Ezekiel Emanuel, a national expert on health policy and architect of the Affordable Care Act, will lead an online discussion launching a new webinar series at USC on Dec. 12.

In the “Health Matters” webinar titled “Why I Hope to Die at 75,” Emanuel will discuss ways that journalists can write more thoughtfully on aging and the hidden costs of overinvesting in prolonging the end of life.

“Over the past 50 years,” Emanuel said, “health care hasn’t slowed the aging process so much as it has slowed the dying process.”

Established by the California Endowment on Health Journalism Fellowships, “Health Matters” aims to improve a journalist’s understanding of health policy, health reform and community health. It also intends to contribute to better health journalism that informs and engages community members and policymakers.

“USC Annenberg’s webinars on health policy will fill a critical training need in today’s newsrooms,” said Health Journalism Fellowships Director Michelle Levander of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. “News outlets have devoted renewed attention to reporting on health policy in the wake of the Affordable Care Act, one of the most significant shifts in U.S. health policy. Yet most reporters assigned to the beat must learn about a complex new policy landscape on the fly.”

The series has the support of the National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit dedicated to improving the nation’s health care system by funding and conducting research and educational activities and by fostering dialogue between public and private stakeholders. Earlier this year, the foundation established a new grant program to support health care journalism.

“Bringing health care experts and journalists together is critical to advancing ideas that will spur positive change,” said Nancy Chockley, president and CEO of the NIHCM Foundation. “USC Annenberg shares this mission, and we are thrilled to support this important series.”

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Registration is required for the one-hour webinar, which begins Friday at 10 a.m PST.

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