VOA标准英语2010-Study Shows Many Americans Lack Confidenc

The health care debate in the United States is far from over despite the passage of health care legislation.  Studies show about half of Americans lack confidence in their health care system. Others are pushing for a repeal¹ of the health care legislation, and still others put off getting medical help even after a heart attack because they worry about paying for their care.

Americans are just as divided on health care as they were before President Obama's health reform legislation became law.

Protesters in Washington carried signs on Thursday calling for repeal of the legislation.  They say it represents runaway² spending.

 

A new Associated Press-GfK poll shows that 50 percent of Americans oppose the new health care law and opposition³ is strongest among those 64 and older. Many older Americans worry that their care will be affected⁴ by cuts in federal payments to hospitals and other providers.

In another survey, this one by Ipsos/Reuters, only 51 percent of Americans thought they could get adequate, affordable⁵ health care. The survey included people in 22 nations.  Women, adults under the age of 55 and less educated people in all the countries included in the study reported low satisfaction with health care access.

Yet another study showed that Americans without medical insurance, often delay going to a hospital after a heart attack.  Dr. Paul Chan was one of the researchers.

"Forty-nine percent of uninsured patients were more likely to wait more than six hours before coming into the hospital and 45 percent of patients with health care insurance but with financial concerns in accessing medical care waited more than six hours before coming into the hospital."

Every minute counts when someone is having a heart attack. This helicopter crew knows that. Doctors say these patients need to get medical care within two hours for the best results. By the time some patients in the study sought help, their hearts were already damaged. 

Larry Scott now uses a wheel chair. He put off going to the hospital after a heart attack because he was worried about money.

"If I had the medical insurance, this wouldn't have happened," said Scott.  "This would have been taken care of right then and there."

The researchers studied more than 3,700 patients who had heart attacks and came to emergency rooms for treatment.  

"We concluded that health care insurance plays a huge role in determining whether or not patients are able to come to the hospital promptly⁶ enough when they have symptoms of a heart attack," added Dr. Chan.

The researchers say this is the first study linking health insurance to the decision to seek treatment for a heart attack. The study reflects the ongoing⁷ problems in US health care. It was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

 

1 repeal   

n.废止，撤消；v.废止，撤消

参考例句：

• He plans to repeal a number of current policies.他计划废除一些当前的政策。
• He has made out a strong case for the repeal of the law.他提出强有力的理由，赞成废除该法令。

2 runaway   

n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的

参考例句：

• The police have not found the runaway to date.警察迄今没抓到逃犯。
• He was praised for bringing up the runaway horse.他勒住了脱缰之马受到了表扬。

3 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。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

6 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

7 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。