A big thanks to our readers who participated in our second annual KHN Halloween Haiku Contest. Your entries — like our health care system — ranged from eerie and haunting to downright spooky. And, based on a review by our expert panel of judges, here’s the winner and a sampling of finalists. Also, keep an eye on KHN’s social media accounts (Twitter, Instagram and Facebook) for more of our favorites. Enjoy!


•••
WINNER


Boo! It’s the virus


Glad you are trick or treating


What luck, I am too


— JK


Inspiration: How Families Are Keeping Halloween From Turning Into a COVID Nightmare


•••
FINALISTS


Ghost of the mandate


lives on, haunting the high court,


sending chills down spines.


— Barbara Armstrong


Inspiration: Potential Impact of California v. Texas Decision on Key Provisions of the Affordable Care Act


Ah, Trump’s “beautiful”


health care plan. Real? Or just an


invisible ghost?


— Shefali Luthra


Inspiration: Back to the Future: Trump’s History of Promising a Health Plan That Never Comes


If sickness scares you


Wait for the debt collectors


Liens and lawsuits lurk


— Arielle Levin Becker


Inspiration: UVA Health Still Squeezing Money From Patients — By Seizing Their Home Equity


Shivers down your spine


An indifferent voice sighs


“You’re out-of-network.”


— Annaliese Johnson

(Hannah Norman/KHN Illustration)

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