Texas AG Starts Investigation Into Vaccine-Related Financial Incentives

‘I will ensure that Big Pharma and Big Insurance don’t bribe medical providers,’ Ken Paxton said.

A woman walks by Pfizer's headquarters in New York City, in this undated file photograph. Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Jan. 21 said he is investigating incentives related to vaccinating children.

Paxton’s office said in a statement that the probe will cover pediatricians, insurers, vaccine companies, and other entities “engaged in deceptive or unlawful conduct by failing to disclose financial incentives connected to their administration of childhood vaccines.”

It noted that some pediatricians kick out families that refuse to adhere to a vaccine schedule and that doctors can receive bonuses for vaccinating.

An Epoch Times investigation found that insurers have offered bonuses as high as $400 per child as an incentive to vaccinate patients.

Paxton is issuing civil investigative demands for information to companies, including UnitedHealthcare and Pfizer.

“I will ensure that Big Pharma and Big Insurance don’t bribe medical providers to pressure parents to jab their kids with vaccines they feel aren’t safe or necessary,” Paxton said in a statement.

“[Texans] deserve to have full faith in the recommendations of their medical providers—particularly when it involves the health of their children,” he said, noting that “any provider or entity whose medical guidance is fueled by financial incentives from an insurance company, Big Pharma, or otherwise will be exposed.”

Paxton’s office did not respond to a request for more information.

UnitedHealthcare had said in a document, which was taken down after The Epoch Times’ story was published, that doctors were eligible for bonuses for patients who received vaccines against tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, and human papillomavirus.

UnitedHealthcare and Pfizer did not respond to requests for comment.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at a news conference in Dallas on June 22, 2017. Tony Gutierrez/AP Photo

Studies, including a 2020 paper, have found that vaccinations can be profitable. Some doctors have said in surveys that they can lose money on vaccines because of certain factors such as low reimbursements.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, which partners with vaccine manufacturers, has said pediatricians do not profit from vaccines and are motivated to vaccinate because vaccines are safe and effective.

Mary Holland, CEO of Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit that opposes vaccine mandates, said the group is “very excited” about Paxton’s investigation.

Children’s Health Defense this week sued the American Academy of Pediatrics, accusing the organization of violating federal law by promoting the vaccine schedule as proven safe. The academy did not respond to a request for comment.

In its complaint, Children’s Health Defense noted how insurers offer bonuses for pediatricians whose patients receive certain vaccines and pointed to a 2024 report from the academy that states that “under value-based care models, pediatricians may receive a significant part of their payments based on performance metrics, one of which is completion of childhood and adolescent immunizations.”

Paxton’s previous investigations have included a probe into Pfizer for allegedly misrepresenting the efficacy of its COVID-19 vaccine and toothpaste manufacturers for promoting the use of too much toothpaste.

His case against Pfizer was dismissed in 2024. The toothpaste probe led to companies agreeing to redesign boxes for toothpaste containing fluoride.