View Filing Data

Private placement facilities [Member]

$ 924,415

$ 781,380

Less: Deferred debt issuance costs

535,295

$ 342,857

$ (419)

Private placement facilities [Member] | Private placement facilities maturing in September 2020 [Member]

Sep. 15, 2020

Sep. 02, 2010

$ 100,000

3.79%

Private placement facilities [Member] | Private placement facilities maturing in January 2024 [Member]

Sep. 02, 2020

Jan. 20, 2012

$ 50,000

3.45%

Private placement facilities [Member] | Private placement facilities maturing in January 2022 [Member]

Jan. 20, 2024

^[1]

Jan. 20, 2012

^[1]

$ 35,714

^[1]

3.09%

Private placement facility, repayment frequency

^[1]

Jan. 20, 2022

Annual

Private placement facility, annual payment

$ 7,100

Debt Instrument, Date of First Required Payment

Jan. 20, 2016

Private placement facilities [Member] | Private placement facilities maturing in December 2024 [Member]

Dec. 24, 2012

$ 50,000

3.00%

Private placement facilities [Member] | Private placement facilities maturing in June 2021 [Member]

Dec. 24, 2024

Jun. 02, 2014

$ 100,000

3.19%

Private placement facilities [Member] | Private Placement facilities maturing in June 2027 [Member]

Jun. 02, 2021

Jun. 16, 2017

$ 100,000

3.42%

Private placement facilities [Member] | Private Placement Facilities maturing in September 2029 [Member]

Jun. 16, 2027

Sep. 15, 2017

$ 100,000

3.52%

Noncurrent deferred income tax assets [Abstract]

Sep. 15, 2029

[1]	(1) Annual repayments of approximately $7.1 million for this borrowing commenced on January 20, 2016.

Debt - U.S. Trade Accounts Receivable Securitization (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	5 Months Ended	6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Jun. 01, 2016	Jul. 06, 2017	Dec. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 26, 2015	Apr. 17, 2013
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of Long-term Debt			$ 60,050	$ 15,381	$ 201,203
Long-term Debt and Capital Lease Obligations, Including Current Maturities			$ 924,415	781,380
U.S. trade accounts receivable securitization [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Pricing commitment period			3 years
Debt Instrument, Maturity Date	Apr. 29, 2019	Apr. 29, 2020
Debt Instrument Maximum Borrowing Capacity	$ 350,000		$ 350,000	350,000		$ 300,000
Long-term Debt and Capital Lease Obligations, Including Current Maturities			$ 350,000	350,000
Commitment fee for facility usage - facility limit greater than or equal to fifty percent usage (as a percent)			0.30%
Commitment fee for facility usage - facility limit less than fifty percent usage (as a percent)			0.35%
Debt instrument borrowing percentage of facility used for calculating commitment fee (as a percent)			50.00%
U.S. trade accounts receivable securitization [Member] \| Asset backed commercial paper rate [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt and Capital Lease Obligations, Including Current Maturities			$ 350,000	$ 350,000
Debt instrument, variable rate basis at period end			1.53%	1.01%
Debt instrument, basis spread on variable rate			0.75%	0.75%
Debt instrument, interest rate at period end			2.28%	1.76%

Debt - Long-term Debt (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt, net	$ 907,756	$ 715,457
Less current maturities	(16,659)	(65,923)
Total Long-term debt	924,415	781,380
Private Placement Facilities [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total Long-term debt	535,295	342,857
U.S. trade accounts receivable securitization [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total Long-term debt	350,000	350,000
Notes payable to banks [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total Long-term debt	0	$ 47,957
Debt instrument, interest rate, weighted-average percentage		21.37%
Various collateralized and uncollateralized long-term loans payable with interest, in varying installments [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total Long-term debt	$ 34,027	$ 35,150
Various collateralized and uncollateralized long-term loans payable with interest, in varying installments [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, interest rate, stated percentage	2.56%	2.56%
Various collateralized and uncollateralized long-term loans payable with interest, in varying installments [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, interest rate, stated percentage	12.90%	12.90%
Capital lease obligations [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total Long-term debt	$ 5,093	$ 5,416
Capital lease obligations [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, interest rate, stated percentage	0.84%
Capital lease obligations [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, interest rate, stated percentage	19.79%

