Talarico vs. Paxton: Who has the better approach to healthcare affordability?
With a little under a month before election day, polls still have Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton in a close race to become the next senator from Texas. Among the top issues on voters' minds is healthcare affordability.
Paxton wants to address health through tax incentives and less government-involved healthcare options. During his time as Texas Attorney General, Paxton repeatedly went after pharmaceutical companies and pharmacy benefit managers over alleged price fixing and deceptive marketing practices and defended Texas' near-total abortion ban.
Talarico, on the other hand, wants to expand programs like Medicare and Medicaid, which he says will provide access to healthcare to more Americans. Talarico's work in the Texas House included authoring legislation that permitted prescription drug importation from Canada, and he co-led efforts to cap insulin copays at $25 per month.
Personal experience as a driving force for policy
Paxton's case against government healthcare comes from his experience as a child on a military base. He sustained a severe eye injury at the age of 12. Paxton said bureaucratic delays and a priority-based referral system led to it taking three and a half days for him to be seen by an ophthalmologist.
"That made me realize, I wish I could have been at a private system where I would have gotten treatment immediately, and I probably would have been just fine," Paxton said during an event held by the U.S. Hispanic Business Council last month.
As part of Paxton's efforts to address affordability, he introduced the idea of tax breaks for healthcare premiums with a deduction of up to $25,000 for an individual’s out-of-pocket health care expenses, plus another $25,000 per dependent. Paxton has also floated the idea of another deduction of up to $5,000 for health-related expenses.
The other side:
Talarico's platform also comes from personal experience. He said during his first legislative campaign in 2018, he faced a $684 bill for insulin after being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. He has pushed for public options for healthcare to force market competition.
Talarico has proposed a Medicare buy-in option for all ages, federal protection for pre-existing conditions and a ban on medical debt impacting consumer credit scores.
Talarico vs. Paxton: Who has the better plan to lower costs?
In a Texas Senate race defined by the rising cost of everyday life, Ken Paxton and James Talarico are offering voters different approaches to affordability. Paxton is proposing new tax deductions, an expanded Child Tax Credit and permanent "Trump Accounts," while Talarico is calling for higher wages, expanded tax credits and tougher action against corporations he says are contributing to higher prices.
Taking on big pharma
Both candidates have a record of taking on big pharmaceutical companies and pharmacy benefit managers.
As attorney general, Paxton has used his authority to go after insulin manufacturers and PBMs over an alleged conspiracy to increase insulin prices.
Paxton secured a settlement agreement with AstraZeneca for $34 million over a kickback scheme that pushed Texas doctors to prescribe the company's drugs. Earlier this month, the attorney general's office secured a $7.5 million settlement from Tris Pharma for misrepresenting the efficacy of its ADHD for children.
The other side:
While in the Texas House, Talarico co-authored the companion bill to Senate Bill 827 in 2021, which capped insulin co-pays at $25 for a 30-day supply for state-regulated health plans. Talarico also authored House Bill 25 in 2023, which allowed the state's Health and Human Services Commission to contract with Canadian drug wholesalers to import prescription drugs into the state to lower the cost. The bill passed with bipartisan support.
Recently, Talarico introduced a plan with entrepreneur Mark Cuban, proposing antitrust legislation to prohibit integrated PBM-insurer models and force price transparency.
Safety nets, abortion and the role of the government
The candidates have decidedly different views on federal healthcare mandates and state regulatory authority.
Paxton has repeatedly fought against the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, joining a multi-state coalition seeking to overturn it.
He has also relentlessly fought to defend Texas' near-total abortion mandate, including suing the federal government to block guidance that would have required emergency room doctors to perform abortions under federal rules. Paxton has also gone after out-of-state telemedicine networks that provide abortion medications to Texans.
The other side:
Talarico voted against Texas' abortion ban and has advocated protecting a woman's right to an abortion through federal legislation. In the Texas House, Talarico has worked to protect state Medicaid access and has pushed for the state to accept Medicaid expansion.
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The Source: Information in this article comes from the campaigns of Ken Paxton and James Talarico. The voting record of James Talarico comes from the Texas Legislature. Ken Paxton's legal cases as attorney general comes from the attorney general's office and previous Fox Local reporting.