HAMILTON, Mass. — MassGOP and RNC-endorsed candidate for governor, Mike Minogue, is earning growing support from physicians and nurses across Massachusetts who say his Patients First plan tackles the crisis head-on: expanding access to care, lowering costs, addressing workforce shortages, and reducing provider burnout.
Built on more than 30 years in the medical technology industry and nearly two decades of firsthand experience purchasing health insurance for employees, Minogue’s plan offers a clear roadmap to fix a healthcare system that too many patients and providers agree is broken.
The Patients First plan is built around three priorities:
Accessibility
- Increase primary and specialty care capacity through community-based care and outpatient centers.
- Improve access to mental health services by integrating behavioral health into primary care.
- Expand crisis stabilization services and improve emergency room capacity.
- Reduce regulatory barriers to encourage healthcare investment in underserved communities.
Affordability
- Launch a “Price Compare MA” tool to improve healthcare price transparency.
- Increase oversight of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and pursue lower prescription drug costs.
- Improve insurance transparency and reduce delays caused by restrictions on prior authorization.
- Expand healthcare purchasing options for families, entrepreneurs, and small businesses.
Quality Care
- Expand nursing education and loan forgiveness programs for healthcare professionals serving shortage areas.
- Streamline licensing for qualified out-of-state providers.
- Invest in technology that reduces administrative burdens and allows clinicians to spend more time with patients.
- Expand telehealth options to improve continuity of care
“With decades of experience in the Commonwealth’s healthcare system, I’ve seen the progress and improvements we have made but I’ve also seen the challenges, barriers and frustrations that patients, families and our clinicians continue to face. Problems of access, affordability, timeliness, coordination, reliability, efficiency, joy in work have not been solved and continue to grow without a plan to address them. Mike is listening to us.” -Sandra L Fenwick, CEO Emerita, Boston Children’s Hospital
“Mike Minogue is the right choice for patients. Under his leadership, Massachusetts will set the national standard for healthcare access, quality, and affordability” -Jessica Flynn, M.D.
“As a primary care physician practicing in Massachusetts for 32 years, I fully support Mike Minogue’s Patient’s First Healthcare plan. Mike’s decades long experience navigating state and federal regulations while collaborating with biotech innovators and advocating for patients and their caregivers uniquely positions Mike to hit the ground running. He has made affordable, transparent, accessible healthcare a top priority, and he and his team have insight, expertise and grit to make a difference for the citizens of this Commonwealth.” -Dr. Joann Ganim, General Pediatrician
“Mike Minogue has a plan to maintain the high quality of care we have in Massachusetts, while improving access and lowering cost. It is a very ambitious plan. But I have seen Mike accomplish many ambitious goals over the years.” -Dorothy Puhy, COO Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Ret.
“I am a heart patient who understands first-hand the cost of great healthcare and receiving it from the very best Boston Hospital. We in Massachusetts are so lucky to live where we do. But, healthcare has become increasingly expensive and expedient access to Primary Care Physicians is a problem everyone is facing right now. What do patients do when they cannot access a primary care physician? They go to the Emergency Room where the cost is high and the wait is long. I am excited for Mike Minogue to institute his new health care initiative so we can level the field of easy access for all and at the same time cost effective care.” -Jeri Levasseur, patient
Minogue said he will continue meeting with physicians, nurses, hospital leaders, and patients across Massachusetts as he advances his Patients First agenda.
About Mike Minogue
Mike Minogue spent nearly 19 years as Chairman, President, and CEO of Abiomed, where he helped build the Massachusetts-based medical technology company into a global leader in heart recovery technologies. He has served on the boards of leading healthcare organizations and has spent more than three decades working alongside physicians, nurses, hospitals, regulators, and healthcare innovators to improve patient care.