THIS IS AMERICA - Health Care in the United States

THIS IS AMERICA - Health Care in the United States
By Jerilyn Watson

Broadcast: Monday, January 19, 2004

(THEME)

 
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VOICE ONE:

In recent years, health care spending in the United States has grown to fifteen percent of the economy. The care is often described as the best in the world, but the cost is a big problem. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Faith Lapidus. Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA, in VOA Special English. This week our program is about health care in the United States.

(THEME)

VOICE ONE:

Forty years ago, a Chicago businessman had an operation for cancer. Doctors could offer no further treatment. The cancer spread. The man died about a year later. His medical care cost about ten-thousand dollars.

Six years ago, an office administrator² in Washington, D.C., had an operation for cancer. Later she had treatment with radiation and powerful chemicals. Today she feels fine. Her doctors say she will probably live many more years. But her care cost several hundred thousand dollars.

VOICE TWO:

Medical science today saves many more lives. But this can also mean major debt. Government programs provide health insurance to the poor and elderly.

Others depend on private insurance. Companies guarantee to pay part or all of the costs of care. But the more the policy covers, the higher the price.

VOICE ONE:

Around sixty percent of working Americans have health insurance through their jobs. Their employers usually pay at least part of the cost. But, as those costs increase, employers feel the pressure.

The Department of Health and Human Services reported this month on health care spending for two-thousand-two. It says spending rose nine percent that year, to one-point-six million-million dollars. Health costs per person averaged more than five-thousand-four-hundred dollars.

Some employers no longer offer health coverage³. Others have increased the share paid by their employees.

Getting insurance can be difficult for those who work only part time. The same is true for people who are already sick.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Some Americans have no health insurance. The Census⁴ Bureau says fifteen percent of the population had no coverage in two-thousand-two. The number was forty-three-point-six million people.

Last week a committee of experts called for health coverage for all by two-thousand-ten. The report was from the Institute of Medicine, one of the National Academies. The report says about eighteen-thousand people each year die unnecessarily because of lack of insurance.

The experts also estimated how much money the United States loses as a result of poor health and early deaths of uninsured adults. The estimate is between sixty-five-thousand-million and one-hundred-thirty-thousand million dollars a year.

A top official in the Bush administration, however, says it is not realistic to expect universal health coverage by two-thousand-ten.

VOICE ONE:

Some uninsured people get care at university teaching hospitals. A number of religious and humanitarian⁵ agencies like the Salvation⁶ Army offer free or low-cost care.

But hospital emergency rooms are where many poor people go even for minor⁷ problems. This adds to hospital costs.

The largest number of poor get medical help through public programs at several levels of government. The federal government and the states jointly⁸ offer an insurance program called Medicaid. States also administer a program to aid children whose families earn too much to receive Medicaid.

However, budget problems have led some states to reduce their services. Florida, for example, has thousands on a waiting list for the State Children's Health Insurance Program there.

VOICE TWO:

Another issue for a lot of people is the cost of prescription⁹ medicine, drugs only a doctor can order. Drug companies say new medicines cost a lot to develop and market.

The industry notes that about one-tenth of every dollar spent on health care in the United States goes to prescription medicines. It says these drugs represent only a small part of health care spending.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

 
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Both major political parties have offered plans to improve the health care system.

The candidates for the Democratic nomination¹⁰ for president have proposed their own ideas. And President Bush recently won approval of big changes to Medicare. Medicare is the government insurance program for people age sixty-five and older. It also helps pay for some younger people who are disabled.

Congress approved Medicare in nineteen-sixty-five. Lyndon Johnson was president. Johnson proposed Medicare as one of the social reforms in a plan he called the Great Society.

VOICE TWO:

 
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President Bush signed the Medicare reform act in December. The bill received the support of an influential¹¹ activist¹² group. The group is called AARP, formerly¹³ the American Association of Retired¹⁴ Persons. Members of AARP are age fifty and older. As the nation gets older, voters get older. So this issue is important politically.

Parts of the new law will take effect at different times. Forty-million elderly or disabled people will receive help to buy medicine, starting in two-thousand-six. And seniors will get a chance to establish tax-free health accounts to save money for future care.

VOICE ONE:

The cost of the new Medicare law is estimated at four-hundred-thousand-million dollars over ten years. Critics say that is too much. Labor¹⁵ unions and other groups also argue that the changes are better for drug companies than for seniors. Supporters of the new Medicare act say this is not true. They say it is important that seniors will get their first help from Medicare to pay for medicine.

The new law also lets private health plans and insurance companies play a bigger part in Medicare. Opponents say letting these companies compete with the government will damage the system. They say seniors will pay more, not less. Supporters say competition means better choices.

VOICE TWO:

Under the new Medicare law, patients will have choices about their drug plan. They can stay in traditional Medicare for their doctor and hospital costs, and choose a drug policy to go with this. Or, they can join a completely private plan. This would pay for hospital treatment and doctors in addition to medicines.

Wealthier Medicare patients are to pay more than others for their medicines. But the poorest seniors would pay only a few dollars for each prescription.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

When some Americans buy medicine, they do not go to the local drugstore. Some travel to Canada or Mexico to save money. Others use the Internet to order prescription drugs from Canadian suppliers. Canada negotiates for and buys large amounts of American-made drugs. Prices controls in Canada mean that drugs often cost much less there. Some people think this drives up American drug costs.

The United States Food and Drug Administration says importing drugs is dangerous and illegal. It says this is true even if the drugs are re-imported. That is, they were made in America and then shipped for sale outside the country.

VOICE TWO:

But some public officials in the United States say they, too, will try to save money. Officials in Boston, Massachusetts, say they will buy drugs from Canada for seven-thousand current and retired city employees. The governor of New Hampshire says his state will use medicine from Canada for prisoners and poor people.

Another state, Illinois, has appealed to the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington. Illinois wants to import drugs from Canada legally. Illinois officials argue that the new Medicare law permits this if the drugs meet American safety requirements.

VOICE ONE:

Tom Daschle of South Dakota leads the Democratic minority in the Senate. Senator Daschle says the new Medicare law is bad legislation. He says seniors will demand many changes.

Senator Dianne Feinstein of California was among Democrats¹⁶ who voted for the law. Senator Feinstein called it a step in the right direction. The president of A-A-R-P had stronger praise. He says it represents a victory for older citizens.

What do those people think? Many would probably agree with this retired nurse from Rockville, Maryland. She says: "We will find out when the changes take effect."

(THEME)

VOICE TWO:

Our program was written by Jerilyn Watson, produced by Caty Weaver¹⁷. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Faith Lapidus. Join us again next week for another report on life in the United States on the VOA Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA.

1 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

2 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

3 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。

4 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

5 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

6 salvation   

n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困

参考例句：

• Salvation lay in political reform.解救办法在于政治改革。
• Christians hope and pray for salvation.基督教徒希望并祈祷灵魂得救。

7 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

8 jointly   

ad.联合地，共同地

参考例句：

• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。
• She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。

9 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

10 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

11 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

12 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

13 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

14 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

15 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

16 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。