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美整修政府医保网站 本周再成焦点

This week will bring a renewed focus on the flawed U.S. government website where Americans are supposed to sign up for private health care insurance. The so-called “Obamacare” website is apparently¹ functioning better, but far from perfectly², after the November 30 deadline for major improvements promised by the administration.

这个星期，有缺陷的美国政府医保网站将再次成为人们关注的焦点。美国人应该登录这个网站申请私人医疗保险。在美国政府承诺重大改进的11月30日截止日期之后，所谓的“ 奥巴马医保”网站显然好用多了，但还远远不够完美。

Two months after healthcare.gov’s unveiling, the problem-plagued website remains³ a work in progress despite President Barack Obama’s assurances weeks ago.

政府医疗健保网站启动两个月后，这个问题丛生的网站仍然是一项进行中的工作，尽管奥巴马总统一周前作出过保证。

“By the end of this month we anticipate that it is going to be working the way it is supposed to,” he said.

奥巴马说：“到这个月底，我们预计这个网站将会以它应有的方式工作。”

The Affordable⁴ Care Act’s troubled rollout has been a major embarrassment⁵ for an administration that had been regarded as technologically-savvy.

支付得起的医保法在备受困扰的情况下推出，对于被视为擅长科技的政府来说，是一大难堪。

“There is no question the rollout on the Affordable Care Act was much tougher than we expected," Obama said. "But I want everybody here to understand: I amgoing to see this through.”

奥巴马总统说：“毫无疑问，支付得起的医保法的推出比我们预想的要艰难得多。但我希望在这里的每个人都明白：我将自始至终盯着解决这个事情”

Obama’s approval ratings have sunk in recent weeks, and congressional Republicans, who opposed Obamacare from the start, have been energized⁶.

奥巴马总统的支持率最近几个星期有所下降，而从一开始就反对奥巴马医保的国会共和党人振奋起来。

“I do not believe you can fix this law to lower the cost and increase access [to health care]," said Representative Kevin McCarthy. "We have to scrap⁷ it and start anew.”

共和党众议员凯文·麦卡锡众议员说：“我不相信你能整修好这个法律，来降低成本，增加人们获得健保的途径。我们必须放弃它，重新开始。”

“I do not think Obamacare has failed,” said Democratic lawmakers like Steny Hoyer, who continue to defend the law. “Access to Obamacare has been a failure at this point in time. And it needs to be fixed⁸. So from that standpoint, the substance of Obamacare has yet to be tested. And to the extent it has been tested, it has been a success for millions of people.”

可是民主党众议员斯滕尼.霍耶说： “我不认为奥巴马医保法失败了。” 跟霍耶一样的民主党议员们继续为这个法律辩护。民主党众议员斯滕尼.霍耶说：“获得奥巴马医保的途径在这个时间点上是失败的。它需要整修。所以从这个角度来看， 奥巴马医保法的实质内容还有待检验。在已经测试过的范围内，这个法律对数以百万计的人来说是成功的。

The House of Representatives gets back to work this week after a Thanksgiving break, the Senate next week. Lawmakers have until the middle of the month to agree on a federal budget. Spending authority expires in January, and the United States risks another partial government shutdown unless it is extended.

感恩节假期结束后，美国众议院本周恢复工作，参议院下周上班。国会议员本月中旬之前须要同意一项联邦预算。支出授权期限将在一月截止，如果支出授权期限不延长，美国将再次面临政府部分关闭的风险。