纽约时报 特朗普决定废除《平价医疗法案》 民主党人陷入混乱(1)

Move to Nullify healthcare Act Roils¹ Democrats²

特朗普决定废除《平价医疗法案》 民主党人陷入混乱

By Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Robert Pear

文/谢丽尔·盖伊·斯托尔伯格，罗伯特·皮尔

The Trump³ administration's decision to ask a federal appeals court to invalidate the Affordable⁴ Care Act

特朗普政府决定让联邦上诉法院废除《平价医疗法案》，

has given House Democrats a new opening to pursue what they see as a winning political strategy:

众议院民主党人便有了新的机会，采取他们眼中的制胜策略：

moving past talk of impeachment⁶ to put kitchen-table issues like health care front and center.

绕过弹劾（总统）的话题，把医疗保健等民生问题放在首要及核心位置。

The notice to the court, filed late Monday by the Justice Department,

司法部周一晚间向最高法院发布了废除《平价医疗法案》的通知，

could not have come at a more opportune⁷ time for Democrats.

然而，对民主党人而言，这一通知来得正是时候。

The finding by Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel,

因为特别检察官罗伯特·S·穆勒三世调查后发现，

that there was no evidence of a criminal conspiracy⁸ between the Trump campaign and Russia,

没有证据表明特朗普竞选团队和俄罗斯之间有合谋犯罪行为，

dashed the hopes of the most partisan⁹ Democrats that the House would impeach⁵ the president.

所以，最具党派色彩那些民主党人的希望破灭了——他们一直希望众议院能弹劾特朗普总统。

Speaker Nancy Pelosi — who celebrated¹⁰ her 79th birthday on Tuesday —

司法部发布通知之前，众议院议长南希·佩洛西——周二她刚刚庆祝完自己的79岁生日——

had already planned to move to change the conversation with the unveiling of the Democrats' own health care plan on Tuesday.

就已经打算在周二公布民主党人自己的医保方案，改变两党对话的走向。

The Democrats' bill aims to lower health insurance premiums¹¹,

这一法案旨在降低医疗保险费用，

strengthen protections for people with pre-existing medical conditions

加强对已存在伤病人群的保护，

and ban the sale of what Democrats call "junk insurance."

同时禁止他们所谓的“垃圾保险”的销售。

The Justice Department's move gave the unveiling an urgency that not even she could have anticipated.

但司法部的举动让南希·佩洛西的计划变得紧迫得她自己都意想不到了。

"The Republicans did say during the campaign

“共和党人在竞选期间确实说过，

that they weren't there to undermine the pre-existing condition benefit,

他们并非要破坏已存在伤病人群的福利，

and here they are, right now, saying they're going to strip the whole Affordable Care Act as the law of the land,

但他们现在又说，他们要把《平价医疗法案》整个从美国的法律体系中剔除出去，”

Ms. Pelosi told reporters Tuesday,

佩洛西周二对记者说到，

adding, "This is actually an opportunity for us to speak to the American people with clarity."

她还补充说，“这也是我们跟美国人民开诚布公的一个机会。”

The administration staked out its new position in a lawsuit¹² that was filed by Republican attorneys general in Texas and other states

2017年，国会未能成功废除《平价医疗法案》，德克萨斯等州的共和党司法部长们提起诉讼时，

after Congress failed in 2017 to repeal¹³ the Affordable Care Act,

特朗普政府表明自己有了新的立场，

but later reduced the law's tax penalty for people who do not have insurance to zero.

后来却还是将对没有保险的人的税收罚款降至为零了。

The suit contended that the absence of the real tax penalty rendered the law's "individual mandate¹⁴"

该诉讼裁定，没有了实际的税收罚款，该法律的“个人强制参保”规定——

— the requirement that most Americans have insurance — unconstitutional.

——该规定要求大多数美国人都要有保险——就违宪了。

Without a requirement to purchase insurance, they argued,

他们辩称，如果没有购买保险的要求，

the law could not then insist that insurance companies cover pre-existing medical conditions

这一法律便不能坚持要求保险公司承保已存在伤病人群的保险费用，

and a suite¹⁵ of other "essential health benefits," such as maternity¹⁶ care and prescription¹⁷ drugs.

和产科护理及处方药等一系列其他“基本健康福利”的费用。

1 roils   

v.搅混（液体）( roil的第三人称单数 )；使烦恼；使不安；使生气

参考例句：

• The sea roils again, waves surging high, crash! 海又动荡，波浪跳起来，轰！ 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译
• The national turmoil generally roils a country's financial markets. 国家的混乱广泛的搅乱一国的财金市场。 来自互联网

2 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》

3 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

4 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

5 impeach   

v.弹劾；检举

参考例句：

• We must impeach the judge for taking bribes.我们一定要检举法官收受贿赂。
• The committee decided to impeach the President.委员会决定弹劾总统。

6 impeachment   

n.弹劾；控告；怀疑

参考例句：

• Impeachment is considered a drastic measure in the United States.在美国，弹劾被视为一种非常激烈的措施。
• The verdict resulting from his impeachment destroyed his political career.他遭弹劾后得到的判决毁了他的政治生涯。

7 opportune   

adj.合适的，适当的

参考例句：

• Her arrival was very opportune.她来得非常及时。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

8 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

9 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

10 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

11 premiums   

n.费用( premium的名词复数 )；保险费；额外费用；（商品定价、贷款利息等以外的）加价

参考例句：

• He paid premiums on his life insurance last year. 他去年付了人寿保险费。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Moves are afoot to increase car insurance premiums. 现正在酝酿提高汽车的保险费。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

13 repeal   

n.废止，撤消；v.废止，撤消

参考例句：

• He plans to repeal a number of current policies.他计划废除一些当前的政策。
• He has made out a strong case for the repeal of the law.他提出强有力的理由，赞成废除该法令。

14 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

15 suite   

n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员

参考例句：

• She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。
• That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。

16 maternity   

n.母性，母道，妇产科病房；adj.孕妇的，母性的

参考例句：

• Women workers are entitled to maternity leave with full pay.女工产假期间工资照发。
• Trainee nurses have to work for some weeks in maternity.受训的护士必须在产科病房工作数周。

17 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。