Debt - Maturities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Maturities of Long-term Debt [Abstract]
2018	$ 16,659
2019	8,617
2020	457,519
2021	107,432
2022	32,906
Thereafter	301,282
Total Long-term debt	924,415	$ 781,380
Private Placement Facilities [Member]
Maturities of Long-term Debt [Abstract]
Total Long-term debt	535,295	$ 342,857
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Issuance Costs, Gross	$ 419

Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 26, 2015
Components of the change in the redeemable noncontrolling interests [Abstract]
Balance, beginning of period	$ 607,636	$ 542,194	$ 564,527
Decrease in redeemable noncontrolling interests due to redemptions	(48,669)	(72,729)	(82,563)
Increase in redeemable noncontrolling interests due to business acquisitions	78,939	58,172	18,936
Net income attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interests	52,203	48,760	43,588
Dividends declared	(28,161)	(32,973)	(32,706)
Effect of foreign currency translation gain (loss) attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interests	7,461	(2,652)	(4,790)
Change in fair value of redeemable securities	162,729	66,864	35,202
Balance, end of period	$ 832,138	$ 607,636	$ 542,194

Comprehensive Income - Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income and Comprehensive Income Components (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jul. 01, 2017	Apr. 01, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Sep. 24, 2016	Jun. 25, 2016	Mar. 26, 2016	Dec. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 26, 2015
Attributable to Redeemable noncontrolling interests:
Foreign currency translation adjustment	$ (5,564)				$ (13,025)				$ (5,564)	$ (13,025)	$ (10,373)
Attributable to noncontrolling interests:
Foreign currency translation adjustment	539				(113)				539	(113)	(76)
Attributable to Henry Schein, Inc.:
Foreign currency translation gain (loss)	(112,439)				(296,212)				(112,439)	(296,212)	(200,499)
Unrealized gain (loss) from foreign currency hedging activities	(782)				(53)				(782)	(53)	939
Unrealized investment gain (loss)	(3)				0				(3)	0	(2)
Pension adjustment gain (loss)	(16,843)				(20,776)				(16,843)	(20,776)	(20,377)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	(130,067)				(317,041)				(130,067)	(317,041)	(219,939)
Total Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	(135,092)				(330,179)				(135,092)	(330,179)	(230,388)
Components of comprehensive income [Abstract]
Net income	$ 8,510	$ 150,948	$ 149,582	$ 150,253	$ 153,473	$ 145,291	$ 133,098	$ 124,533	459,293	556,395	523,427
Foreign currency translation gain (loss)									191,886	(98,402)	(134,035)
Tax effect									0	0	0
Foreign currency translation gain (loss)									191,886	(98,402)	(134,035)
Unrealized gain (loss) from foreign currency hedging activities									(1,515)	(1,025)	2,147
Tax effect									786	33	(153)
Unrealized gain (loss) from foreign currency hedging activities									(729)	(992)	1,994
Unrealized investment gain (loss)									(4)	2	134
Tax effect									1	0	0
Unrealized investment gain (loss)									(3)	2	134
Pension adjustment gain (loss)									4,247	(947)	3,278
Tax effect									(314)	548	(1,008)
Pension adjustment gain (loss)									3,933	(399)	2,270
Comprehensive income									$ 654,380	$ 456,604	$ 393,790

