977
Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income | Pension Adjustments
Unrealized investment gains (losses) on available for sale assets:
Total before tax	2,117	3,778	6,355	11,334
Income tax benefit (expense)	(443)	(793)	(1,334)	(2,380)
Net income	1,674	2,985	5,021	8,954
Pension adjustments:
Income tax benefit (expense)	$ (443)	$ (793)	$ (1,334)	$ (2,380)

Investments - Summary of Fixed

Investments - Summary of Fixed Maturities Available for Sale by Component (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Cost or Amortized Cost	$ 16,209,723	$ 15,753,471
Fair Value	18,797,674	16,297,932
Fixed maturities available for sale
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Cost or Amortized Cost	16,209,723	15,753,471
Gross Unrealized Gains	2,682,800	972,840
Gross Unrealized Losses	(94,849)	(428,379)
Fair Value	$ 18,797,674	$ 16,297,932
Percentage of Fixed Maturities at Fair Value	100.00%	100.00%
Fixed maturities available for sale | U.S. Government direct, guaranteed, and government-sponsored enterprises
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Cost or Amortized Cost	$ 393,186	$ 390,351
Gross Unrealized Gains	55,730	5,104
Gross Unrealized Losses	(291)	(2,787)
Fair Value	$ 448,625	$ 392,668
Percentage of Fixed Maturities at Fair Value	2.00%	2.00%
Fixed maturities available for sale | States, municipalities, and political subdivisions
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Cost or Amortized Cost	$ 1,459,986	$ 1,354,810
Gross Unrealized Gains	174,070	83,600
Gross Unrealized Losses	(242)	(1,750)
Fair Value	$ 1,633,814	$ 1,436,660
Percentage of Fixed Maturities at Fair Value	9.00%	9.00%
Fixed maturities available for sale | Foreign governments
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Cost or Amortized Cost	$ 24,428	$ 19,006
Gross Unrealized Gains	2,442	1,810
Gross Unrealized Losses	(98)	0
Fair Value	$ 26,772	$ 20,816
Percentage of Fixed Maturities at Fair Value	0.00%	0.00%
Fixed maturities available for sale | Corporates
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Cost or Amortized Cost	$ 14,130,749	$ 13,784,681
Gross Unrealized Gains	2,416,316	858,125
Gross Unrealized Losses	(87,013)	(416,794)
Fair Value	$ 16,460,052	$ 14,226,012
Percentage of Fixed Maturities at Fair Value	88.00%	87.00%
Fixed maturities available for sale | Corporates | Financial
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Cost or Amortized Cost	$ 4,031,919	$ 3,759,768
Gross Unrealized Gains	721,475	262,875
Gross Unrealized Losses	(27,772)	(87,515)
Fair Value	$ 4,725,622	$ 3,935,128
Percentage of Fixed Maturities at Fair Value	25.00%	24.00%
Fixed maturities available for sale | Corporates | Utilities
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Cost or Amortized Cost	$ 1,939,618	$ 1,989,506
Gross Unrealized Gains	454,518	217,846
Gross Unrealized Losses	(1,640)	(24,399)
Fair Value	$ 2,392,496	$ 2,182,953
Percentage of Fixed Maturities at Fair Value	13.00%	13.00%
Fixed maturities available for sale | Corporates | Energy
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Cost or Amortized Cost	$ 1,658,861	$ 1,652,700
Gross Unrealized Gains	269,339	93,880
Gross Unrealized Losses	(35,836)	(62,371)
Fair Value	$ 1,892,364	$ 1,684,209
Percentage of Fixed Maturities at Fair Value	10.00%	10.00%
Fixed maturities available for sale | Corporates | Other corporate sectors
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Cost or Amortized Cost	$ 6,500,351	$ 6,382,707
Gross Unrealized Gains	970,984	283,524
Gross Unrealized Losses	(21,765)	(242,509)
Fair Value	$ 7,449,570	$ 6,423,722
Percentage of Fixed Maturities at Fair Value	40.00%	40.00%
Fixed maturities available for sale | Collateralized debt obligations
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Cost or Amortized Cost	$ 56,815	$ 57,769
Gross Unrealized Gains	28,275	22,014
Gross Unrealized Losses	(6,929)	(6,414)
Fair Value	$ 78,161	$ 73,369
Percentage of Fixed Maturities at Fair Value	0.00%	1.00%
Fixed maturities available for sale | Other asset-backed securities
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Cost or Amortized Cost	$ 144,559	$ 146,854
Gross Unrealized Gains	5,967	2,187
Gross Unrealized Losses	(276)	(634)
Fair Value	$ 150,250	$ 148,407
Percentage of Fixed Maturities at Fair Value	1.00%	1.00%

