Challenges emerge for the US healthcare system as COVID-19 cases rise

McKinsey November 25, 2020
Gretchen Berlin, Shubham Singhal, Meredith Lapointe, and John Schulz

Recent COVID-19 trends suggest demand for care in the coming months may be higher and more widespread than at any point in the pandemic, while providers are also facing intensified capacity, supply, and workforce challenges.

COVID-19 has caused ongoing challenges for health systems across the United States throughout 2020. Recent increases in cases and hospitalizations, however, reveal that pressure may be more widespread in the coming months, with less resiliency across the country to support surges in demand for care. Early in the pandemic some providers relied on resources, such as supplies, from other parts of the country to manage demand, and postponed “elective” care to free up resources for COVID-19 patients.^{1 2}

However, potential widespread health system demand may...

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