The Trump administration said Thursday it wants states to innovate in ways that could produce more lower-cost health insurance options — even if those alternatives do not provide the same level of financial or medical coverage as an ACA plan. Getty Images hide caption
Shereese Hickson was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2012 and is unable to work. She supports herself and her son, Isaiah, on $770 a month. Shane Wynn for KHN hide caption
Tianjin, in northern China, is home to Tianjin University, an international research center that recently hired an American to lead its school of pharmaceutical science and technology. He recruits students from all over the world, he says, and the program's classes are taught in English. Prisma Bildagentur/UIG/Getty Images hide caption
Dr. Kimberly Remski was told by a potential employer that she couldn't provide abortions during her free time, something she felt called to do. "I realized it was something I really needed to do," she says. Kim Kovacik for NPR hide caption
Ochsner Baptist Medical Center in New Orleans hasn't needed device reps' help since it started using technology from a company called Sight Medical that handles inventory management. Courtesy of Sight Medical hide caption
More than half of all counties in the 39 states that rely on the federal HealthCare.gov exchange for ACA health insurance are experiencing a 10 percent price decrease, on average, for their cheapest plan for 2019. Patrick Sison/AP hide caption
A CPAP machine can treat obstructive sleep apnea, a disorder which causes people to temporarily stop breathing throughout the night. But the machines, which blow air into a person's airways, take some getting used to. Brandon Thibodeaux/ProPublica hide caption
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