Investments - Schedule of Fixed

Investments - Schedule of Fixed Maturities by Contractual Maturity (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Fixed Maturities Available for Sale, Amortized Cost
Due in one year or less	$ 100,626
Due after one year through five years	643,842
Due after five years through ten years	1,670,278
Due after ten years through twenty years	5,246,650
Due after twenty years	8,346,465
Mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities	201,862
Total fixed maturities available for sale, Amortized Cost	16,209,723	$ 15,753,471
Fixed Maturities Available for Sale, Fair Value
Due in one year or less	102,237
Due after one year through five years	691,898
Due after five years through ten years	1,924,341
Due after ten years through twenty years	6,314,401
Due after twenty years	9,535,865
Mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities	228,932
Total fixed maturities available for sale, Fair Value	$ 18,797,674	$ 16,297,932

Investments - Schedule of Analy

Investments - Schedule of Analysis of Investment Operations (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
Net Investment Income [Line Items]
Investment income, gross	$ 232,732	$ 225,590	$ 694,780	$ 670,100
Less investment expense	(3,827)	(3,963)	(11,777)	(11,821)
Net investment income	228,905	221,627	683,003	658,279
Fixed maturities available for sale
Net Investment Income [Line Items]
Investment income, gross	216,154	210,929	647,784	629,242
Policy loans
Net Investment Income [Line Items]
Investment income, gross	10,959	10,490	32,416	30,889
Other long-term investments
Net Investment Income [Line Items]
Investment income, gross	5,105	3,682	12,484	8,656
Short-term investments
Net Investment Income [Line Items]
Investment income, gross	$ 514	$ 489	$ 2,096	$ 1,313

Investments - Schedule of Selec

Investments - Schedule of Selected Information about Sales of Fixed Maturities (Detail) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Proceeds from sales			$ 62,151,000	$ 12,162,000
Unsettled sales	$ 0	$ 0	0	0
Fixed maturities available for sale
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Proceeds from sales	27,154,000	12,162,000	62,151,000	12,162,000
Gross realized gains	1,031,000	66,000	1,077,000	66,000
Gross realized losses	$ (604,000)	$ 0	$ (3,631,000)	$ 0

Investments - Realized Gain (Lo

Investments - Realized Gain (Loss) on Investments (Detail) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
Gain (Loss) on Securities [Line Items]
Realized gains (losses)	$ 11,943,000	$ 1,032,000	$ 18,426,000	$ 14,796,000
Applicable tax	(2,508,000)	(217,000)	(3,869,000)	(3,107,000)
Realized gains (losses), net of tax	9,435,000	815,000	14,557,000	11,689,000
Realized gains (losses)	11,943,000	1,032,000	18,426,000	14,796,000
Fixed maturities available for sale
Gain (Loss) on Securities [Line Items]
Realized gains (losses)	12,430,000	1,510,000	18,337,000	12,327,000
Exchanges	43,700,000	0	161,000,000	128,900,000
Realized gains (losses)	11,800,000		20,100,000	10,400,000
Fair value option—change in fair value
Gain (Loss) on Securities [Line Items]
Realized gains (losses)	(487,000)	(456,000)	197,000	2,405,000
Other investments
Gain (Loss) on Securities [Line Items]
Realized gains (losses)	$ 0	$ (22,000)	$ (108,000)	$ 64,000

