U.S. President Barack Obama is continuing his campaign to reform the American health care system. He is urging the nation's doctors to put aside their skepticism and back changes that he says are needed to bring skyrocketing medical costs under control.
美国总统奥巴马继续大力推动医疗保健系统的改革。奥巴马总统星期一敦促全国的医生们抛开怀疑，支持变革。奥巴马总统说，为了使飞速上涨的医疗费用得到控制，改革是必不可少的。
President Obama went before the nation's largest organization of physicians to make the case for health care reform.
奥巴马总统在向美国最大的医生组织美国医学协会发表讲话时，阐述了医疗改革的必要性。
"The cost of our health care is a threat to our economy," he said. "It is an escalating burden on our families and businesses. It is a ticking time bomb for the federal budget.
他说：“巨大的医疗费用对我们的经济构成威胁。它正成为美国家庭和企业不断增加的负担。对于联邦预算而言，过高的医疗费用就像一枚定时炸弹。”
In a speech to members of the American Medical Association at their annual meeting in Chicago, the president spoke in stark terms.
在芝加哥举行的美国医学协会年会上，奥巴马总统直言不讳地说明了自己的观点。
He talked about big corporations like General Motors that are in trouble in part because of the high cost of providing health insurance to employees.
他指出，通用汽车这样的大企业之所以陷入困境，部分原因就在于员工的医疗保险费用太高。
"If we do not fix our health care system, America may go the way of GM - paying more, getting less and going broke," said Mr. Obama.
奥巴马说：“如果我们不去修复医疗保健系统，美国就可能重蹈通用汽车的复辙，那便是花费的更多，获得的更少，最后走向破产。”
The president faced a tough audience. There is consensus in the medical community about the need for reform to improve the affordability and accessibility of quality care. But there is no unity on the best medicine to heal the ailing system.
奥巴马总统所面对的听众也不好对付。医学界虽然普遍认为，需要通过改革来使更多的人负担得起高质量的医疗保健。但是，对于问题成堆的医疗系统，却至今没有一个公认的灵丹妙药。
The president went out of his way to assure them that he does not support a government take-over. But he said there needs to be a way to provide health insurance to those of modest means. And he took on a major concern for doctors: the fear of a malpractice lawsuit.
奥巴马总统尽力向他们保证，他并不赞成政府接管医保系统。但他也说，需要找到一条为低收入者提供医疗保险的途径。同时，他也对医生们最担心的一个问题表达了意见，那就是医疗失误引起的法律诉讼。
President Obama said he does not favor limits on the amount of money juries can award in malpractice lawsuits. But he said he is open to other options, and he pledged to work with the medical community.
奥巴马总统说，他并不赞成对陪审团能够为医疗事故判定多少赔偿金设立上限。但他也表示愿意考虑其他方案，并保证与医学界合作。
"I need your help, doctors, because to most Americans, you are the health care system," he said.
他说：“医生们，我需要你们的帮助。对绝大多数美国人而言，你们就代表着医疗保健系统！”
Republican leaders in the U.S. Congress responded to the president's remarks by charging once again that he wants a health care system run by bureaucrats in Washington.
美国国会的共和党领袖们对总统的讲话做出反应时 |