CNN 2010-03-29

PHILLIPS: Immediately after the President signs the bill this morning, insurance companies will have to cover children with preexisting conditions. The companies can continue to deny adults until 2014.

Let's look at how the reforms will impact the vast majority of Americans. 85 percent of us have some form of insurance coverage¹. So, what changes can we expect? CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta joining us for a closer look.

If you don't mind since this is your specialty², the brain, Kalila, and I'm looking at her condition once again, missing the frontal lobes³ of her brain. First of all, talk to me about that. Is that a tough thing, you know, to deal with regard to insurance?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's interesting, because you don't know exactly what caused her frontal lobes of her brain to atrophy⁴ or sort of wither⁵ away or was she simply born without them. Sometimes, people, because they've had a lack of oxygen to the brain for a period of time, even during the birthing process, for example, can have problems like that. She is obviously cognitively⁶ affected⁷ by this, but as was mentioned, I think, by her caregiver, I'm not sure if that was her mom or who that was, the seizures⁹ as well, which can be very debilitating¹⁰ and very hard to treat, and you know, required medications as well. So all of that, just obviously, caring for her and --

PHILLIPS: It is her mom, by the way.

GUPTA: That's her mom?

PHILLIPS: Yes, that is her mom.

GUPTA: The situation that she's in and all the meds and the wheelchair and everything else, that has significant cost.

PHILLIPS: So, you know, the point of that story was that apparently¹¹, this new plan will be good for her, but her mom is still very skeptical¹² and not so sure. I guess a lot of us want to see --

GUPTA: Right.

PHILLIPS: Stories like this where, OK great, someone like Kalila is going to get help right away.

GUPTA: You know, it's interesting because if you look at all the various people in this country who will be affected by this, the people who have some sort of medical problem and who are currently either uninsured or have difficulty getting insurance are probably going to be the most affected and the most immediately affected as well. As for children, not discriminating¹³ against based on the pre-existing condition, that's can take place within 6 months. So, insurance companies are going to have to provide health care insurance for children like Kaila, and that's obviously a big deal.

She made a good point, I thought, as well. Her mom saying, you know, there was some coverage under Medicaid that already existed. There was some coverage under some of the state programs, but it simply wasn't enough. And I think her skepticism may still be from this idea that is it still going to be enough. And some of those details are going to have to wait and be seen. Insurance companies provide the health care insurance coverage but make sure that it's adequate as well to pay for the seizure⁸ medications, to pay for the wheelchair, to pay for all the care that someone like Kalila needs.

 

1 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

2 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

3 lobes   

n.耳垂( lobe的名词复数 )；（器官的）叶；肺叶；脑叶

参考例句：

• The rotor has recesses in its three faces between the lobes. 转子在其凸角之间的三个面上有凹槽。 来自辞典例句
• The chalazal parts of the endosperm containing free nuclei forms several lobes. 包含游离核的合点端胚乳部分形成几个裂片。 来自辞典例句

4 atrophy   

n./v.萎缩，虚脱，衰退

参考例句：

• Patients exercised their atrophied limbs in the swimming pool.病人们在泳池里锻炼萎缩的四肢。
• Many hoped he would renew the country's atrophied political system.很多人都期望他能使该国萎靡的政治体系振作起来。

5 wither   

vt.使凋谢，使衰退，(用眼神气势等)使畏缩；vi.枯萎，衰退，消亡

参考例句：

• She grows as a flower does-she will wither without sun.她象鲜花一样成长--没有太阳就会凋谢。
• In autumn the leaves wither and fall off the trees.秋天，树叶枯萎并从树上落下来。

6 cognitively   

参考例句：

• Cognitively,man,the subject of cognition,must classify and categorize the objects. 从认知学角度来看 ，作为认知主体的人对于认知对象必须进行分类和范畴化。 来自互联网
• Cognitively, reference can be studied along with information processing of human mind. 从认知的角度看，要研究人类思维的信息处理过程。 来自互联网

7 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。

8 seizure   

n.没收；占有；抵押

参考例句：

• The seizure of contraband is made by customs.那些走私品是被海关没收的。
• The courts ordered the seizure of all her property.法院下令查封她所有的财产。

9 seizures   

n.起获( seizure的名词复数 )；没收；充公；起获的赃物

参考例句：

• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year. 今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Other causes of unconsciousness predisposing to aspiration lung abscess are convulsive seizures. 造成吸入性肺脓肿昏迷的其他原因，有惊厥发作。 来自辞典例句

10 debilitating   

a.使衰弱的

参考例句：

• The debilitating disease made him too weak to work. 这个令他衰弱的病，使他弱到没有办法工作。
• You may soon leave one debilitating condition or relationship forever. 你即将永远地和这段霉运说拜拜了。

11 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

12 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

13 discriminating   

a.有辨别能力的

参考例句：

• Due caution should be exercised in discriminating between the two. 在区别这两者时应该相当谨慎。
• Many businesses are accused of discriminating against women. 许多企业被控有歧视妇女的做法。