Investments - Assets Measured a

Investments - Assets Measured at Fair Value on Recurring Basis (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	$ 18,797,674	$ 16,297,932
Percentage of total	100.00%	100.00%
Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Percentage of total	0.00%	0.00%
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Percentage of total	96.00%	96.00%
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Percentage of total	4.00%	4.00%
Fixed maturities available for sale
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	$ 18,797,674	$ 16,297,932
Fixed maturities available for sale | U.S. Government direct, guaranteed, and government-sponsored enterprises
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	448,625	392,668
Fixed maturities available for sale | States, municipalities, and political subdivisions
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	1,633,814	1,436,660
Fixed maturities available for sale | Foreign governments
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	26,772	20,816
Fixed maturities available for sale | Corporates
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	16,460,052	14,226,012
Fixed maturities available for sale | Corporates | Financial
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	4,725,622	3,935,128
Fixed maturities available for sale | Corporates | Utilities
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	2,392,496	2,182,953
Fixed maturities available for sale | Corporates | Energy
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	1,892,364	1,684,209
Fixed maturities available for sale | Corporates | Other corporate sectors
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	7,449,570	6,423,722
Fixed maturities available for sale | Collateralized debt obligations
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	78,161	73,369
Fixed maturities available for sale | Other asset-backed securities
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	150,250	148,407
Fixed maturities available for sale | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	25	0
Fixed maturities available for sale | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) | U.S. Government direct, guaranteed, and government-sponsored enterprises
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	0	0
Fixed maturities available for sale | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) | States, municipalities, and political subdivisions
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	0	0
Fixed maturities available for sale | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) | Foreign governments
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	0	0
Fixed maturities available for sale | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) | Corporates
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	25	0
Fixed maturities available for sale | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) | Corporates | Financial
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	0	0
Fixed maturities available for sale | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) | Corporates | Utilities
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	0	0
Fixed maturities available for sale | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) | Corporates | Energy
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	0	0
Fixed maturities available for sale | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) | Corporates | Other corporate sectors
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	25	0
Fixed maturities available for sale | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) | Collateralized debt obligations
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	0	0
Fixed maturities available for sale | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) | Other asset-backed securities
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	0	0
Fixed maturities available for sale | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	18,128,064	15,658,110
Fixed maturities available for sale | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | U.S. Government direct, guaranteed, and government-sponsored enterprises
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	448,625	392,668
Fixed maturities available for sale | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | States, municipalities, and political subdivisions
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	1,633,814	1,436,660
Fixed maturities available for sale | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | Foreign governments
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	26,772	20,816
Fixed maturities available for sale | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | Corporates
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	15,882,285	13,672,541
Fixed maturities available for sale | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | Corporates | Financial
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	4,680,315	3,891,728
Fixed maturities available for sale | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | Corporates | Utilities
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	2,234,140	2,032,127
Fixed maturities available for sale | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | Corporates | Energy
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	1,850,580	1,645,077
Fixed maturities available for sale | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | Corporates | Other corporate sectors
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	7,117,250	6,103,609
Fixed maturities available for sale | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | Collateralized debt obligations
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	0	0
Fixed maturities available for sale | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | Other asset-backed securities
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	136,568	135,425
Fixed maturities available for sale | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	669,585	639,822
Fixed maturities available for sale | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) | U.S. Government direct, guaranteed, and government-sponsored enterprises
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	0	0
Fixed maturities available for sale | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) | States, municipalities, and political subdivisions
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	0	0
Fixed maturities available for sale | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) | Foreign governments
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	0	0
Fixed maturities available for sale | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) | Corporates
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	577,742	553,471
Fixed maturities available for sale | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) | Corporates | Financial
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	45,307	43,400
Fixed maturities available for sale | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) | Corporates | Utilities
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	158,356	150,826
Fixed maturities available for sale | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) | Corporates | Energy
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	41,784	39,132
Fixed maturities available for sale | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) | Corporates | Other corporate sectors
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	332,295	320,113
Fixed maturities available for sale | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) | Collateralized debt obligations
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	78,161	73,369
Fixed maturities available for sale | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) | Other asset-backed securities
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair Value	$ 13,682	$ 12,982

