Welcome to the first Cavalcade of Risk in 2010.  There is a lot of great reading in this one; let’s start the party with something fresh and new… healthcare.

Jaan Sidorov of the Disease Management Care Blog writes about the merits of employer-sponsored wellness programs and his reasons for supporting the language of the Senate reform bill that would   allow more financial incentives for employees who participate in these programs.  Employee wellness programs have been criticized by some who see them as a loophole that will ultimately allow for different health insurance premiums for employees depending on health, but I agree with Jaan on this one, and feel that these programs will do more good than harm.  I believe that most people who are unhealthy because of lifestyle choices would prefer to be healthier, but lack the tools, knowledge, time, etc. to get there.  Having wellness programs built into the workday make them much more accessible, and the financial incentives only provide more motivation.

Joe Paduda of Managed Care Matters has written a very interesting article about the relationship between health insurance status and workers’ comp claims.  The conventional wisdom is that people without health insurance are more likely to pretend that off the job injuries happened at work and file workers’ comp claims for them, but it turns out that this is not the case at all.  In fact, workers without health insurance are less likely to file workers’ comp claims.  But apparently it’s more complicated than that, and the likelihood that an employee will file a claim depends a lot on the nature of the company.  It does make sense that workers who don’t have employer-sponsored health insurance are be more likely to be in an intimidating work environment with low wages and little education in terms of employee rights.

John J. Leppard of Healthcare Manumission, explains why he isn’t impressed with the cost containment measures that are included in the Senate’s health care reform bill.  I especially liked his point about the individual mandate and his opinion that a $750 fine isn’t likely to encourage healthy people to spend several thousand dollars a year on health insurance if they don’t otherwise want the policy.  And it’s worth noting that the $750 fine wouldn’t go into effect until 2017.  When the penalty first takes effect, in 2014, it would be a mere $200.

David Williams of Health Business Blog brings us a podcast of an interview he did with Phil Lieberman, CEO of Lieberman Software.  The company provides solutions for safeguarding sensitive data – historically in the financial and government sectors.  But the push for electronic systems in health care, along with the stiff penalties that organizations face if protected data is compromised, have created more of a need for this sort of service in health care.  The interview touches on numerous aspects of information security in health care, and is a good reminder of the fact that implementing electronic medical records can be a complicated process.

Healthcare Economist’s Jason Shafrin explains why he thinks it’s a bad idea for the government to license tax preparers.  Licensing provides a revenue stream for government agencies, and to some degree it allows the government to keep an eye on licensed professionals to make sure that they are operating within the law and are adequately trained.  For health insurance agents in Colorado, that means passing our initial and continuing education exams, and adhering to the laws that govern our work.  Overall, licensing sounds good, but Jason makes a good point regarding people who volunteer their time to provide services for lower income families.  His argument could be applied to a variety of other professions too – it’s unlikely that volunteers are going to go through a licensing process, and more likely that they will simply stop offering their services.  Perhaps licensing requirements shouldn’t apply to people who provide services on a volunteer basis?

Jon Coppelman of Workers’ Comp Insider has a sad story about Iraqi translators working for the US armed forces – how little they’re paid, the risks they face, and the uphill battle they must fight in order to get benefits if they are injured on the job.  Their workers’ comp benefits are administered by companies like AIG, and payouts are apparently withheld in order to motivate injured workers to accept meager settlements.

Nancy Germond, writing at All Business, explains the benefits and process of building a strong safety culture.  Her post is a reminder that cutting corners when it comes to safety is likely to come back to bite you later on.  Despite budget cuts, safety still has to be a priority for every member of an organization, from the CEO to the part-time hourly workers.

InsureBlog’s Hank Stern explains how the less-than-great stock market performance of 2007-08 has  impacted variable products like annuities and some life insurance policies.  The new products don’t allow consumers to shift as much risk onto insurance companies, although they can still be a valuable part of a portfolio.

CJ Bowker, writing at The Life Of An Insurance Salesman, has an interesting article about how people react when faced with the risk of a door closing – or opportunity disappearing – even if the door didn’t hold much promise in the first place.  An interesting look at what drives us and when we might be wise to let something go.

Life insurance is a key component of risk management once we have other people in our lives who depend on us.  Jason at Redeeming Riches gives us Four Questions To Ask Before You Buy Life Insurance.

The Silicon Valley Blogger, writing at The Digerati Life, gives us a visual and written description of what stock market risk really looks like.  Nearly everyone lost some financial ground over the last couple years, and it’s been a good reminder that financial risks are real.

That does it for this edition of the Cav.  Here’s to the next decade.