Dan Elling to join Alston & Bird lobby shop

The House Ways and Means Health subcommittee's majority staff director is joining Alston & Bird, the firm said Wednesday.

Dan Elling, a longtime healthcare policy staffer, served as aide to former Reps. Nancy Johnson (R-Conn.) and Jim Ramstad (R-Minn.). The two lawmakers served as chairman and member, respectively, of the Ways and Means Health panel.

Before coming to Washington, Elling analyzed healthcare issues for a market research firm in Minneapolis. He will join Alston & Bird's healthcare group as a senior policy adviser. 

"Healthcare policy is on the front page of every newspaper and on the tip of every tongue in our country today," said Alston & Bird managing partner Richard Hays in a statement. "Dan Elling has been in the middle of every major piece of healthcare policy for the better part of a decade, and he will be an invaluable resource to our clients."

Alston & Bird boasts several former lawmakers, including Bob Dole, Blanche Lincoln, Billy Tauzin and Earl Pomeroy. Tom Scully, the former Medicare and Medicaid chief, is also a member of the practice.

Scully welcomed Elling, calling him "one of the most liked people on Capitol Hill."

"He will be a great addition to our bipartisan team, many of whom he has been friends with for years," Scully said in a statement.

---