2007年VOA标准英语-Bush Wants Tax Change for US Health Insurance

By Scott Stearns
Washington
25 January 2007

U.S. President George Bush wants to change the way Americans pay for health insurance. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, it is one of the changes he called for in this week's State of the Union address.

President Bush wants to change the U.S. tax code to provide a standard deduction¹ for health insurance.

That should help people who buy health insurance on their own instead of through their employer. The White House says it will also reduce the number of uninsured Americans by lowering their taxes and making it easier for them to afford insurance.

President Bush participates in a roundtable discussion on healthcare at St. Luke's East Hospital in Lee's Summit, Missouri, 25 Jan 2007

Speaking at a health center in the Midwest state of Missouri, President Bush said changing private health insurance is the way to make coverage² more affordable³ for more people.

"Therein lies part of the debate we have in Washington. We believe the private sector⁴ is the best deliverer of health care," he said. "We know there is a role for the federal government, but it is not to dictate⁵. It is not to be the decisionmaker."

The president says his plan will move Americans away from government-run health care toward a system in which he says there will be better access to basic, affordable private insurance.

The plan provides federal funding for states that help poor and hard-to-insure citizens afford private insurance. Mr. Bush says that allocates⁶ current federal funding more effectively, without creating a new federal entitlement or new spending.

"There is no question in my mind that a proper role for the federal government is to help the poor and the elderly and the diseased get health care. We will do that," he added.

Critics of the plan say the tax changes, if enacted⁷, will encourage corporations to drop health insurance as a benefit because employees will have deductions⁸ for that coverage. The proposed deductions total $15,000 for a family and $7,500 for an individual.

Senior Bush administration officials acknowledge that may happen, but they say employers are already dropping coverage because of rising prices. They believe tax breaks will ultimately add to the total number of Americans insured by making coverage more affordable.

1 deduction   

n.减除，扣除，减除额；推论，推理，演绎

参考例句：

• No deduction in pay is made for absence due to illness.因病请假不扣工资。
• His deduction led him to the correct conclusion.他的推断使他得出正确的结论。

2 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。

3 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。

4 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

5 dictate   

v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令

参考例句：

• It took him a long time to dictate this letter.口述这封信花了他很长时间。
• What right have you to dictate to others?你有什么资格向别人发号施令？

6 allocates   

分配，分派( allocate的第三人称单数 )； 把…拨给

参考例句：

• The state allocates huge funds for the development of aid-agriculture industries. 国家拨出大批资金，发展支农工业。
• The value that then I create value allocates part to discuss. 于是我把价值创造的价值分配分别开来论述。

7 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

8 deductions   

扣除( deduction的名词复数 )； 结论； 扣除的量； 推演

参考例句：

• Many of the older officers trusted agents sightings more than cryptanalysts'deductions. 许多年纪比较大的军官往往相信特务的发现，而不怎么相信密码分析员的推断。
• You know how you rush at things,jump to conclusions without proper deductions. 你知道你处理问题是多么仓促，毫无合适的演绎就仓促下结论。