The New Health Dialogue

We just move on to Communications.

After two and half years, 400 blog posts, and innumerable cups of coffee, and one marathon (not the legislation) I’m leaving the Health Policy Program to share some new media magic with the rest of New America.

Like many of my colleagues, I sort of assumed we’d be done by now, and  I thought a change would do me good before I head off to grad school in the fall. Of course, a lot has changed in the weeks since I planned this move. Not all for good, but not nearly as bad as some would suggest. While I leave with unfinished business, I remain confident that we can finish the job on health reform.

When I came to D.C. after college, I had no idea just how big a job  health reform was, or how lucky I was to be working on  health policy. I’ve learned more in these two and half years than I thought was possible and am thankful for all the opportunities New America and the Health Policy Program have given me.

In my previous incarnation as a college sports columnist, there was a tradition that your last column explained the origins of your moniker. I’ll spare you the details of why Cleveland Rocks, and I think you can imagine the process and memos and meetings that produced a name like “The New Health Dialogue blog.” Let’s just say there’s a reason they pay Don Draper the big bucks, and Slate’s Timothy Noah is probably right when he says the blog's “much more interesting than its deadly name would have you believe” (To be fair, all the obvious names were taken).

At the end of the day, what this blog is called is far less important than what this blog has said, and will continue to say about health care and health reform in this country. I feel privileged to have taken part in that conversation and hope to continue to contribute in some capacity going forward. After all I"m only moving few cubicles away.

The best advice I ever got about writing for an audience was that as a rule of thumb no one really cares what you think. For the most part we care about ourselves, our ideas, and the things that affect us every day. When we read something, we’re not really looking to say, “He’s right,” so much as we’re looking to see if he gets it the way we get it and understands it the way we understand it.

Health care and health reform are things we can all relate to, and  I hope my writing has reflected that, along with my strange penchant for pop culture, mixed metaphors, random trivia, cute dogs, lost phones, and Jeff Bridges. We seriously like Jeff Bridges, man. As I’ve said before, health reform is the Kevin Bacon of social issues in which families, businesses and the government all have a role to play and something at stake.

Health care should be something that brings all together. Too often, it’s been used to pull this country apart.  This blog sought to bridge those gaps and find common ground to move health reform forward. I think it has and I think it will and I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have been a part of it. Thank you to Len, Joanne, Julie, Elizabeth, Sarah, Meredith, Allie, Kyle, Alex, Sandy, Veronica, Jeannette, Tom, Guy, Elena, Hannah, and all of the wonderful people in the world of health policy I’ve had the chance to work with. And thank you for reading. I hope at least some of the time I saw things the way you did.