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Cavalcade of Risk!

May 06, 2009

Welcome to this running of the Cavalcade of Risk, the Blogosphere's collection of current insurance and risk-management blog posts.

The Tax Update is a Des Moines, Iowa tax blog focused on tax issues for closely-held businesses and their owners. Des Moines is a big-time insurance town, with U.S. headquarters for companies from giant Principal Financial Group down to little risk-retention groups. Enjoy our little picture tour of the local insurance scene as you check out the Cavalcade.

Thanks to all those who submitted posts to the Cavalcade. I only accepted posts I deemed sufficiently insurance or risk-management related. We received a lot of good personal finance submissions, but that's a different carnival, so they ended up on the virtual cutting room floor.

Update! Risk, managed! Funny that we'd have an actual fire on our floor the day we host the Cavalcade of Risk.

So - down to business.

Over at Insureblog, the granddaddy of risk management blogs, Hank Stern talks a little swine flu, with a free 1980s TV reference at no extra charge. We prefer that the H1N1 disease be named after two-legged beasts.

Is it really a big deal? The Wise Curve isn't overly worried. Neither is threeseven. I'm reading a book about the 1918 pandemic, which featured a version of the current ~~swine~~ Politician Flu virus, and I think some concern may be in order, though not the cable-news panic.

Coverage issues.

So if ~~swine~~ Politician Flu strikes, Workers Comp Insider wonders whether you might get hit with a Workers Comp claim. They also have a handy roundup of flu resources for employers.

Meanwile, Jaan Sidorov ponders how ~~swine~~ Politician Flu might affect the debate over healthcare reform at the Disease Management Care Blog.

What about your own Politician Flu coverage? Matthew Paulson asks Is Poor Health Insurance Better Than No Insurance? posted at Fine Tuned Finances. That prompts the question, "what makes the coverage 'poor'"? Just because it doesn't cover first dollar of your tummy tuck doesn't mean it's a bad policy.

Louise at the Colorado Health Insurance Insider deals with a problem that is coming up a lot these days - the problem of getting health coverage after being laid off. Doesn't COBRA help? Maybe not: "People who worked for a company that went out of business (or stopped offering health insurance for whatever reason) won’t qualify, because there won’t be a health insurance policy for them to opt to continue via COBRA."

My own contribution: Iowa is leaping onto the slippery slope of using tax returns to browbeat parents into getting coverage for their kids.

Health Economics

Health Insurance is just one aspect of the problem of paying for health care.

Almost every day is a health care economics carnival at Econlog. Arnold Kling has a typically smart observation:

Saying, "We don't need to have any restraint on the use of medical services. Look at Medicare" is like saying, "We don't have to worry about the fish population. Look at all the fish we just caught."

Jason Shafrin at Healthcare Economist looks at using "Markov modelling" to evaluate drugs. For a post with less math, he also looks at the economics of giving away surgical masks, complete with unintended consequences.

David Williams deals with Billing data, PHRs, and pay for performance at Health Business Blog.

KevinMD ponders questions conventional wisdom on whether some medical specialties are more risky than others: "The answer isn't as clear as you think, as doctors practicing what they're trained to do shouldn't be inherently risky. So, whether you're a neurosurgeon or internist, all doctors theoretically are exposed to the same degree of risk." I suspect a malpractice underwriter might not entirely agree.

Miscellaneous Risks

Getting sick isn't the only risk out there. That's why you should look at a good umbrella policy. Laura Utter explains umbrella coverage at Iowabiz.com.

No matter how good our health coverage is, we all eventually get to where health coverage is no longer an issue. That's why Nora Dunn presents How (and Why) to Buy Life Insurance at Wisebread.

But while you're still here, there's always Facebook. You don't want your high school rival to hijack your Facebook and give you a virtual wedgie, so Peter Whittaker presents Voices in a vacuum - securing a Facebook account at EdgeKeep - Securing The Edge.

While Facebooking, you might be wondering whether the extended warranty on your mousepad was really worth buying. ReKitchen ponders the same question for stoves.

Even the best extended warranty won't keep your electric range going when the lights go off. That's why you should learn How to Prepare for a Power Outage - Without a Generator at fivecentnickel.com.

Cars

Of course, just getting to the doctor to get your ~~Swine~~ Politicial Flu treated can be risky. Vitalmotion tells which cars are cheapest to insure, along with a handy guide to car insurance jargon.

But what happens when you get into a wreck on the way to get your flu shot? The Low Cost Auto Insurance Guru say Don't be Afraid to File a Claim, as part of what promises to be a thrilling six-part series.

Thanks for stopping by! We're here with the latest in tax stuff every business day. The Cavalcade of Risk moves to The Sentinel Effect in two weeks. If you want to host a Cavalcade, send a note to the Calvacade Master.

Tags: cavalcade of risk.insureblog.