Shots

Jared Haley, general manager of the C-Axis plant in Caguas, Puerto Rico, says computer-operated milling machines like this one can cost more than a half-million dollars. Heat and humidity in the plant after Hurricane Maria left many of the machines inoperable, Haley says. Greg Allen/NPR hide caption

MedStar Health clinic in Washington, D.C. An affiliated MedStar hospital is just one of many facilities throughout the U.S. that have been hit with shortages of certain medications because of recent hurricane damage to manufacturers in Puerto Rico. Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post/Getty Images hide caption

Gloria Single and her husband Bill Single in the dining hall of the skilled nursing floor at Pioneer House nursing home in Sacramento. AARP Foundation attorneys say California needs to more tightly enforce laws that prohibit evictions of the sort that separated the Singles, and sped up her physical decline. Aubrey Jones hide caption

Gregory Matthews has glaucoma and uses prescription eyedrops. The dropper's opening creates a bigger drop than he needs, causing him to run out of his medication before the prescription is ready to refill. Matt Roth for ProPublica hide caption

Tape worm pills were once advertised as a way to stay thin. Courtesy of Workman Publishing hide caption

Lori Wallace says it's frustrating to constantly hear messages in ads for hospitals that imply her cancer would go away if she were just more positive and tried harder. Sam Harnett/KQED hide caption

Drug lobbyists and consumer health advocates fill the halls of the state Capitol in September to see how Assembly members vote on a controversial drug price transparency bill. Tam Ma/Courtesy of Health Access California hide caption