Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz took the stage Oct. 1 for the only vice presidential debate at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City.
Here are five highlights from the debate that ASCs should know:
1. Reproductive rights: Mr. Vance highlighted his running mate Donald Trump's position that abortion policy should be determined by individual states, and Mr. Walz underscored Vice President Kamala Harris' goal of restoring federal rights to abortion under Roe v. Wade.
- Mr. Walz denied a claim made by Mr. Trump during the presidential debate in September that he supports late-term abortions. Under Mr. Walz's administration, Minnesota became one of the least restrictive states in the country for abortion. In a fact check, it was clarified that Mr. Walz signed an update to a 2023 law expanding reproductive rights that recognized infants "born alive" after abortions as human persons with protection under the law as such, which differed from the original law.
- Mr. Vance said that he "never supported" a national abortion ban, but did call for setting minimum national standards. He did previously support a federal ban after 15 weeks.
2. The ACA: Though Mr. Trump has not fully detailed his approach to healthcare should he be elected president, Mr. Vance has previously stated that the former president would reintroduce risk pools to the individual market if elected, a practice that existed before the enactment of the ACA. Mr. Walz rejected the idea of reinstated pre-ACA practices, saying that it would allow insurers to exclude individuals with preexisting conditions.
3. Prescription drugs: Mr. Walz highlighted recent legislation passed under the Biden-Harris administration to adjust high drug costs, including a $35 cap on insulin prices. He also underscored the Biden-Harris administration's move to give Medicare the authority to negotiate the price of drugs without generic or biosimilar competition under Medicare Parts B and D.
- Mr. Vance promoted Mr. Trump's efforts to lower drug prices during his time in office. He said that prescription drug prices increased by only 1.5% during his tenure, compared to 7% during the Biden-Harris administration and called for more drugs to be produced domestically.
- A USA Today fact check noted that drug costs fluctuated during Mr. Trump's term and increased under President Biden, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index. From January 2017 to January 2018, costs increased 2.4% before dropping by 0.5% as of January 2019, marking the first year-over-year decrease during the month of January in decades. By January 2020, costs grew again by 2.5% and then dropped 2.4% the following January.
4. Mental healthcare and gun violence: Mr. Vance emphasized the need to address the root causes of the mental health crisis, alongside boosting law enforcement efforts and security in schools. Mr. Walz cautioned against stigmatizing health, noting that mental health issues do not make people "violent." He said lawmakers need to find balanced solutions to respect the Second Amendment while also addressing the role of firearms in violence.
5. Small businesses: While small businesses were not a major theme, Mr. Walz targeted Mr. Trump's passage of tax cuts for the wealthy during his time as president, and highlighted his own efforts to support small businesses in Minnesota with a $5,000 tax credit that he would increase to $50,000.
Mr. Vance countered by saying Mr. Trump's economic policies "delivered the highest take-home pay in a generation in this country" and kept inflation at 1.5%. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, inflation in 2017 was 2.1%, while 2021 saw a 7% inflation rate. In 2022, U.S. inflation jumped at its fastest pace in the last 40 years.