As long as things go according to plans, Congress should pass the payroll tax extension today. This has the added benefit of enacting a billionth doc fix, so physicians can go about their holidays a little less panicked. It also means that Congress and the President will go on vacation.
And with that, there will be little going on in terms of policy. Don and Austin are taking a break. I, however, have taken a number of smaller vacations in the last few months, so I’ll be at the office getting a lot done.
This has been a banner year at TIE, with a huge increase in traffic and readers. Nevertheless, there are times when writing a blog feels futile. You wonder if you are making a difference. It can feel stale, and you wonder how long you can keep it up. At times like this I remember when Lucien said, “sometimes, perhaps, one must change or die.”
So as we enter the new year, we may attempt some new things. We may expand our blogging topics. We may try and grow. Maybe we’ll succeed; maybe we’ll find that we are best when we stay focused.
I, at least, am going to try. So over the next week, I’m going to write some posts on different topics. I plan to put up some essays I’ve written about my time in residency. I plan to write on topics outside of health policy. I hope you’ll read them even as many of you take time off. I would really appreciate feedback. I’d love to know what you do and don’t like.
It’s an experiment of sorts. If it goes well, I’ll continue it into the new year. If it doesn’t, at least I’ll have made the attempt. I can always go back to burying you in charts and analyses. I know how much you guys love that stuff.