Investments - Schedule of Chang

Investments - Schedule of Changes in Assets Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis Using Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation
Beginning Balance	$ 639,822	$ 668,440
Included in realized gains / losses	0	698
Included in other comprehensive income	41,759	(14,113)
Acquisitions	0	27,453
Sales	0	0
Amortization	3,469	3,585
Other	(15,465)	(42,862)
Transfers into (out of) Level 3	0	4,533
Ending Balance	$ 669,585	$ 647,734
Percent of total fixed maturities	4.00%	4.00%
Asset- backed Securities
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation
Beginning Balance	$ 12,982	$ 14,049
Included in realized gains / losses	0	0
Included in other comprehensive income	1,043	(950)
Acquisitions	0	0
Sales	0	0
Amortization	0	0
Other	(343)	(315)
Transfers into (out of) Level 3	0	0
Ending Balance	$ 13,682	$ 12,784
Percent of total fixed maturities	0.00%	0.00%
Collateralized debt obligations
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation
Beginning Balance	$ 73,369	$ 71,581
Included in realized gains / losses	0	0
Included in other comprehensive income	5,745	8,691
Acquisitions	0	0
Sales	0	0
Amortization	3,459	3,572
Other	(4,412)	(4,928)
Transfers into (out of) Level 3	0	0
Ending Balance	$ 78,161	$ 78,916
Percent of total fixed maturities	1.00%	1.00%
Corporates
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation
Beginning Balance	$ 553,471	$ 582,810
Included in realized gains / losses	0	698
Included in other comprehensive income	34,971	(21,854)
Acquisitions	0	27,453
Sales	0	0
Amortization	10	13
Other	(10,710)	(37,619)
Transfers into (out of) Level 3	0	4,533
Ending Balance	$ 577,742	$ 556,034
Percent of total fixed maturities	3.00%	3.00%

Investments - Transfers in and

Investments - Transfers in and Out of Each of the Valuation Levels of Fair Values (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)
Transfers In And Out Of Each Of The Valuation Levels Of Fair Values Of Investments[Line Items]
In	$ 14,597	$ 0
Out	0	0
Net	14,597	0
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)
Transfers In And Out Of Each Of The Valuation Levels Of Fair Values Of Investments[Line Items]
In	0	0
Out	(14,597)	(4,533)
Net	(14,597)	(4,533)
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
Transfers In And Out Of Each Of The Valuation Levels Of Fair Values Of Investments[Line Items]
In	0	4,533
Out	0	0
Net	$ 0	$ 4,533

Investments - Schedule of Other

Investments - Schedule of Other Long-Term Investments (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Investment [Line Items]
Other long-term investments under fair value option	$ 315,535	$ 207,258
Commercial mortgage participations
Investment [Line Items]
Other long-term investments under fair value option	127,953	96,266
Other
Investment [Line Items]
Other long-term investments under fair value option	3,116	2,751
Partnership Interest - Fair Value Option | Investment in limited partnerships
Investment [Line Items]
Other long-term investments under fair value option	$ 184,466	$ 108,241

Investments Investments - Fair

Investments Investments - Fair Value Option (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2018
Fair Value Measurement Inputs and Valuation Techniques [Line Items]
Net Gains and Losses Recognized During the Period	$ 197	$ 2,405
Less Net Gains and Losses Recognized due to Sales	0	0
Total Changes in Fair Values Included in Current-Period Earnings	197	$ 2,405
Partnership Interest - Fair Value Option
Fair Value Measurement Inputs and Valuation Techniques [Line Items]
Limited partnerships, fair value	184,466		$ 108,241
Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) | Partnership Interest - Fair Value Option
Fair Value Measurement Inputs and Valuation Techniques [Line Items]
Limited partnerships, fair value	0		0
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | Partnership Interest - Fair Value Option
Fair Value Measurement Inputs and Valuation Techniques [Line Items]
Limited partnerships, fair value	184,466		108,241
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) | Partnership Interest - Fair Value Option
Fair Value Measurement Inputs and Valuation Techniques [Line Items]
Limited partnerships, fair value	$ 0		$ 0

Investments - Schedule of Addit

Investments - Schedule of Additional Information about Investments in Unrealized Loss Position (Detail) - Issue	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]
Less than Twelve Months	46	495
Twelve Months or Longer	59	234
Total	105	729

Investments - Additional Inform

Investments - Additional Information (Detail)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019USD ($)Issue	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018Issue
Investment [Line Items]
Total issues of fixed-maturities | Issue	1,585		1,548
Fixed maturities available for sale
Investment [Line Items]
Other-than-temporary impairment | $	$ 0	$ 0

