Ely Bair had two medically necessary jaw surgeries. For the first, in 2018, his share of the bill was $3,000. For the second, in 2019 after a job change, he was billed $27,000, even though he had the same insurance carrier. Jovelle Tamayo for Kaiser Health News hide caption
Then-Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar (left) and President Donald Trump listen as Moncef Slaoui of Operation Warp Speed speaks about the crash program to develop a COVID-19 vaccine in the White House Rose Garden in May 2020. Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption
Jameson Rybak, son of Jim and Suzanne Rybak of Florence, S.C., struggled with opioid addiction and died of an overdose on June 9, 2020 — three months after he left a hospital ER because he feared he couldn't afford treatment. Gavin McIntyre/Kaiser Health News hide caption
Many hospitals around the country, including Medstar Washington Hospital in Washington, D.C., have started sharing their prices online in compliance with a recent federal rule. Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Kathleen McAuliffe, a home care worker for Catholic Charities in a Portland, Maine, suburb, helps client John Gardner with his weekly chores. McAuliffe shops for Gardner's groceries, cleans his home and runs errands for him during her weekly visit. Brianna Soukup/Kaiser Health News hide caption
In this 2009 photo, Stephen Cox (left), Mike Forte (center), and Maria Gallo (right), all medical students then, were busy studying a cadaver in the lab at Rocky Vista University's Parker, Colo., campus. Rocky Vista, a for-profit institution, last month received the green light for an accredited satellite campus in Billings, Mont. Ken Lyons/Denver Post via Getty Images hide caption
Truck driver José Mendoza has a Humana HMO plan through his employer. It has a $5,000 deductible and 50% coinsurance, leaving him financially vulnerable. Bryan Cereijo for KHN hide caption
In December 2019, Cynthia Carrillo placed her older brother David at Villa Mesa Care Center, a nursing home in Upland, Calif. After the shutdown in March of 2020, Cynthia Carrillo couldn't visit David inside Villa Mesa. One month later, David, 65, who had Down syndrome, died from COVID-19. Chava Sanchez/LAist hide caption
Dr. Michael Maniaci and Dr. Margaret Paulson confer at the Mayo Clinic's hospital-at-home command center in Jacksonville, Florida. Mayo Clinic hide caption
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, listens as Robert Kramer, president and chief executive officer of Emergent BioSolutions, testifies during a Wednesday hearing of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis. Pool/Getty Images hide caption
Anti-vaccine advocates are using the COVID-19 pandemic to promote books, supplementals and services. Emilija Manevska/Getty Images hide caption
A car accident in 2019 smashed six of Mark Gottlieb's teeth and severely damaged four vertebrae. The spinal surgery he needed as a result led to medical bills that exhausted the personal injury coverage in his auto insurance. Erica Seryhm Lee for KHN hide caption
Medicare Advantage, a fast-growing private alternative to original Medicare, has enrolled more than 26 million people. Humana Inc. is one of the largest of these insurers. While popular with seniors, Medicare Advantage has been the target of multiple government investigations. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP hide caption
