国外媒体:美众院民主党公布医改法案

Democrats¹ in the U.S. House of Representatives have unveiled their version of health care reform legislation, in an effort to accelerate progress toward meeting achieving one of President Obama's major priorities. Republicans immediately blasted the proposal, which Democrats say they're determined³ to have the House vote on before the August congressional recess⁴. 

美国众议院的民主党人公布了自己的医保改革法案，以便加速实现奥巴马总统的医疗保健改革计划，这是奥巴马的重要优先工作项目之一。共和党人立刻抨击了这个议案， 而民主党人说，他们决心让众议院在8月休会之前对此进行投票。

The effort by majority Democrats to reform the health care system, a goal President Barack Obama says is crucial to speeding economic recovery, ran into problems because of huge initial cost estimates, and the prospect⁵ of higher taxes to pay for the changes. 

奥巴马总统说，改革医疗保健系统是加速经济复苏所必需的。但是多数党民主党改革医保系统的努力遇到麻烦，这是由于预计的启动费用巨大，为了改革需要增税。

The president has pledged that health care reform would be fully⁶ paid for and not add to the federal budget deficit⁷, the growth of which experts agree also threatens long-term recovery.

But a proposal by majority Democrats to pay for it by increasing taxes on high wage earners (couples earning more than $350,000) and wealthy Americans recently provoked opposition⁸ from fiscally-conservative Democrats. 

民主党议员提议增加高工资者的所得税，让那些总收入超过35万美元的夫妇和富人多交税，这引起了那些在财政上比较保守的民主党人的反对。

Amid worries that disagreements might destroy chances of House and Senate votes before an August congressional recess, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic leaders worked out a final version they vow⁹ to bring to a vote before lawmakers leave town. 

人们担心，这种分歧也许会使众议院和参议院在国会8月休会之前不能对此投票。众议院议长佩洛西和民主党领导人商定了一个最后文本，他们誓言要国会在议员们离开华盛顿之前进行表决。

Pelosi called the measure a historic step of major importance for America's middle class, but also described as a starting point: 

佩洛西称这个法案对美国中产阶级具有重要意义，迈出了历史性的一步。她还说这是个起点。

"This bill is a starting point and a path to success, to lower costs for consumers and businesses, to give greater choice to Americans including keeping your doctor and plan if you like them, better quality of care putting doctors not insurance companies back in charge, and to provide stability and peace of mind that you cannot be denied care of coverage¹⁰ for a pre-existing [medical] condition," said Nancy Pelosi. 

佩洛西说：“这个法案是个起点，是走向成功之路，它将减少消费者和企业的费用；它将给美国人更多的选择，包括可以保留你喜欢的医生和医疗保险计划，提高医疗质量，让医生而不是保险公司作主；它将让你安心放心，知道自己不会因为身体有病而得不到医疗保险。”

The measure includes a new government-run insurance plan, known as a public option to compete with private providers. Provisions aim to slow rapidly-increasing medical care costs, and improve access to and the quality and effectiveness of care and treatments. 

这个议案包括一个新的由政府管理的医疗保险计划，也就是所谓的公共选择，同私营保险公司竞争。目标是减缓迅速增长的医疗费用，使人们更容易得到医疗照顾，提高医疗照顾的质量和效果。

Democratic Henry Waxman chairs the House Energy & Commerce Committee: 

众议院能源和商务委员会主席，民主党议员韦克斯曼说：

"The [current] system is unsustainable," said Henry Waxman. "We cannot continue to put more and more money into health care, especially when you recognize that this country spends more money on health care than any other western industrialized nation, and yet we have 46 to 50 million people uninsured." 

“目前的体制难以为继。我们不能继续往医保系统投入越来越多的钱，特别是在你认识到这一点的情况下：美国在医疗保健上花的钱比其他任何西方工业国都多，但是有4600万到5000万美国人没有医疗保险。”

Representative George Miller¹¹, a California Democrat², said the Democratic-controlled Congress will deliver on a goal set by President Obama when he was elected:

"We will in this year produce a bill that is fair and fully paid for, reduces cost, preserves choice, and expands access for all Americans," said George Miller. "That was the charge that President Obama gave this Congress when he was sworn into office, it was the charge that the American people gave President Obama when they voted for him in the election."

Currently, between 46 million and 50 million Americans are without health insurance. A report earlier this year found that one out of three Americans under the age of 65 were without health insurance at some point over the past two years.

As for the sensitive question of costs, lawmakers were more guarded, declining to specify¹² a figure before the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) provides its estimate. However, it is thought to be around $1 trillion. 

对于成本这个敏感问题，议员们比较谨慎，在无党派的国会预算办公室提出估测之前，不肯提出具体数字。不过人们认为，这个成本是一万亿美元左右。

Republicans immediately responded, attacking the proposed surtax on high-earning Americans as another burden on small businesses, and asserting that the government insurance plan will ruin the existing private medical system: 

共和党议员立刻做出反应，抨击这个议案中对于高收入者征收附加税的条款是给小企业增加的又一个负担。他们断言，政府的医疗保险计划将毁坏现有的私营保险系统。

Missouri Republican Roy Blunt: 

代表密苏里州的共和党议员布朗特说：

"What we really have here is a bill that without any question will kill jobs, will limit access to health care, will raise taxes, and will lead to a government takeover of health care," said Roy Blunt. 

“这个议案无疑会减少就业机会，使得一些人得不到医疗保健，提高征税，会导致政府接管医保工作。”

Democrats will fine tune¹³ the measure over the next three weeks to, among other things, address ongoing¹⁴ concerns of fiscally-conservative Democrats, a group known as the Blue Dogs who want assurances that cost-cutting measures will be effective. 

民主党人将在今后三个星期里调整这个议案，以便安抚那些在财政上比较保守的民主党议员，他们的一个团体要求得到一个保证，那就是削减成本的措施将会奏效。

In a statement, the group said it is committed to passing health care reform, but said any plan that fails to meet President Obama's goal of substantially bringing down costs is not an option.

The Senate has made slower progress coming up with a health care reform bill. Achieving House and Senate votes before August would allow lawmakers to resolve differences on separate bills so each chamber¹⁵ could vote on a final version after they return from their break.

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 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

3 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

4 recess   

n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处）

参考例句：

• The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
• Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。

5 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

6 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

7 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

8 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

9 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。

10 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。

11 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

12 specify   

vt.指定，详细说明

参考例句：

• We should specify a time and a place for the meeting.我们应指定会议的时间和地点。
• Please specify what you will do.请你详述一下你将做什么。

13 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

14 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

15 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。