Talarico vs. Paxton / Issues / Health care
Where do Talarico and Paxton stand on health care costs?
Short answer
James Talarico wants a Medicare buy-in for all ages, Medicaid expansion in Texas, federal protection for pre-existing conditions and new limits on drug middlemen. Ken Paxton favors tax deductions for out-of-pocket costs and less government involvement, and joined a multistate effort to overturn the Affordable Care Act.
Side by side
Talarico
Paxton
Big picture
Expand public options to add competition, including a Medicare buy-in for all ages.
Market-based relief through the tax code; less government in health care.
Affordable Care Act
Protect pre-existing condition coverage in federal law.
Opposes the ACA; joined a multistate coalition seeking to overturn it.
Medicaid
Push Texas to accept Medicaid expansion.
No stated position on Medicaid expansion in the coverage reviewed.
Costs
Ban medical debt from credit scores; with Mark Cuban, proposed antitrust rules barring insurer-owned drug middlemen (PBMs) and requiring price transparency.
Tax deduction up to $25,000 for out-of-pocket health costs plus $25,000 per dependent, and up to $5,000 for health-related expenses.
Record
Co-authored the 2021 House bill to cap insulin copays at $25 a month. Wrote the 2023 law letting Texas import prescription drugs from Canada.
As attorney general, sued insulin makers and PBMs; won a $34 million settlement from AstraZeneca and $7.5 million from Tris Pharma.
Side-by-side drawn from the sources listed below.
Key facts
- Talarico has Type 1 diabetes and cited a $684 insulin bill after his diagnosis in his 2018 campaign. FOX 7 Austin
- Talarico's 2023 drug importation bill, HB 25, passed with bipartisan support. FOX 7 Austin