Former President Donald Trump selected Sen. J.D. Vance as his running mate July 15.
Mr. Vance, 39, is a first-time senator, a former venture capitalist and the author of the best-selling memoir "Hillbilly Elegy."
Former President Trump and Mr. Vance likely will not make healthcare a key issue in their campaign, as Democrats have a stronger standing in current polls regarding healthcare issues, Politico reported July 16.
Here is a look at where Mr. Vance stands on healthcare policy issues.
1. Mr. Vance has said he would support a federal abortion ban. During his 2022 Senate campaign, he also opposed exceptions for rape and incest. Both stances mark a departure from former President Trump, who has backed such exceptions and said states should set abortion policies, according to Politico.
2. Last year, Mr. Vance introduced legislation that would make it a felony for clinicians to provide gender-affirming care on minors. The bill would also eliminate taxpayer funding for such care.
3. Departing from traditional GOP policy, Mr. Vance expressed support for giving Medicare the authority to negotiate prescription drug prices during a 2022 interview with AARP. That same year, President Joe Biden passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which grants Medicare Parts B and D negotiation powers for a limited number of drugs with no generic or biosimilar competition. Starting in 2026, 10 drugs will be eligible for negotiations, with eligibility expanding to 20 drugs by 2029.
4. In another departure from Republican colleagues, Mr. Vance has also expressed support for Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan's aggressive antitrust enforcement, particularly for technology companies, The Hill reported earlier this year.
"A lot of my Republican colleagues look at Lina Khan … and they say, 'well Lina Khan is sort of engaged in some sort of fundamental evil thing. And I guess I look at Lina Khan as one of the few people in the Biden administration that I think is doing a pretty good job," he said during a Feb. 27 tech conference, according to the publication.
5. Politico's analysis of Mr. Vance's investment portfolio shows he has named several key investments in healthcare companies exploring gene therapies, precision medicine and health data. While other Republican lawmakers have issued calls to repeal President Joe Biden's executive order on artificial intelligence, Mr. Vance's investments suggest he is optimistic about the use of new care models and innovations, according to the July 15 report.
6. Mr. Vance has been vocal on addressing the opioid crisis. In 2016, he founded a charity to address the epidemic; it shuttered within two years, NPR reported July 15.
7. Mr. Vance introduced legislation in July 2023 that would exclude people in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program from receiving Medicare or Medicaid coverage.
Editor's note: This article was updated July 16 and July 17 to include additional information.