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华盛顿本周焦点：经济与健保

After a week-long vacation, U.S. President Barack Obama will focus on proposals to strengthen the still-recovering American economy.  The agenda includes implementation¹ of his signature - and politically polarizing - initiative to reform the nation’s health care system.

经过一个星期的休假，美国总统奥巴马将集中精力，处理旨在加强仍在恢复中的美国经济的方案，以及推动落实他的标志性、同时也造成政治两极化的健保制度改革计划。

The Affordable² Care Act, or Obamacare as some call it, expands federal health care programs for the needy³ and encourages Americans of all income groups to purchase private health care insurance.

被一些人称为奥巴马医改的“平价医疗法案”，将联邦医疗保险项目扩及那些有需要者，并鼓励所有收入阶层的美国人购买私人医疗保险。

“If you do not have insurance, beginning on October 1st, private plans will actually compete for your business.  You can comparison shop in an online marketplace, just like you would for cell phone plans or plane tickets.  You may be eligible⁴ for new tax credits to help you afford the plan that’s right for you.  And if you are in the up to half of all Americans who have been sick or have a preexisting condition, this law means that beginning January 1st, insurance companies have to cover you," he said.

美国总统奥巴马说： “如果你没有保险，从10月1号开始，私人医疗计划会为了要做你的生意而竞争。你可以在网上比较各家的价钱，就像比较手机计划和飞机票价一样。你或许有资格得到新的减税优惠，让你负担的起适合你的医疗计划。如果你和多达半数的美国人一样生过病，或一直有某种疾病，这个法律意味着自明年1月1号开始，保险公司必须要将你纳入。”

Health-care spending accounts for one-seventh of U.S. economic activity, and is projected to increase to one-fifth in coming years.  The cost has a direct bearing on America’s economic and fiscal⁵ wellbeing.  Enacted in 2010, the Affordable Care Act aims to control costs and expand access to health care.  The effort is a colossal⁶ failure, according to Republican lawmakers like Tim Griffin and Todd Young.

健保支出占美国经济活动的7分之1，未来几年预估更将增加到5分之1。这部分支出直接影响到美国的经济和财政健全。2010年通过的平价医疗法案，旨在控制医疗成本并扩大医保对象。不过共和党议员蒂姆·格里芬(Tim Griffin)和托德·杨(Todd Young)认为，这个努力是一个巨大的失败。

“Republicans will continue to do everything we can to protect all Americans from the president's top-down, one-size-fits-all, Washington-knows-best approach to health care that is driving up costs and hurting our economy," said Griffin.

蒂姆·格里芬说： “共和党会继续竭尽所能，保护所有美国人民不受总统健保改革的影响，他那种‘从上而下、不分大小、华盛顿最清楚’的方式导致成本提高，并伤害我们的经济。”

Young added, “The sooner we can delay, dismantle⁷, and repeal⁸ the president's health-care law, the sooner we can get people back to work and focus on expanding opportunity for everyone.”

托德·杨认为： “我们越早推迟、废除并撤销总统的健保法律，就可以越早让人们回来工作，为扩大所有人的机会而努力。”

The president accuses Republicans of putting partisanship⁹ ahead of Americans’ health-care needs. “A lot of Republicans seem to believe that if they can gum up the works and make this law fail, they will somehow be sticking it to me.  But they would just be sticking it to you.  Your health insurance is not something to play politics with.  Our economy is not something to play politics with," he said.

奥巴马总统指责共和党将党派之争置于美国人民的健保需求之上。他说：“许多共和党人似乎认为，如果他们能把事情搞乱，让这个法律失败，就等于是戳了我一棍子。不过他们只是戳到你们。你们的健保不是可以被拿来玩政治的东西。我们的经济也不是可以被拿来玩政治的东西。”

The success or failure of Obamacare could shape the president’s legacy¹⁰ long after he leaves office.

奥巴马健保的成功或失败，都可能在奥巴马卸任后长期影响他的政治遗产。