Dear Billy T and Somerville/Medford News Weekly Speakup Line,

Massachusetts has some of the best doctors, nurses, hospitals, and medical innovators in the country. But for too many patients, that excellence is out of reach.
Families wait too long for appointments, small businesses struggle with insurance costs, seniors worry about prescriptions, and nurses and doctors are buried under paperwork instead of spending more time with patients. For all the medical talent we have in this state, the system is too expensive, confusing, and exhausting.

That is why I appreciate Mike Minogue’s Patients First plan. It focuses on practical reforms: expanding community-based care, improving access to mental health services, making prices easier to compare, lowering prescription drug costs, reducing delays from prior authorization, and giving small businesses and families more options when buying coverage.

Just as important, Mike is listening to the people who actually deliver healthcare. Physicians, nurses, and hospital leaders understand where the system breaks down because they see it every day. Mike’s background in medical technology and experience purchasing health insurance for employees gives him a real-world understanding of both the patient side and the employer side.

Massachusetts should be the national leader in health care access, quality, and affordability. Right now, too many people are being squeezed by costs and delays.
Mike Minogue has a serious plan to put patients first, and that is why I’ll be voting for him on November 3rd.

Brian McCarthy, born and raised in Somerville.