UK Biobank, based in Manchester, England, is the largest blood-based research project in the world. The research project will involve at least 500,000 people across the U.K., and follow their health for next 30 years or more, providing a resource for scientists battling diseases. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images hide caption
Americans have the right to access their medical records, but actually doing so is often complicated, slow and costly. Sean Justice/Getty Images hide caption
State's attorney Brad Beckworth lays out one of his closing arguments in Oklahoma's case against drugmaker Johnson & Johnson at the Cleveland County Courthouse in Norman, Okla. in July. The judge in the case ruled Monday that J&J must pay $572 million to the state. Chris Landsberger/AP hide caption
In rugged, rural areas, patients often have little choice about how they'll get to the hospital in an emergency. "The presence of private equity in the air ambulance industry indicates that investors see profit opportunities," a 2017 report from the federal Government Accountability Office notes. pidjoe/Getty Images hide caption
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that most new heroin addicts first became hooked on prescription painkillers, such as oxycodone, before graduating to heroin, which is cheaper. John Moore/Getty Images hide caption
The wide-open spaces of Arco, Idaho, appeal to some doctors with a love of the outdoors. Thomas Hawk/Flickr hide caption
A large new "sensory space" at Pittsburgh International Airport is divided into separate rooms; families can tailor sound and light levels to each traveler, whatever their age. Courtesy of Pittsburgh International Airport hide caption
Plump red blood cells — tumbling amid infection-fighting white blood cells and purple platelets in this colorized, microscopic view — need adequate levels of iron to be able to carry and deliver oxygen around the body. Iron-deficiency anemia is sometimes remedied with IV iron infusions — and the bill can vary by thousands of dollars. Science Source hide caption
Sovereign Valentine, a personal trainer in Plains, Mont., needs dialysis for his end-stage renal disease. When he first started dialysis treatments, Fresenius Kidney Care clinic in Missoula charged $13,867.74 per session, or about 59 times the $235 Medicare pays for a dialysis session. Tommy Martino/Kaiser Health News hide caption
Overall in medical research, the proportion of participants with non-European ancestry is only about 20 percent, says Columbia University bioethicist Sandra Soo-Jin Lee. And that's a problem. Tek Image/Science Photo Library/Getty Images hide caption
The same steep growth and use of big data that attracted venture capital cash to companies that administer Medicare Advantage plans have led to scrutiny of the companies by government officials. Federal audits estimate such plans nationwide have overcharged taxpayers nearly $10 billion annually. 123light/Getty Images hide caption
The Trump administration has suggested buying a prescription drug is like buying a car — with plenty of room to negotiate down from the sticker price. But drug pricing analysts say the analogy doesn't work. tomeng/Getty Images hide caption
Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter begins closing statements during the opioid trial at the Cleveland County Courthouse in Norman, Okla., on Monday, July 15. It's the first public trial to emerge from roughly 2,000 U.S. lawsuits aimed at holding drugmakers accountable for the nation's opioid epidemic. Chris Landsberger/The Oklahoman hide caption