Investments - Schedule of Unrea

Investments - Schedule of Unrealized Investment Losses by Class of Investment (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Fair Value	$ 399,504	$ 4,698,830
Unrealized Loss	(7,430)	(252,192)
Fair Value	410,404	1,290,990
Unrealized Loss	(87,419)	(176,187)
Fair Value	809,908	5,989,820
Total	(94,849)	(428,379)
Investment Grade
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Fair Value	385,525	4,458,883
Unrealized Loss	(6,834)	(229,105)
Fair Value	156,966	1,091,128
Unrealized Loss	(12,378)	(106,067)
Fair Value	542,491	5,550,011
Total	(19,212)	(335,172)
Investment Grade | U.S. Government direct, guaranteed, and government-sponsored enterprises
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Fair Value	1,158	37,182
Unrealized Loss	(1)	(212)
Fair Value	21,089	89,664
Unrealized Loss	(290)	(2,575)
Fair Value	22,247	126,846
Total	(291)	(2,787)
Investment Grade | States, municipalities, and political subdivisions
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Fair Value	19,654	124,907
Unrealized Loss	(242)	(1,648)
Fair Value	0	7,981
Unrealized Loss	0	(102)
Fair Value	19,654	132,888
Total	(242)	(1,750)
Investment Grade | Foreign governments
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Fair Value	6,400
Unrealized Loss	(98)
Fair Value	0
Unrealized Loss	0
Fair Value	6,400
Total	(98)
Investment Grade | Corporates
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Fair Value	358,313	4,252,191
Unrealized Loss	(6,493)	(226,611)
Fair Value	135,877	993,483
Unrealized Loss	(12,088)	(103,390)
Fair Value	494,190	5,245,674
Total	(18,581)	(330,001)
Investment Grade | Other asset-backed securities
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Fair Value	0	44,603
Unrealized Loss	0	(634)
Fair Value	0	0
Unrealized Loss	0	0
Fair Value	0	44,603
Total	0	(634)
Below Investment Grade
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Fair Value	13,979	239,947
Unrealized Loss	(596)	(23,087)
Fair Value	253,438	199,862
Unrealized Loss	(75,041)	(70,120)
Fair Value	267,417	439,809
Total	(75,637)	(93,207)
Below Investment Grade | States, municipalities, and political subdivisions
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Fair Value	0
Unrealized Loss	0
Fair Value	0
Unrealized Loss	0
Fair Value	0
Total	0
Below Investment Grade | Corporates
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Fair Value	13,979	239,947
Unrealized Loss	(596)	(23,087)
Fair Value	226,319	186,276
Unrealized Loss	(67,836)	(63,706)
Fair Value	240,298	426,223
Total	(68,432)	(86,793)
Below Investment Grade | Collateralized debt obligations
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Fair Value	0	0
Unrealized Loss	0	0
Fair Value	13,070	13,586
Unrealized Loss	(6,929)	(6,414)
Fair Value	13,070	13,586
Total	(6,929)	(6,414)
Below Investment Grade | Other asset-backed securities
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Fair Value	0
Unrealized Loss	0
Fair Value	14,049
Unrealized Loss	(276)
Fair Value	14,049
Total	(276)
Financial | Investment Grade | Corporates
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Fair Value	157,535	931,161
Unrealized Loss	(2,335)	(36,337)
Fair Value	6,763	241,442
Unrealized Loss	(1,737)	(21,572)
Fair Value	164,298	1,172,603
Total	(4,072)	(57,909)
Financial | Below Investment Grade | Corporates
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Fair Value	0	22,087
Unrealized Loss	0	(8,674)
Fair Value	109,052	81,101
Unrealized Loss	(23,700)	(20,932)
Fair Value	109,052	103,188
Total	(23,700)	(29,606)
Utilities | Investment Grade | Corporates
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Fair Value	3,706	329,753
Unrealized Loss	(8)	(11,680)
Fair Value	0	121,308
Unrealized Loss	0	(9,442)
Fair Value	3,706	451,061
Total	(8)	(21,122)
Utilities | Below Investment Grade | Corporates
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Fair Value	7,651	28,613
Unrealized Loss	(14)	(3,277)
Fair Value	14,631	0
Unrealized Loss	(1,618)	0
Fair Value	22,282	28,613
Total	(1,632)	(3,277)
Energy | Investment Grade | Corporates
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Fair Value	71,563	475,736
Unrealized Loss	(2,439)	(29,426)
Fair Value	29,469	54,937
Unrealized Loss	(5,975)	(9,382)
Fair Value	101,032	530,673
Total	(8,414)	(38,808)
Energy | Below Investment Grade | Corporates
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Fair Value	6,328	42,874
Unrealized Loss	(582)	(3,901)
Fair Value	38,839	36,122
Unrealized Loss	(26,840)	(19,662)
Fair Value	45,167	78,996
Total	(27,422)	(23,563)
Other corporate sectors | Investment Grade | Corporates
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Fair Value	125,509	2,515,541
Unrealized Loss	(1,711)	(149,168)
Fair Value	99,645	575,796
Unrealized Loss	(4,376)	(62,994)
Fair Value	225,154	3,091,337
Total	(6,087)	(212,162)
Other corporate sectors | Below Investment Grade | Corporates
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Fair Value	0	146,373
Unrealized Loss	0	(7,235)
Fair Value	63,797	69,053
Unrealized Loss	(15,678)	(23,112)
Fair Value	63,797	215,426
Total	$ (15,678)	$ (30,347)

