HAMILTON, Mass. — MassGOP and RNC-endorsed candidate for governor, Mike Minogue, today responded to Gov. Maura Healey’s signing of legislation changing Massachusetts abortion law, emphasizing the need to keep patients and doctors at the center of Massachusetts’ healthcare system while addressing the broader access and affordability challenges facing families across the Commonwealth.
“I’ve been very clear about my position on this issue. It’s driven by my faith and my experience in health care, helping to save lives. I’m disappointed the governor is playing extreme politics with women’s health. I would much rather see the people of Massachusetts voice their opinion and decide this – not the politicians. Most people have compassion for women going through such a difficult decision and don’t want this to be a political issue,” said Mike Minogue. “That said, this is not what I hear voters asking about on the campaign trail. I do hear concerns that women outside of Boston have to travel twice the amount of time to get to a doctor for quality care or high-risk maternity care. That’s one of my initiatives in my Patients First healthcare plan. We need to focus on making Massachusetts work for everyone, not just the political establishment. As a new kind of governor, I’ll focus on solving problems, not campaigning on them.”
Minogue, whose career spans decades in medical technology and healthcare, said Massachusetts must address the fundamental access problems that affect patients regardless of where they live. His Patients First Healthcare Plan is designed to expand access to timely, affordable, and high-quality care throughout the Commonwealth. The plan calls for expanding community-based primary and specialty care, creating healthcare enterprise zones in rural and underserved communities, eliminating barriers that limit healthcare capacity, and expanding telehealth and other tools that can connect patients with providers.
The plan also focuses on reducing healthcare costs, improving transparency, supporting physicians and nurses, expanding the healthcare workforce, and addressing disparities in access to high-risk care outside Boston.
“Massachusetts has world-class hospitals, but access to that care should not depend on your ZIP code,” Minogue said. “Patients in Western Massachusetts, the South Coast, the Berkshires, the Merrimack Valley, and communities across the Commonwealth deserve the same opportunity to receive timely, quality care as patients in Boston.”
Minogue’s Patients First Healthcare Plan is available here.