Comprehensive Income - Foreign Currency Translation Gain (Loss) Components (Details) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 30, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Dec. 26, 2015 USD ($)	Dec. 27, 2014
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Foreign currency translation gain (loss)	$ 191,886	$ (98,402)	$ (134,035)
Euro
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Foreign currency translation gain (loss)	$ 113,259	$ (41,245)	$ (76,754)
FX rate into USD	1.2	1.05	1.1	1.22
British Pound
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Foreign currency translation gain (loss)	$ 28,001	$ (53,723)	$ (15,404)
FX rate into USD	1.35	1.23	1.49	1.56
Australian Dollar
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Foreign currency translation gain (loss)	$ 15,124	$ (562)	$ (19,864)
FX rate into USD	0.78	0.72	0.73	0.81
Canadian Dollar
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Foreign currency translation gain (loss)	$ 9,403	$ 3,345	$ (10,071)
FX rate into USD	0.8	0.74	0.72	0.86
Polish Zloty
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Foreign currency translation gain (loss)	$ 11,058	$ (3,849)	$ (3,281)
FX rate into USD	0.29	0.24	0.26	0.28
Swiss Franc
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Foreign currency translation gain (loss)	$ 5,544	$ (2,365)	$ 928
FX rate into USD	1.03	0.98	1.01	1.01
Brazilian Real
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Foreign currency translation gain (loss)	$ (2,411)	$ 2,856	$ (5,942)
FX rate into USD	0.3	0.31	0.25	0.37
All other currencies
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Foreign currency translation gain (loss)	$ 11,908	$ (2,859)	$ (3,647)

Comprehensive Income - Total Comprehensive Income (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 26, 2015
Comprehensive Income Net Of Applicable Taxes [Abstract]
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Henry Schein, Inc.	$ 593,273	$ 409,676	$ 354,251
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests	1,443	820	741
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Redeemable noncontrolling interests	59,664	46,108	38,798
Comprehensive income (loss)	$ 654,380	$ 456,604	$ 393,790

Fair Value Measurements (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 26, 2015	Dec. 27, 2014
Attributable To Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests [Abstract]
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	$ 832,138	$ 607,636	$ 542,194	$ 564,527
Estimate of Fair Value Measurement [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair value of debt	1,666,100	1,218,900
Fair value, measurements, recurring [Member]
Assets [Abstract]
Derivative contracts - assets	11,799	1,240
Total assets	11,799	1,240
Liabilities [Abstract]
Derivative contracts - liabilities	2,089	931
Total liabilities	2,089	931
Attributable To Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests [Abstract]
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	832,138	607,636
Fair value, measurements, recurring [Member] \| Level 1 [Member]
Assets [Abstract]
Derivative contracts - assets	0	0
Total assets	0	0
Liabilities [Abstract]
Derivative contracts - liabilities	0	0
Total liabilities	0	0
Attributable To Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests [Abstract]
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	0	0
Fair value, measurements, recurring [Member] \| Level 2 [Member]
Assets [Abstract]
Derivative contracts - assets	11,799	1,240
Total assets	11,799	1,240
Liabilities [Abstract]
Derivative contracts - liabilities	2,089	931
Total liabilities	2,089	931
Attributable To Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests [Abstract]
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	0	0
Fair value, measurements, recurring [Member] \| Level 3 [Member]
Assets [Abstract]
Derivative contracts - assets	0	0
Total assets	0	0
Liabilities [Abstract]
Derivative contracts - liabilities	0	0
Total liabilities	0	0
Attributable To Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests [Abstract]
Redeemable noncontrolling interests	$ 832,138	$ 607,636

