Here’s how the US health care system makes it harder to stop coronavirus

The issues go beyond early missteps by federal officials, such as delays in distributing testing kits.

While countries around the globe are struggling to deal with the coronavirus, people in the US must contend with a fragmented health system where just going to get tested can mean hundreds or thousands of dollars in medical bills — a risk those in other developed countries don’t face.

“When you get to a highly communicable disease, that’s when we all suffer the consequences,” said Alan Weil, editor-in-chief...