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.

On this episode of The Dose, 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.

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.

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.