Business Acquisitions and Divestiture - Acquisitions (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands									1 Months Ended
	Aug. 28, 2017	May 02, 2017	Mar. 23, 2016	Feb. 05, 2016	Jan. 12, 2016	Nov. 30, 2015	Sep. 01, 2015	Mar. 31, 2015	Feb. 03, 2016	Dec. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 26, 2015
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business acquisition allocated initial goodwill amount										$ 2,301,331	$ 2,019,740	$ 1,907,593
Southern Anesthesia and Surgical Inc [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business acquisition, approximate annual sales of acquired entity		$ 72,000
Business acquisition allocated initial goodwill amount		$ 76,500
Merritt Veterinary Supplies Inc [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business acquisition, approximate annual sales of acquired entity	$ 115,000
Business acquisition allocated initial goodwill amount	$ 33,400
Vetstreet, Inc [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquired equity interest (as a percent)					80.10%
Business acquisition, approximate annual sales of acquired entity					$ 40,000
Business acquisition allocated initial goodwill amount					$ 17,900
Rxworks Inc [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business acquisition, approximate annual sales of acquired entity									$ 7,000
Business acquisition allocated initial goodwill amount									$ 4,200
Dental Cremer S.A. [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business acquisition, approximate annual sales of acquired entity				$ 70,000
Business acquisition allocated initial goodwill amount				$ 37,500
Series of Individually Immaterial Business Acquisitions [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business acquisition allocated initial goodwill amount										$ 43,900	$ 69,900	$ 27,100
J Marita [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquired equity interest (as a percent)			50.00%
Business acquisition, approximate annual sales of acquired entity			$ 125,000
scil animal care company GmbH [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business acquisition, approximate annual sales of acquired entity								$ 83,000
Business acquisition allocated initial goodwill amount								$ 3,500
Jorgen Kruuse A/S [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquired equity interest (as a percent)							85.00%
Business acquisition, approximate annual sales of acquired entity							$ 90,000
Business acquisition allocated initial goodwill amount							$ 20,700
Dental Trey (S.R.L.) [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business acquisition, approximate annual sales of acquired entity						$ 49,000
Business acquisition allocated initial goodwill amount						$ 8,500

Business Acquisitions and Divestiture - Equity Method Investment and Divestiture (Details) - Maravet S.A. [Member] $ in Millions	Jul. 10, 2015 USD ($)
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Acquired equity method investment interest (as a percent)	50.00%
Equity method investment, approximate annual sales	$ 23

Plans of Restructuring Narrative (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
Plans of Restructuring Narrative (Details) $ in Thousands	Dec. 30, 2017 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017 USD ($)	Jul. 01, 2017 USD ($)	Apr. 01, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Sep. 24, 2016 USD ($)	Jun. 25, 2016 USD ($)	Mar. 26, 2016 USD ($)	Dec. 30, 2017 USD ($) positions	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Dec. 26, 2015 USD ($)	Nov. 06, 2014
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Provision \| $	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 16,080	$ 5,370	$ 20,383	$ 4,058	$ 0	$ 45,891	$ 34,931
November 2014 restructuring initiative [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Cost, Number of Positions Eliminated \| positions									900
Restructuring and Related Cost, Number of Positions Eliminated, Period Percent									4.00%
November 2014 restructuring initiative [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Expected percentage of workforce eliminated (in hundredths)												2.00%
November 2014 restructuring initiative [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Expected percentage of workforce eliminated (in hundredths)												3.00%

