When one of Jose Nuñez's retinas was damaged by diabetes in 2016, the Los Angeles truck driver expected his Medicaid managed care policy to coordinate treatment. But Centene, the private insurer that manages his policy, gave him the runaround, he says, and he lost sight in that eye. Heidi de Marco/KHN hide caption
Marilyn Bartlett spent two years running Montana's employee health plan. She made better deals with hospitals and drug benefits managers and saved the plan from bankruptcy. Mike Albans for NPR hide caption
Purdue Pharma, maker of the opioid OxyContin, has a subsidiary that won a patent for a treatment for opioid addiction. Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption
Air Methods' helicopter in Pocola, Okla. The company owns five other Oklahoma bases under the Tulsa Life Flight brand that it bought in 2009. Jackie Fortier/ StateImpact Oklahoma hide caption
Physicians face long hours, frustrating paperwork and sometimes difficult patients. But researchers aren't so clear on whether burnout is the right word to describe their problems. ERproductions Ltd/Blend Images/Getty Images hide caption
Despite abuse deterrent formulation, Purdue Pharma's OxyContin continues to be used by some people with opioid addiction to get high. Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption
Intermountain Healthcare, whose Intermountain Medical Center Patient Tower in Murray, Utah, is seen here, is a leader in the generic drug company being launched by hospitals. Courtesy of Intermountain Healthcare hide caption
Despite the political uncertainties, insurance companies have started to learn how to make a profit on the plans they offer through the Affordable Care Act. Erik McGregor/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images hide caption
A survey finds many Americans get unexpected medical bills and the majority come because patients expect their insurance to cover more than it actually does. Jamie Grill/Getty Images hide caption
"It shouldn't have happened," says Nicole Smith-Holt of Richfield, Minn., gazing at the death certificate of her son Alec Raeshawn Smith. Bram Sable-Smith for NPR hide caption
Drew Calver, a high school history teacher and swim coach in Austin, Texas, had a heart attack at his home on April 2, 2017. A neighbor rushed him to the nearby emergency room at St. David's Medical Center, which wasn't in the school district's health plan. Callie Richmond/KHN hide caption
Wren Vetens fought to get her gender confirmation surgery covered after the Group Insurance Board's initial decision left her without insurance coverage. Lauren Justice for KHN hide caption
Drew Calver, a high school history teacher and swim coach in Austin, Texas, had a heart attack at his home on April 2, 2017. A neighbor rushed him to the nearby emergency room at St. David's Medical Center, which wasn't in the school district's health plan. Callie Richmond/KHN hide caption
Nationally gathered statistics suggest that nearly half of graduating physicians in 2017 owed more than $200,000 in student debt. Cargo/Getty Images hide caption
Texas officials are requiring that people who comment at Medicaid meetings on pharmaceuticals disclose more details about their ties to industry. George Rose/Getty Images hide caption