Commitments and Contingencies -

Commitments and Contingencies - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2019	Apr. 02, 2019	Apr. 01, 2019
Obligation with Joint and Several Liability Arrangement [Line Items]
Letters of credit facility outstanding		$ 150,000,000	$ 155,000,000
Letter of Credit
Obligation with Joint and Several Liability Arrangement [Line Items]
Letter of credit maximum available amount	$ 250,000,000

Liability for Unpaid Claims - S

Liability for Unpaid Claims - Summary of Liability for Unpaid Health Claims (Details) - Health premium - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
Activity in the Liability for Unpaid Health Claims
Balance at beginning of period	$ 154,528	$ 146,865
Incurred related to:
Current year	454,186	411,662
Prior year	(851)	(3,795)
Total incurred	453,335	407,867
Paid related to:
Current year	326,553	293,800
Prior year	123,803	113,109
Total paid	450,356	406,909
Balance at end of period	$ 157,507	$ 147,823

Liability for Unpaid Claims - R

Liability for Unpaid Claims - Reconciliation of Net Incurred and Paid Claims Development to Liability (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Policy claims and other benefits payable:
Life insurance	$ 194,222	$ 196,298
Policy claims and other benefits payable	351,729	350,826
Health premium
Policy claims and other benefits payable:
Policy claims and other benefits payable	$ 157,507	$ 154,528

Postretirement Benefits - Pensi

Postretirement Benefits - Pension Assets by Components at Fair Value (Detail) - Funded defined benefit pension - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 455,735	$ 392,672
Total percentage	100.00%	100.00%
Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 206,372	$ 170,822
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	249,363	221,850
Financial
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 51,045	$ 44,236
Total percentage	11.00%	11.00%
Financial | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 51,045	$ 44,236
Utilities
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 43,401	$ 39,443
Total percentage	10.00%	10.00%
Utilities | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 43,401	$ 39,443
Energy
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 21,919	$ 19,744
Total percentage	5.00%	5.00%
Energy | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 21,919	$ 19,744
Other corporates
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 92,421	$ 83,202
Total percentage	20.00%	22.00%
Other corporates | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 92,421	$ 83,202
Total corporate bonds
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 208,786	$ 186,625
Total percentage	46.00%	48.00%
Total corporate bonds | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 208,786	$ 186,625
Exchange traded funds
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 189,103	$ 157,717
Total percentage	41.00%	40.00%
Exchange traded funds | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 189,103	$ 157,717
Other bonds
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 258	$ 245
Total percentage	0.00%	0.00%
Other bonds | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 258	$ 245
Other long-term investments
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 11,959	$ 8,475
Total percentage	3.00%	2.00%
Other long-term investments | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 11,959	$ 8,475
Guaranteed annuity contract
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 28,360	$ 26,505
Total percentage	6.00%	7.00%
Guaranteed annuity contract | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 28,360	$ 26,505
Short-term investments
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 10,107	$ 9,289
Total percentage	2.00%	2.00%
Short-term investments | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 10,107	$ 9,289
Other
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 7,162	$ 3,816
Total percentage	2.00%	1.00%
Other | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets	$ 7,162	$ 3,816