Plans of Restructuring - Restructuring Reserve Roll Forward by Expense and Segment (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jul. 01, 2017	Apr. 01, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Sep. 24, 2016	Jun. 25, 2016	Mar. 26, 2016	Dec. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 26, 2015
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Restructuring Reserve, beginning balance				$ 25,703				$ 12,065	$ 25,703	$ 12,065	$ 421
Provision	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	0	$ 16,080	$ 5,370	$ 20,383	4,058	0	45,891	34,931
Payments and other adjustments									(21,146)	(32,253)	(23,287)
Restructuring Reserve, ending balance	4,557				25,703				4,557	25,703	12,065
Health Care Distribution [Member]
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Restructuring Reserve, beginning balance				25,238				12,062	25,238	12,062	421
Provision									0	44,082	33,889
Payments and other adjustments									(20,681)	(30,906)	(22,248)
Restructuring Reserve, ending balance	4,557				25,238				4,557	25,238	12,062
Technology and Value-Added Services [Member]
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Restructuring Reserve, beginning balance				465				3	465	3	0
Provision									0	1,809	1,042
Payments and other adjustments									(465)	(1,347)	(1,039)
Restructuring Reserve, ending balance	0				465				0	465	3
Severance costs [Member]
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Restructuring Reserve, beginning balance				22,354				9,103	22,354	9,103	120
Provision									0	40,728	26,742
Payments and other adjustments									(19,136)	(27,477)	(17,759)
Restructuring Reserve, ending balance	3,218				22,354				3,218	22,354	9,103
Facility closing costs [Member]
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Restructuring Reserve, beginning balance				2,454				2,151	2,454	2,151	301
Provision									0	3,587	5,706
Payments and other adjustments									(1,139)	(3,284)	(3,856)
Restructuring Reserve, ending balance	1,315				2,454				1,315	2,454	2,151
Other [Member]
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Restructuring Reserve, beginning balance				$ 895				$ 811	895	811	0
Provision									0	1,576	2,483
Payments and other adjustments									(871)	(1,492)	(1,672)
Restructuring Reserve, ending balance	$ 24				$ 895				$ 24	$ 895	$ 811

Earnings Per Share (Details) - shares shares in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Earnings Per Share (Details) - shares shares in Thousands	Dec. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 26, 2015
Weighted-average common shares outstanding:
Basic (in shares)	156,787	161,641	165,687
Effect of dilutive securities:
Stock options, restricted stock and restricted stock units (in shares)	1,421	2,082	2,563
Diluted (in shares)	158,208	163,723	168,250

Income Taxes - Income before Taxes and Equity in Earnings of Affiliates and Provisions for Income Taxes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 26, 2015
Income before equity method investments, income taxes and loss on sale of equity investment [Abstract]
Domestic	$ 649,657	$ 625,792	$ 591,320
Foreign	173,191	130,043	129,438
Total income before taxes and equity in earnings of affiliates	$ 822,848	$ 755,835	$ 720,758

Income Taxes - Provisions for income taxes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 26, 2015
Current income tax expense:
U.S. Federal	$ 283,417	$ 185,438	$ 162,948
State and local	28,520	28,229	29,580
Foreign	50,084	41,357	25,104
Total current	362,021	255,024	217,632
Deferred income tax expense (benefit):
U.S. Federal	13,686	(18,090)	(3,381)
State and local	856	(4,809)	992
Foreign	(14,057)	(14,167)	(3,852)
Total deferred	485	(37,066)	(6,241)
Total provision	$ 362,506	$ 217,958	$ 211,391

Income Taxes - Deferred Income Tax Assets and Liabiltieis (Details) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands

Dec. 30, 2017

Dec. 31, 2016

Inventory, premium coupon redemptions and accounts receivable valuation allowances, noncurrent

$ 23,715

$ 29,422

Uniform capitalization adjustments to inventories, noncurrent

6,591

10,632

Property and equipment

(13,777)

(15,882)

Stock-based compensation

22,525

41,677

Intangibles amortization

(132,280)

(142,678)

Other non-current asset (liability)

36,269

23,836

Net operating losses and other carryforwards

48,711

44,493

Total non-current deferred tax liability

(8,246)

(8,500)

Valuation allowance for non-current deferred tax assets

^[1]

(31,223)

(26,403)

Net deferred income tax liability

^[2]

$ (39,469)

$ (34,903)

[1]	Primarily relates to operating losses of acquired subsidiaries, the benefits of which are uncertain. Any future reductions of such valuation allowances will be reflected as a reduction of income tax expense in accordance with the provisions of ASC Topic 805, “Business Combinations.”
[2]	Certain deferred tax amounts do not have a right of offset and are therefore reflected on a gross basis in non-current assets and liabilities in our consolidated balance sheets.

