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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!

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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

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FINALISTS

Ghost of the mandate

lives on, haunting the high court,

sending chills down spines.

— Barbara Armstrong

Inspiration:

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