Postretirement Benefits - Activ

Postretirement Benefits - Activity for the SERP (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]
Premiums paid for insurance coverage	$ 2,394	$ 2,997
Company owned life insurance	47,406	44,285
Exchange traded funds	62,944	52,659
Total investments of SERP	$ 110,350	$ 96,944

Postretirement Benefits - Pen_2

Postretirement Benefits - Pension and SERP Liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
PBO	$ 610,329	$ 556,199
Funded defined benefit pension | Funded defined benefit pension | Funded defined benefit pension
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
PBO	534,798	481,792
SERP | SERP
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
PBO	$ 75,531	$ 74,407

Postretirement Benefits - Compo

Postretirement Benefits - Components of Net Periodic Pension Costs and Post-Retirement Benefit Costs (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]
Service cost	$ 4,982	$ 5,277	$ 14,947	$ 15,831
Interest cost	5,964	5,496	17,892	16,482
Expected return on assets	(6,966)	(6,363)	(20,898)	(19,089)
Prior service cost	158	119	474	357
Actuarial (gain) loss	1,894	3,636	5,684	10,908
Net periodic benefit cost	$ 6,032	$ 8,165	$ 18,099	$ 24,489

Earnings Per Share - Reconcilia

Earnings Per Share - Reconciliation of Basic and Diluted Weighted-Average Shares Outstanding (Details) - shares	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Basic weighted average shares outstanding (in shares)	108,813,355	112,587,623	109,582,748	113,366,465
Weighted average dilutive options outstanding (in shares)	2,100,378	2,386,831	2,009,262	2,418,281
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding (in shares)	110,913,733	114,974,454	111,592,010	115,784,746
Antidilutive shares (in shares)	0	1,375,186	1,359,186	1,097,439

Business Segments - Additional

Business Segments - Additional Information (Detail)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019segment
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Number of segments	4

