DC exchange official to join communications firm

A key official at the District of Columbia’s ObamaCare exchange is joining global communications firm FleishmanHillard as a senior vice president and partner.

Richard Sorian, who helped the D.C. marketplace navigate its crucial first year of operations, previously led communications for the Department of Health and Human Services.

{mosads}”Healthcare continues to be one of the fastest-growing sectors of our economy,” said Kris Balderston, general manager of FleishmanHillard’s Washington office, in a statement.

“Richard’s vast experience inside and outside of government will offer our clients a unique perspective on today’s evolving communications challenges.”

Before his time at the Health Department, Sorian served as a vice president at the National Committee for Quality Assurance, a nonprofit group devoted to improving healthcare quality.

His time at the D.C. exchange coincided with an intense national debate over the nature and cost of health coverage that lawmakers and their staffers would receive there.