英语博客：Health Care in the USA.

　　Today, President Barack Obama signed into law his medical reform bill. Some people are very excited about this new development, and other people are not. The question of whether the U.S. needs universal health care has been debated for months. The government has been split about the idea. Democrats¹, in general, are in favor of it, but Republicans have not wanted it. The main problem is cost. The U.S. spends more on health care than any other country. There are lots of federal programs that help people receive health care. The two biggest ones are Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare supplies low-cost health insurance to the elderly and disabled, while Medicaid is for the poor. All of these programs are very expensive to run, and yet not everybody is covered. There are millions who have no health care coverage². Even those who can afford health insurance are not guaranteed help for all of their needs; some who have a pre-existing condition are refused help for that illness. Another problem has been the huge expense of medicine in this country. Lots of people actually go to Canada to buy cheaper medicine. Regulations need to be made on how much pharmaceutical³ companies can charge for their products. Historically, costs have also risen because of the many malpractice lawsuits⁴, and the legal system allows huge sums of money to be paid in compensation. This has driven up costs in general. There is a lot of work to be done in the government to make the system fair. I suppose health care systems always need to be monitored and improved. Personally, I agree with universal health care coverage. It must be absolutely dreadful to be in a position where you cannot get medical care for your own children or other loved ones. Plus, a healthy nation is a productive one. Mind you, I can also see the Republican's concerns about 'big government' and too much taxing of citizens. The central question is, as far as I can see, a person's right to have health care. It's a moral question, not just a financial one. So it becomes a little more complicated. Perhaps, if the government is smart about the details, this could be the beginning of a very good thing.
Grammar notes.
Medical system related vocabulary: universal coverage, health insurance, pharmaceutical, to reform.
1. Universal coverage is when everyone is covered, or has access to something.
2. People pay health insurance companies every month, the same way we pay car insurance companies.
3. The pharmaceutical companies are very wealthy and have a lot of power.
4. The health system is being reformed; it is being changed and updated.

1 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

3 pharmaceutical   

adj.药学的，药物的；药用的，药剂师的

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a pharmaceutical laboratory.她捐款成立了一个药剂实验室。
• We are engaged in a legal tussle with a large pharmaceutical company.我们正同一家大制药公司闹法律纠纷。

4 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句