Shots

Proponents of hospital mergers say the change can help struggling nonprofit hospitals "thrive," with an infusion of cash to invest in updated technology and top clinical staff. But research shows the price of care, especially for low-income patients, usually rises when a hospital joins a for-profit corporation. Jens Magnusson/Getty Images/Ikon Images hide caption

Prescription opioids like OxyContin flooded Missouri during the past six years. Photo Researchers/Science Source hide caption

The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act still prohibits your insurer from using the results of genetic tests against you. But the ACA's additional protections may be in doubt if certain states get their way. Gary Waters/Ikon Images/Getty Images hide caption

Gilead Sciences makes Truvada, a medicine known generically as "pre-exposure prophylaxis," or PrEP. Consistent, daily doses of the drug are thought to reduce the risk of getting HIV from sex by more than 90 percent. Paul Sakuma/AP hide caption

Marketing payments to doctors by makers of opioids have declined. Wallace Garrison/Getty Images hide caption

In his new job overseeing health coverage for 1.2 million workers and their families, Atul Gawande says he hopes to find specific ways to make health care more efficient and the solutions exportable. Dan Bayer/The Aspen Institute via Flickr hide caption

Deborah Ann Favorite holds a photograph of her mother, Elaine Essa. A nursing home and Essa's primary care practice paid to settle a lawsuit brought by the family. Heidi de Marco/Kaiser Health News hide caption

Emergencies happen at all hours, but the cost of staffing an emergency department at night is higher than by day, according to emergency care providers. Edwin Remsburg/VW Pics/UIG via Getty Images hide caption

As the price of specialty drugs continues to rise, some health plans are shifting more of the cost to patients. Getty Images hide caption