Coronavirus Reveals Flaws in the U.S. Health System

<p>Fear of a coronavirus epidemic is rippling through the country faster than the disease is spreading – and the U.S. health care system may be unprepared to deal with the crisis.</p> <p>On this episode of <em>The Dose</em>, The Commonwealth Fund’s David Blumenthal, M.D., and Sara Collins, break down how gaps in our health system are placing the entire population at risk in the current outbreak.</p> <p>People who worry they are sick with the COVID-19 virus need to seek immediate medical care. But in the U.S., 30 million people don’t have health insurance. Another 44 million have such bare-bones coverage that they are always worried about the costs of getting care.</p> <p>While Medicaid has come to the rescue in past catastrophes like 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, recent changes to the program mean that millions of Americans living in poverty may not be able to access needed care.</p>