As Early Voting Begins in Texas Today, Physicians Remind Voters Senate Race Could Impact Health Care Affordability, Access

NOTE: The physicians below are speaking in their capacity as members of the Committee to Protect Health Care. They should be identified only as indicated in this news release.

Doctors compare James Talarico’s, Ken Paxton’s health care stances

AUSTIN — As early voting begins in Texas today, Texas physicians gathered virtually to share what’s at stake in this election for health care access and costs. The doctors discussed how Senate candidates James Talarico’s and Ken Paxton’s health care records and stances could impact patients like theirs and people across Texas.

“I’m here today with fellow Texas physicians because early in-person voting begins today, and health care is on the ballot,” said Dr. Michael Gonzalez, an emergency medicine physician in Houston. “Medicaid cuts going into effect next year will force many Texans off their health care as health care costs continue to go up. And our state’s abortion ban continues to threaten women’s lives. Who we elect matters. Ken Paxton celebrated H.R. 1, slashing Medicaid funding and cutting food assistance. Nearly 300,000 Texans are expected to lose their health coverage, and SNAP enrollment has dropped by 14 percent. These are our friends and neighbors — families who may lose access to their doctors, parents who may struggle to afford prescriptions, and patients who may have to choose between putting food on the table and paying for medical care. Texas needs leaders who understand that affordable health care is essential to a healthy, thriving state.”

Dr. Erin Amjadi, an internal medicine physician in Austin, discussed James Talarico’s work to cap insulin costs at $25 a month in the state, saying, “He worked with a Republican-controlled Legislature to advance a practical solution to a problem affecting Texans across the political spectrum. He also supported legislation allowing Texas to import lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada. These are tangible steps toward making medications more affordable. Talarico understands this issue firsthand, after experiencing his own medical emergency and being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. He knows that managing a chronic condition can mean a lifetime of medical appointments, prescriptions, and bills. Talarico has committed to protecting Medicaid and health insurance, lowering prescription drug costs, reducing medical debt, and protecting rural hospitals. Those priorities recognize a basic reality: patients are healthier when they can see a doctor, fill their prescriptions, and get treatment before a condition becomes more serious.”

As Attorney General, Ken Paxton has aggressively enforced the state’s harmful abortion ban, even fighting against Texas resident Kate Cox’s petition to get abortion care in the state after learning that her fetus had a fatal condition and her pregnancy posed serious risks to her health.

Texas has faced worsening maternal health outcomes, including an increase in maternal deaths reported during the period following the implementation of its abortion restrictions.

“Ken Paxton’s record shows that he is willing to prioritize his agenda over patients’ health and ability to make decisions deeply personal to them,” said Dr. Lisa Gurwitz, an OBGYN in San Antonio. “Thankfully, James Talarico has committed to restoring access to reproductive health care in Texas, addressing the state’s maternal mortality crisis, and protecting access to care in rural communities. It’s refreshing to see a candidate with a plan to protect patients, women, and mothers — not go after them for seeking care. Early in-person voting starts today. This election is an opportunity for Texans to think seriously about who will protect their ability to receive safe, timely, evidence-based medical care.”

About the Committee to Protect Health Care

The Committee to Protect Health Care is a national mobilization of doctors, health care professionals, and advocates who are building a pro-patient health care majority in Congress and in states so that we can live in an America where everyone has the health care they need to thrive. To learn more: www.committeetoprotect.org