We are pleased this week to offer the latest and greatest edition of Cavalcade of Risk, Edition Number 203. This week brings a glimpse across the broad spectrum of risk, as well as all things health and health care related. Without further ado, I am proud to present the following thought inducing contributions from the stable of talent here at the CAV….

Nancy Germond, from Insurance Writer tells how to avoid having to hire a $300-plus an hour lawyer to defend yourself against a copyright infringement allegation, and advises us to use images with creative commons attribution or purchase images from legitimate vendors. Check out Avoid a Copyright Infringement Allegation by Using Only Purchased or Creative Commons Graphics.

Next, we take flight with Simon Elstad of Airline Miles Experts who says “Credit card fraud and identity theft affect a large portion of the population. You could be a victim too. Learn the steps you can take to fight it and safeguard your finances.” Check out his good advice at 5 Sure-Fire Tactics to Fight Credit Card Fraud.

Meanwhile, back on the ranch, we learn about changes insurance companies are making in their policies which impact home insurance claims. This, from R.J. Weiss of The Insurance Protection Blog, who writes about 4 Home Insurance Trends that Financially Impact Homeowners.

And snack on this if you will; our own fearless CAV creator Henry Stern of InsureBlog posts on one restaurant's take on transparency: unbundling the cost of health insurance as a line item on one's tab, with Garcon, how much for the insurance?

Here's a risk that's unhappy to think about: the risk of running into a doctor who gets a big kickback for referring you to a surgery clinic. At Workers' Comp Insider, Tom Lynch talks about just such a scenario playing out in California. Oh, and throw a few politicians into the mix, charged with money-laundering and bribery charges. His terrific contribution on the topic is Honor Sold, Trust Betrayed: Unbridled Greed in California.

And while we are on the topic of health; are you physically active? You may have more reason to be after reading these startling statistics on physical inactivity from the World Health Organization (WHO). According to WHO, physical inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor in global mortality. It is only outstripped by high blood pressure (13 percent) and tobacco use (9 percent) and carries the same level of risk as high blood glucose (6 percent). Some 3.2 million people die each year because they are not active enough, WHO says, and physical inactivity is on the rise in many countries, adding to the burden of noncommunicable diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes. Author Claire Wilkinson of Insurance Information Institute's (I.I.I.) Terms + Conditions blog serves up the facts with Risks of Physical Inactivity.

Also on the health front, an article on Colorado Health Insurance Insider tells us that Connect for Health Colorado is exceeding its enrollment targets in the aptly named article Connect for Health Colorado Exceeding Enrollment Targets. They tell us that By February 17, Connect for Health Colorado had enrolled 79,779 people in private health insurance plans, and another 128,219 in Medicaid.

Smoking through the health clutter, David E. Williams of Health Business Blog tells us CVS took a calculated risk by stopping the sale of cigarettes. Now critics are piling on and suggesting other items —like candy and soda— for CVS to remove. He thinks these critics are taking the wrong approach and should focus instead on who else should stop selling tobacco. CVS and cigarettes in Asking the wrong follow-up question.

And if you do get sick or injured, turns out there is a code for that. In my own blog I discuss potential issues with the pending ICD-10 rollout, with the article I C D Ugly Future of Medical Billing.

And last, but certainly not least, when we are too old to care anymore, Jason Shafrin of the Healthcare Economist discusses the Use of Medicaid in Old Age, saying “You won't be surprised to learn that most poor people qualify for Medicaid in old age. You may be surprised, however, that for the two highest quintiles of lifetime income, 20 percent of individuals is eligible for Medicaid by age 96.”

And there you have it – a true Cavalcade of Risk. I want to thank all of the contributors, and note that #204 will be hosted by Van Mayhall of Insurance Regulatory Law.

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