VOA标准英语2010年-US Hospitals Say They Need Government

As Republican and Democratic Party lawmakers met in Washington for a White House summit on healthcare reform, VOA looked at what reform could mean for American hospitals.  Many are in deep financial trouble. About half are currently operating at a deficit¹. The CEO of a hospital in one small town, Warrenton, Virginia, discussed the problems he faces and the fixes he would like to see. 

Roger Baker² is president of Fauquier Hospital, a small facility about an hour from Washington.  Like many hospital CEO's across the country, Baker says revenues are declining while operating costs are rising. He wants Washington to come up with a solution. "I think that we and many others really want meaningful reform.  The system I think in the long run is not sustainable," he said.

Fauquier Hospital serves the residents of Warrenton, Virginia and surrounding Fauquier County. 

The area has weathered the recession better than other parts of the country, but the community is feeling the pinch. 

Although Fauquier Hospital is non-profit, it relies on earnings³ over and above operating costs to maintain its facilities.  It earned 2.6 percent over costs last year, a figure Baker says is unsustainable. "You needed about a five percent operating margin⁴ in order to stay in business over the long haul, especially if you are in a community like this that is growing and you have to invest in new facilities from time to time, recruit new physicians to the area and hire staff," he said.

Baker says the economy is part of the problem. People are putting off non-essential procedures. 

The number of procedures at the hospital is down ten percent so far this year.  

But the number of uninsured patients is also rising, currently at eight percent of all patients. That costs the hospital about 6 million dollars a year.  "And the way that we make up the difference for what those uninsured patients cost in terms of the cost of their care, is that we have to utilize⁵ the excess of revenues over expenses or the profits we generate from patients who have insurance," Baker said.

And that causes a chain reaction, with fees rising for insured patients and insurance companies raising premiums⁶ on those they cover.

Fauquier Hospital is also bracing⁷ for cuts in payments from Medicaid, a government program that funds healthcare for the poor. 

The proposed cuts could mean another five percent in revenue lost or about $5 million a year. "Well we would have to curtail⁸ services somehow. We have to figure out is there a service that we can shut down," he said.

Baker say the federal government can help hospitals like Fauquier by ensuring that as many people as possible are insured. That, he says, will bring down the cost of care. "There are other countries that are providing similar outcomes without spending as much money.  And I think that our challenge and the country's challenge is to get to the point where we can afford the healthcare system that we have in our country," he said.

President Obama's current proposal calls for insuring 30 million more Americans at a cost of about $1 trillion over ten years.  Republicans have a plan to insure three million more Americans at cost of $60 billion for the same period. 

 

1 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。

2 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

3 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

4 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

5 utilize   

vt.使用，利用

参考例句：

• The cook will utilize the leftover ham bone to make soup.厨师要用吃剩的猪腿骨做汤。
• You must utilize all available resources.你必须利用一切可以得到的资源。

6 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》

7 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。

8 curtail   

vt.截短，缩短；削减

参考例句：

• The government hopes to curtail public spending.政府希望缩减公共事业开支。
• The minister had to curtail his visit.部长不得不缩短访问日期。