Business Segments - Reconciliat

Business Segments - Reconciliation of Segment Operating Information to Consolidated Statement of Operations (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
Revenue:
Premium	$ 899,993		$ 860,750	$ 2,688,450	$ 2,564,835
Net investment income	228,905		221,627	683,003	658,279
Other income	438		393	1,077	1,104
Total revenue	1,129,336		1,082,770	3,372,530	3,224,218
Expenses:
Policy benefits	585,692		567,856	1,762,811	1,706,122
Required interest on reserves	0		0	0	0
Required interest on DAC	0		0	0	0
Amortization of acquisition costs	138,449		129,492	412,436	388,189
Commissions, premium taxes, and non-deferred acquisition costs	74,139		69,632	221,302	208,698
Insurance administrative expense	60,570		59,402	185,077	170,150
Parent expense	2,472		4,245	7,987	9,384
Stock-based compensation expense	11,533		10,412	33,348	29,969
Interest expense	21,094		22,433	63,804	66,466
Total benefits and expenses	893,949		863,472	2,686,765	2,578,978
Subtotal	235,387		219,298	685,765	645,240
Non-operating items	0		5,168	5,900	5,168
Measure of segment profitability (pretax)	235,387		224,466	691,665	650,408
Realized gain (loss)—investments	11,943		1,032	18,426	14,796
Administrative settlements		$ (400)	(3,590)	(400)	(3,590)
Non-operating fees			(1,578)		(1,578)
Legal proceedings				(5,500)
Income before income taxes	247,330		220,330	704,191	660,036
Operating Segments | Life
Revenue:
Premium	630,824		605,547	1,886,314	1,806,384
Total revenue	630,824		605,547	1,886,314	1,806,384
Expenses:
Policy benefits	406,963		396,701	1,227,616	1,196,616
Required interest on reserves	(167,719)		(160,058)	(496,894)	(474,373)
Required interest on DAC	50,948		48,907	151,270	145,126
Amortization of acquisition costs	108,798		103,792	327,407	312,168
Commissions, premium taxes, and non-deferred acquisition costs	50,375		47,609	150,567	142,253
Total benefits and expenses	449,365		436,951	1,359,966	1,321,790
Subtotal	181,459		168,596	526,348	484,594
Measure of segment profitability (pretax)	181,459		168,596	526,348	484,594
Operating Segments | Health
Revenue:
Premium	269,166		255,201	802,132	758,439
Total revenue	269,166		255,201	802,132	758,439
Expenses:
Policy benefits	170,875		162,574	511,403	483,654
Required interest on reserves	(21,955)		(20,965)	(65,131)	(62,095)
Required interest on DAC	6,395		6,136	19,019	18,228
Amortization of acquisition costs	29,151		25,162	83,508	74,311
Commissions, premium taxes, and non-deferred acquisition costs	23,759		22,041	70,719	66,502
Total benefits and expenses	208,225		194,948	619,518	580,600
Subtotal	60,941		60,253	182,614	177,839
Measure of segment profitability (pretax)	60,941		60,253	182,614	177,839
Operating Segments | Annuity
Revenue:
Premium	3		2	4	12
Total revenue	3		2	4	12
Expenses:
Policy benefits	7,854		8,581	23,792	25,852
Required interest on reserves	(10,832)		(11,831)	(32,840)	(35,733)
Required interest on DAC	125		145	383	448
Amortization of acquisition costs	500		538	1,521	1,710
Commissions, premium taxes, and non-deferred acquisition costs	5		5	16	19
Total benefits and expenses	(2,348)		(2,562)	(7,128)	(7,704)
Subtotal	2,351		2,564	7,132	7,716
Measure of segment profitability (pretax)	2,351		2,564	7,132	7,716
Operating Segments | Investment
Revenue:
Premium					0
Net investment income	228,905		221,627	683,003	658,279
Total revenue	228,905		221,627	683,003	658,279
Expenses:
Required interest on reserves	200,506		192,854	594,865	572,201
Required interest on DAC	(57,468)		(55,188)	(170,672)	(163,802)
Interest expense	21,094		22,433	63,804	66,466
Total benefits and expenses	164,132		160,099	487,997	474,865
Subtotal	64,773		61,528	195,006	183,414
Measure of segment profitability (pretax)	64,773		61,528	195,006	183,414
Operating Segments | Corporate & Other
Revenue:
Premium					0
Other income	438		416	1,077	1,180
Total revenue	438		416	1,077	1,180
Expenses:
Insurance administrative expense	60,570		55,812	179,177	166,560
Parent expense	2,472		2,667	7,987	7,806
Stock-based compensation expense	11,533		10,412	33,348	29,969
Total benefits and expenses	74,575		68,891	220,512	204,335
Subtotal	(74,137)		(68,475)	(219,435)	(203,155)
Measure of segment profitability (pretax)	(74,137)		(68,475)	(219,435)	(203,155)
Adjustments
Revenue:
Premium					0
Net investment income					0
Other income	0		(23)	0	(76)
Total revenue	0		(23)	0	(76)
Expenses:
Policy benefits	0			0
Commissions, premium taxes, and non-deferred acquisition costs	0		(23)	0	(76)
Insurance administrative expense	0		3,590	5,900	3,590
Parent expense			1,578		1,578
Total benefits and expenses	0		5,145	5,900	5,092
Subtotal	0		(5,168)	(5,900)	(5,168)
Non-operating items	0		5,168	5,900	5,168
Measure of segment profitability (pretax)	$ 0		$ 0	$ 0	$ 0

Uncategorized Items - gl201910-

Label	Element	Value
Cumulative Effect of New Accounting Principle in Period of Adoption	us-gaap_CumulativeEffectOfNewAccountingPrincipleInPeriodOfAdoption	$ 4,896,000
Cumulative Effect of New Accounting Principle in Period of Adoption	us-gaap_CumulativeEffectOfNewAccountingPrincipleInPeriodOfAdoption	(497,000)	[1]
Retained Earnings [Member]
Cumulative Effect of New Accounting Principle in Period of Adoption	us-gaap_CumulativeEffectOfNewAccountingPrincipleInPeriodOfAdoption	4,896,000
Cumulative Effect of New Accounting Principle in Period of Adoption	us-gaap_CumulativeEffectOfNewAccountingPrincipleInPeriodOfAdoption	$ (497,000)	[1]
[1]	See further discussion in Note 2—New Accounting Standards .