Income Taxes - Operating Loss Carryforwards (Details) - Foreign tax authority [Member] $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 30, 2017 USD ($)
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Net operating loss carryforwards subject to amortization	$ 9.1
Net operating loss carryforwards not subject to expiration	$ 156.4
Net operating loss carryforwards, year of expiration	Dec. 31, 2025

Income Taxes - Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 26, 2015
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Amount [Abstract]
Income tax provision at federal statutory rate	$ 287,996	$ 264,542	$ 252,265
State income tax provision, net of federal income tax effect	12,457	11,236	14,627
Foreign income tax provision	(24,433)	(18,036)	(25,942)
Pass through noncontrolling interest	(11,623)	(13,083)	(12,463)
Valuation allowance	1,008	1,472	(5,006)
Unrecognized tax benefits	3,899	3,066	13,867
Interest expense related to loans	(18,717)	(21,737)	(22,415)
Excess tax benefits related to stock compensation	(17,387)	0	0
Provision for transitional tax	140,000	0	0
Revaluation of deferred tax assets and liabilities	2,953	0	0
Other	(13,647)	(9,502)	(3,542)
Total provision	$ 362,506	$ 217,958	$ 211,391

Income Taxes - Reconciliation of Unrecognized Tax Benefits (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 26, 2015
Reconciliation of Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Excluding Amounts Pertaining to Examined Tax Returns [Roll Forward]
Balance, beginning of period	$ 90,400	$ 77,600	$ 65,800
Additions based on current year tax positions	8,500	7,300	10,400
Additions based on prior year tax positions	6,100	20,400	19,600
Reductions based on prior year tax positions	(800)	(900)	(10,500)
Reductions resulting from settlements with taxing authorities	(10,500)	(9,700)	(7,600)
Reductions resulting from lapse in statutes of limitations	(2,800)	(4,300)	(100)
Balance, end of period	$ 90,900	$ 90,400	$ 77,600

Income Taxes Narrative (Details) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
Income Taxes Narrative (Details) - USD ($)	Dec. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 26, 2015
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Effective tax rate (as a percent)	44.10%	28.80%
Income tax benefit - favorable tax petition resolution (subsidiary)			$ 6,300,000
Effective tax rate without the effect of income tax benefit (as a percent)			30.20%
Effective tax rate without the effect of income tax expense (as a percent)	26.70%
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Provision for transitional tax	$ 140,000,000	$ 0	$ 0
Revaluation of deferred tax assets and liabilities	2,953,000	0	0
Income Tax Expense (Benefit)	362,506,000	217,958,000	$ 211,391,000
Cumulative amount of reinvested earnings	1,400,000,000
Unrecognized tax benefits	105,200,000
Unrecognized tax benefits that would affect the effective tax rate if recognized	79,200,000
Total interest	14,200,000
Total penalties	$ 0
Other Information Pertaining to Income Taxes	The tax years subject to examination by major tax jurisdictions include the years 2012 and forward by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), as well as the years 2008 and forward for certain states and certain foreign jurisdictions. In December 2014, the IRS issued a Statutory Notice of Deficiency for 2009, 2010 and 2011. During the quarter ended March 28, 2015, we filed our petition to the U.S. Tax Court disputing the adjustments proposed by the IRS. During the quarter ended June 27, 2015, we were notified by the IRS that our protest was transferred to the Appellate Divisions (Appeals Section) of the IRS. During the quarter ended March 26, 2016, we filed our protest with the Appellate Division. The opening appeals conference was held on June 8, 2016 and a proposed settlement was reached. On July 13, 2016, a joint status report was filed with the Tax Court indicating a basis for settlement had been reached on all of the issues in this case. On October 7, 2016 an executed decision document was signed by the Internal Revenue Service’s Special Trial Attorney and submitted to the Tax Court finalizing the Appeals decision. Additionally, during the quarter ended December 31, 2016 we filed a Mutual Agreement Procedure request with the IRS for assistance from the U.S. Competent Authority for an open Transfer Pricing issue which resulted in a partial settlement during the quarter ended December 30, 2017. We do not expect this to have a material effect on our consolidated financial position, liquidity or the results of operations.
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) [Member]
Income Tax Examination [Line Items]
Income Tax Examination, Liability (Refund) Adjustment from Settlement with Taxing Authority		$ (4,500,000)
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act [Member]
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Accrued Income Taxes	$ 27,400,000
Other Liabilities	112,600,000
Provision for transitional tax	140,000,000
Revaluation of deferred tax assets and liabilities	3,000,000
Income Tax Expense (Benefit)	$ 143,000,000

