Affordability is a central issue for Doug Thompson, a former health care executive, especially due to continually rising costs of goods and services across the nation.
“Health care, housing, transportation, education — all of these things were expensive and challenging before the pandemic, and now they are even worse,” said Thompson.
The state representative seat, which represents portions of Marblehead, Swampscott, and Lynn, is currently vacant after Lori Ehrlich resigned in the beginning of February. Thompson said that in many ways he was going to continue the policies put forward by Ehrlich.
As the CFO of MassHealth, Thompson managed the Commonwealth’s $8 billion Medicaid program, and this experience will be indispensable for him in managing the $50 billion state budget. Thompson, who started that position in 2007 after the first universal coverage insurance reform happened in Massachusetts in 2006, also has experience in implementing major health care reform, he said.
“I am the only one in this race who has this level of large-scale healthcare and financial management experience,” said Thompson. “I had to negotiate with the federal government, the legislators, all the different interest groups, such as health plans, hospitals, physician groups, inside the executive branch and consumer advocacy groups.”
One of Thompson’s major accomplishments in that position was to put a hold on the annual 5-10 percent increases in the cost of insurance during the 2008 financial crisis by negotiating with health plans and hospitals to keep their rates under control, and to use evidence-based approaches to keep people out of hospitals and emergency rooms.
Through his career in health care, Thompson came to a broader understanding of the concept of health that includes housing, transportation, education and environment, and wants to give these elements adequate attention in giving back to the health care community.
“There is much more that impacts people’s health — housing, transportation, education, the environment that they live in, and all of these issues are very connected and are part of a larger idea to keep the people in this community healthy,” said Thompson.
Thompson plans to bring the Commonwealth to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 by electrifying “just about everything.”
“That ball is already rolling,” he said.
Along with plans to make the commuter rail electric and reinstating the ferry from Lynn to Boston, Thompson is also a strong advocate for the cleaning of King’s Beach in partnership with state Sen. Brendan Crighton and U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton.
Thompson said he has a deep appreciation of how critical the city of Lynn is to the area, and that he is excited “about the leadership here in Lynn and all of the improvements that are happening.”
Just like other leaders in this area, Thompson is focused “on getting stuff done, not just talking about it, and not just being dramatic.”
“I know how to manage financially, and how to bring people together, and how to make progress,” he said. “I love this community and Massachusetts, and a lot is going very well here, but we can do much, much better.”
