U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams said Tuesday that local restrictions, including bans on indoor vaping, are needed to reduce youth e-cigarette use. Eric Baradat/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

Sarah Witter fractured two bones in her lower left leg while skiing in Vermont last February. She had two operations to repair the damage. The second surgery was needed to replace a metal plate that broke after it was implanted. Matt Baldelli for KHN hide caption

The "Medicaid Drug Decisions Transparency Act" would require pharmaceutical companies to disclose their payments to pharmacists and others who serve on state Medicaid drug boards — the advisory groups that decide which drugs Medicaid will and won't cover. Gary Waters/Ikon Images/Getty Images hide caption

Diabetes patient Bridgett Snelten at home in Sandy, Utah. The Affordable Care Act that protects people with pre-existing conditions may fall after a federal judge in Texas ruled it unconstitutional. Rick Bowmer/AP hide caption

Seven-year-old Carson Miller (left), and his brother, 5-year-old Chase Miller (right), both have a degenerative brain disease called MEPAN syndrome. There are only 13 people in the world who have it. Courtesy of Andrew Ross-Perry hide caption

A survey finds 1 in 5 high school seniors was vaping nicotine in 2018. VOISIN/Getty Images hide caption

Patients and advocates have become an important part of the annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Noam Galai/Getty Images hide caption

The 2016 viral photo of a couple passed out in a car while a child sits in the back seat triggered a painful moment of self-reflection in East Liverpool, Ohio. The community took steps to address its addiction problem, but progress has been spotty. Ian Brown for NPR hide caption

"People have to be alive to get the help that they need," said Brittney Webster, who got free naloxone at a health center in Carlisle, Pa. Brett Sholtis/WITF hide caption

People who earn up to 400 percent of the poverty level (about $48,500 for an individual and $100,400 for a family of four in 2019) are eligible for subsidies of the cost of their marketplace health plans. But many of the 5 million who aren't eligible feel crushed by rising costs. Stuart Kinlough/Ikon Images/Getty Images hide caption

The deadline for signing up for individual health insurance coverage on HealthCare.gov ends Saturday, Dec. 15. Patrick Sison/AP hide caption

Scientist He Jiankui was criticized by colleagues after his claim to have created gene-edited babies became public. Three leading scientific organizations are calling for more controls. Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

Isela was denied life insurance because her medication list showed a prescription for the opioid-reversal drug naloxone. The Boston Medical Center nurse says she wants to have the drug on hand so she can save others. Jesse Costa/WBUR hide caption

A highly potent synthetic opioid, fentanyl is often mixed into other drugs sold on the street, including pills, heroin and even cocaine. Towfiqu Photography/Getty Images hide caption

Teens' biological clock drives them to stay up late and sleep in. Most school start times don't accommodate that drive. Jasper Cole/Getty Images hide caption

Keri Blakinger spent nearly two years incarcerated on narcotics charges before becoming a criminal justice reporter for the Houston Chronicle. Nicole Hensley/Houston Chronicle hide caption

Shauna Pelfrey talks to her husband, Dorian, while preparing for his dialysis appointment. Lynsey Weatherspoon for NPR hide caption

The shortage is a nationwide problem. And the cause, according to the drug's manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, is simple: "Unprecedented demand." Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images hide caption