Concentrations of Risk (Details)	12 Months Ended
Concentrations of Risk (Details)	Dec. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Top customer concentration risk [Member] \| Sales revenue, net [Member] \| Any single customer [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk percentage (as a percent)	1.20%	1.20%
Supplier concentration risk [Member] \| Purchases [Member] \| Top ten health care distribution suppliers [Member]
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk percentage (as a percent)	34.00%	34.00%
Supplier concentration risk [Member] \| Purchases [Member] \| Single largest supplier [Member]
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk percentage (as a percent)	5.00%	6.00%

Derivatives and Hedging Activities (Details)	12 Months Ended
Derivatives and Hedging Activities (Details)	Dec. 30, 2017
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Maximum duration of foreign currency forward contracts	18 months

Segment and Geographic Data (Details)
$ in Thousands

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

Dec. 30, 2017

USD ($)

number

Sep. 30, 2017

USD ($)

Jul. 01, 2017

USD ($)

Apr. 01, 2017

USD ($)

Dec. 31, 2016

USD ($)

Sep. 24, 2016

USD ($)

Jun. 25, 2016

USD ($)

Mar. 26, 2016

USD ($)

Dec. 30, 2017

USD ($)

number

Dec. 31, 2016

USD ($)

Dec. 26, 2015

USD ($)

Number of reportable segments | number

Number of countries served globally | number

Income before taxes, equity in earnings of affiliates and loss on sale of equity investment

$ 3,318,054

$ 3,161,083

$ 3,059,458

$ 2,922,948

$ 3,120,934

$ 2,865,148

$ 2,872,630

$ 2,712,956

$ 12,461,543

$ 11,571,668

$ 10,629,719

Operating income

241,191

$ 213,548

$ 210,662

$ 193,968

213,982

$ 200,721

$ 180,677

$ 176,194

859,369

771,574

733,972

822,848

755,835

720,758

Depreciation and amortization

193,072

169,780

159,127

Income taxes

362,506

217,958

211,391

Interest income

17,553

13,275

12,935

Interest expense

53,654

31,893

26,008

Purchases of fixed assets

81,501

70,179

71,684

Total assets

7,811,235

6,760,396

7,811,235

6,760,396

6,534,740

Health Care Distribution [Member]

Income before taxes, equity in earnings of affiliates and loss on sale of equity investment

^[1]

12,023,442

11,146,055

10,270,946

Operating income

728,520

652,106

626,574

696,453

640,184

617,582

Depreciation and amortization

168,186

146,276

141,184

Income taxes

325,302

185,571

180,133

Interest income

17,318

13,086

12,833

Interest expense

53,607

31,845

25,926

Purchases of fixed assets

76,449

66,611

68,235

Total assets

7,345,418

6,324,735

7,345,418

6,324,735

6,159,285

Health Care Distribution [Member] | Dental [Member]

Health Care Distribution [Member] | Animal Health [Member]

6,048,813

5,555,299

5,276,407

Health Care Distribution [Member] | Medical [Member]

3,476,635

3,253,095

2,921,624

Technology and Value-Added Services [Member]

2,497,994

2,337,661

2,072,915