Talent Acquisition July 07, 2022

Max Pomeranc: My Three Favorite Things About Working at Redesign Health

As part of our “My Favorite Things About Working at Redesign Health’’ series, we welcome our Head of Public Policy, Max Pomeranc, to share his perspective on the importance of partnering with the government and policymakers to make positive changes in healthcare.

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Redesign Health’s goal isn’t to disrupt healthcare, but to accelerate its advancement. As an institution for change, we’re powering a highly innovative model that is designed to amplify the impact of experts, expand access to care, and augment the significant work already in progress to improve the healthcare system. All of this is ultimately in service of helping people live happier, healthier lives.

As Head of Public Policy at Redesign Health, it’s important to me that people understand that, while strong government partners are essential to maximizing our impact, public policy doesn’t just refer to government relations. There’s a diverse array of stakeholders adjacent to the government who play an essential role in the healthcare ecosystem, like grassroots organizations and patient advocacy groups. We spend a great deal of time building relationships with these stakeholders, whose interest in what we’re doing transcends merely financial concerns.

Starting my career in constituent affairs for a Member of Congress undoubtedly shaped my perspective. I’ll never forget that people are the end result of policy, and that’s especially true for healthcare. Instead of the conversation revolving around customers, you’re focusing on individual people. The impact of healthcare can be the difference between more time with your family, friends, and loved ones. Put another way, healthcare isn’t just a commodity — it’s deeply personal.

The array of healthcare companies coming out of Redesign Health has grown immensely in just a few years: we started with hearing aids and have now launched companies that focus on issues like health equity, cancer care, and physical therapy, among many other care areas. We have an industrious spirit, anchored in making healthcare better for individuals — that is incredibly motivating, and will keep us busy and advancing health for a long time.

"We’re constantly asking questions about the healthcare ecosystem, and from these challenges arise intensely interesting opportunities."

Here are my three favorite things about working at Redesign Health:

1. The people.

I know this is a popular answer to this question, but that’s because it’s true. At Redesign Health, most people are experts in their field and great at their craft, but what stands out are the passionate stories about why an individual joined the company and the personal journeys that spurred them to take on the challenge of fixing a broken system. For myself and many of my colleagues, it’s a personal interaction with the healthcare system that brought us here.
2. The inquisitiveness of the Redesign Health culture.

Every day is different and you don’t know what it’ll bring. You could spend your whole life focusing on one aspect of healthcare, but here there’s room to explore the entire field — from cancer care to aging in place to physical therapy. We’re constantly asking questions about the healthcare ecosystem, and from these challenges arise intensely interesting opportunities.
3. A broad internal understanding that partnering with the government early on in a company’s lifecycle is critical, and provides a great opportunity.

Unfortunately, most people only think to call someone with a public policy background if they run into a problem with the government. When I first met Brett in 2018, it was refreshing to me that he was thinking ahead and already asking: is it possible to leverage public policy for an early-stage company? How can we instill a Series A healthcare company with the capabilities needed to engage in public policy? In 2020, over 50% of total US health expenditure was sponsored by Federal, State, and Local governments, making it an essential part of the ecosystem. It’s generally understood within Redesign Health that the government isn’t a limiting factor, but rather a complex stakeholder that can partner with the private sector to create immense opportunities for positive change for the communities it serves. Redesign Health provides our Operating Companies with a level of public policy sophistication that is generally unavailable until much later in an organization’s evolution.

Max Pomeranc Head of Public Policy

A graduate of McGill University and the Harvard Kennedy School, Max Pomeranc has fifteen years of Policy and Communications experience across the private, public, and non-profit sectors. Immediately prior to joining Redesign Health as the Head of Public Policy, Max held the position of VP of Public Policy and Communications at Candid, a digital platform for oral healthcare. From three and a half years spent as the District Director and Deputy Chief of Staff at the US House of Representatives to almost five years at Airbnb, where he ultimately held the role of Head of Strategic Policy, Max thrives when tackling issues at the intersection of people, technology, and government.

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