Obama may soften healthcare plan

President Barack Obama's administration has signalled that its healthcare reforms may be diluted¹, amid pressure(压力) from opponents.
　　Mr Obama has been pressing for a government-run scheme to extend healthcare insurance（保险） to some 46 million people in the US.
　　But Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that this had never been Mr Obama's top priority.
　　She hinted that he may accept the idea of non-profit insurance co-operatives.
　　In an interview with CNN, Ms Sebelius said that Mr Obama's government-run insurance plan - a so-called "public option" - was "not the essential element" of the administration reforms.
　　HEALTHCARE IN THE US46 million uninsured, 25 million under-insuredHealthcare costs represent 16% of GDP, almost twice OECD averageReform plans would require all Americans to get insuranceSome propose public insurance option to compete with private insurersQ&A: US healthcare reformAnger clouds US healthcare debate"I think what's important is choice and competition. And I'm convinced at the end of the day, the plan will have both of those," she said.
　　Separately, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs also refused to say that the "public option" was a make-or-break choice.
　　Mr Gibbs said Mr Obama's administration would consider an alternative（替代） proposal of consumer-owned, non-profit co-operatives that would sell insurance in competition with private industry.
　　The proposal is currently being fine-tuned in the Senate Finance Committee.
　　The comments of Mr Obama's senior officials come in contrast to the president's remarks at a "town-hall" speech in Colorado on Saturday that his faith in a public option was strong.
　　If the administration makes this concession² it would probably enrage³ many of its liberal supporters, correspondents say.
　　But they say it could also deliver the president a much-needed win on his top domestic priority for 2009.
　　There has been some progress in the House of Representatives on agreeing a deal on the issue but negotiations（谈判） in the Senate have stalled.
　　Both chambers⁴ need to agree on a bill before it can become law.（本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑）

1 diluted   

无力的，冲淡的

参考例句：

• The paint can be diluted with water to make a lighter shade. 这颜料可用水稀释以使色度淡一些。
• This pesticide is diluted with water and applied directly to the fields. 这种杀虫剂用水稀释后直接施用在田里。

2 concession   

n.让步，妥协；特许(权)

参考例句：

• We can not make heavy concession to the matter.我们在这个问题上不能过于让步。
• That is a great concession.这是很大的让步。

3 enrage   

v.触怒，激怒

参考例句：

• She chose a quotation that she knew would enrage him.她选用了一句明知会激怒他的引语。
• He started another matter to enrage me,but I didn't care.他又提出另一问题，想以此激怒我，可我并没在意。

4 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网