The blog, from a high-level official who actually deals with health care, comes at a time of unprecedented discussion about health care. Lots of different people are looking at various aspects, from skyrocketing costs and near-record numbers of uninsured Americans to how to embrace technology that can make record-keeping more accurate, while also improving patient safety by looking for drug interactions or dosing errors.

Medicine and wellness are topics that transcend differences like race and religion and political affiliation, because we all have bodies and the challenges that come with them. Health concerns are also among the topics that can get each of us out of our own little worlds, because we all have friends and loved ones, and they all have bodies and challenges, too.

Any thoughtful and public, open-ended discussion can only be a good thing.

Wrote one blog reader, "Thank you for having this blog ... . the observations of your travels say much about your character."

They really do. You can see for yourself at secretarysblog.hhs.gov.

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Deseret Morning News staff writer Lois M. Collins may be reached by e-mail at lois@desnews.com.