David Taylor, who has muscular dystrophy, relies on a ventilator to live. During the power outages across Texas in February, he had to be transported to a hospital before his ventilator's backup battery ran out. Rodger Mallison/Undark Magazine hide caption
A shipment of medical aid from the United States, including 50 ventilators, appears inside a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster transport plane Thursday at Vnukovo International Airport outside Moscow. Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
President Donald Trump speaks during a coronavirus task force briefing at the White Houseon Friday. Seated from left, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci, White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx, Surgeon General Jerome Adams, and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption
President Trump says he's not using his authority to control production and distribution of medical supplies. Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Vehicles go through the assembly line at a General Motors assembly plant in Lansing, Mich., on Feb. 21. GM is assessing the feasibility of converting its plants to make medical equipment. Bill Pugliano/Getty Images hide caption
Under the Affordable Care Act, many insurance plans are required to cover a range of essential services, such as hospitalization and prescription drugs. But reimbursement for certain medical equipment — such as crutches or a leg boot after an injury — varies widely from plan to plan. tirc83/Getty Images hide caption
A dumping ground for old medical equipment in Malawi. Stephen Rudy/Courtesy of Gradian Health hide caption
A particularly nasty family of gut bacteria with the nickname CRE is resistant even to carbapenems, a family of last-resort antibiotics. CDC hide caption