Remembering Robert Pear

If you were involved in health care policy and politics in Washington over the last four decades, nothing straightened the spine like a call from Robert Pear of The New York Times. He was simply the smartest, best-sourced, best-prepared, best-documented health care reporter in the country. Day-in-day-out, week-in-week-out, year-to-year he was the most influential reporter writing about health care in the country. So whether he called and left a message—and for the 26 years I knew him it was always the same, “Hello Bill, its Robert Pear from The New York Times. Please call when you get a chance,” delivered in that distinct whisper—or he caught you live, you had to bring your very best to the call.