Thompson Unveils Comprehensive Healthcare and Climate Plans

SWAMPSCOTT - The Thompson for State Representative campaign formally unveiled their healthcare and climate policy plans. Please see the complete healthcare policy plan and climate action plan at www.doug4rep.com.

“It is no secret that Massachusetts is falling behind in providing affordable healthcare. 46% of residents in our Commonwealth are struggling to pay for essential healthcare. To put that percentage into perspective, this is your neighbor, your friend, your colleague, and your family member. If any resident in the 8th Essex cannot afford prescriptions, pay their medical bills, access reproductive healthcare, or visit with quality providers, it makes our entire district weaker.” said Thompson.  “We also have a climate crisis and explosive growth in the cost of current fossil fuel-based energy supplies.  We have a terrific opportunity to improve the health of the people of this district and Commonwealth, heal our planet, create good-paying green jobs and get energy costs down by investing in electrifying our transportation systems, building heating and cooling systems, and green power sources of the future now.”

Healthcare Policy Highlights

• Investments  in primary care, behavioral health and geriatric care and surrounding care teams to address social determinants of health and the needs of patients with complex health care needs.

• Fully fund a comprehensive public and private sector mental health system that ensures accessible, timely mental health services for children, families and older adults.

• Reduce the costs of prescription drugs and provide consumer protections for high cost drugs, in particular.

• Simplify the administration of healthcare through movement towards a single payment system.

• Ensure access to comprehensive abortion and reproductive health services

• Develop a Long-term Services and Support system that will enable moderate income individuals and families to plan for and afford likely long-term care needs (like WA Cares).

• Ensure reasonable pay, benefits and work rules for all of our frontline healthcare heroes, especially nurses, home care workers, and PCAs. Investment in workforce training.

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Climate Crisis Policy Highlights

• Invest more and aim higher to get to Net Zero emissions by 2035. Currently, we invest less than 1% of our $52B state budget on the environment

• Increase the maximum state incentive to purchase electric cars to a nation-leading $6,000 to ensure electric cars are not more expensive than an equivalent fossil fuel car

• Electrify all of our public transportation, which will make transportation more dependable and cleaner both for riders and for the environment.

• Boost solar and wind energy, they cost less than fossil fuel power sources

• Make Massachusetts a leader in wind energy by —investing, incentivizing, and creating a new industry in the United States centered here in the Bay State

• Electrify heating and cooling of residential and commercial buildings. Oil and gas building heating and cooling generates another 40% of our carbon emissions.

Thompson is a healthcare expert with decades of experience in the public and private sector.  He is uniquely qualified to drive large scale changes because he has been doing it for 25 years.  He previously served as the CFO for Masshealth managing a budget of $8 billion. Thompson also was a senior leader at  Cambridge Health Alliance and Neighborhood Health Plan and was the founder and CEO of Perfect Health, a company that provides primary care to frail seniors at home in six states. 

Doug lives in Swampscott with his wife, Ingrid Strong, and their daughter.  Ingrid is an architecture professor and a Swampscott Historic District Commissioner.  Doug can often be found enjoying one of the district’s beautiful beaches with his dog or running or biking the Neck or Rail Trail. For more information please visit www.doug4rep.com. 

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