VOA标准英语2009年-Health Reform Debate Rages in US Congress

The debate over plans to reform America's health care system is raging in the U.S. Congress, as majority Democrats² and President Barack Obama defend their proposal for a sweeping³ overhaul⁴, and Republicans sharpen their criticism.

President Obama is fighting hard for his top domestic priority, an overhaul of the current health care system that would cost at least $1 trillion, a priority he asserts that can be achieved without adding to the federal budget deficit⁵.

Before a meeting on Tuesday with Democrats on the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee, one of five House and Senate panels preparing legislation, the president said again that Congress needs to put politics aside and get the job done.

"Time and again, we have heard excuses to delay and defeat reform. Time and again, the American people have suffered because people in Washington played the politics of the moment instead of putting the interests of the American people first," he said.

Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman, Democrat¹ Henry Waxman ordered a pause in his panel's drafting of the measure as Democrats work to overcome differences within their party.

Legislation that the president and his fellow Democrats want to pass by the end of the year would create a government health insurance option to compete with private insurers, require all individuals to have health insurance and mandate⁶ employers to provide it.

Insurance companies would no longer be allowed to deny health coverage⁷ based on pre-existing medical conditions - a key point of weakness in and public anger with the current system.

Republicans oppose a proposed surtax on high wage earnings⁸ to pay for the new system, and assert that plan amounts to a government takeover of health care that would be far more expensive than Democrats and the president project.

Republicans also link potential costs with what they say is the failure so far of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - the $787 billion stimulus⁹ plan approved by Congress to speed up economic recovery, an assertion the president and Democrats reject.

Representative Candace Miller¹⁰ was among a succession of Republicans conducting the equivalent of a filibuster¹¹ Tuesday in the House, assailing¹² the health care proposal and the president's handling of the economy. "$787 billion added to our national debt and an annual deficit approaching $2 trillion. Now we are being told that we need to pass health care reform immediately, because we are in a crisis," she said.

"Let me tell you what the facts are in our country - 43 to 50 million people in our country are without health care. They get their health care from the emergency room. And do you know who pays for that? Those of us who have insurance," said Texas Democrat Gene¹³ Green, a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

In closed door negotiations¹⁴, House Democrats are trying to overcome objections from fiscally-conservative Democrats who are not satisfied with cost reductions in the emerging measure.
　
Scene at news conference on health care at US Capitol, 21 Jul 2009

Democrats also staged a news conference at which physicians and nurses, as well as Democratic lawmakers who are doctors, spoke¹⁵ in support of the health care reform effort.

Mohammad Akhter, Executive Director of the National Medical Association, said reform is needed to deal with an explosion of chronic¹⁶ disease in the United States, adding that failure to pass a bill now would mean more expense for the country later.

"People talk about the cost today. If you are going to wait, it is going to be unbearable¹⁷. It is going to be much, much more expensive to deal with this issue in the future, so [the best] timing¹⁸ is now," he said.

Differences on health care were also heard in the Senate by Democratic and Republican lawmakers. Saying that President Obama is "calling the plays" as negotiations continue, Majority Leader Harry¹⁹ Reid asserted that Republicans want only the status quo.

"Republicans are not interested in working with Democrats to fix this problem. That is pretty clear. They simply want to maintain the status quo and keeping the insurance companies in charge of health care delivery," he said.

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell repeated his party's warning about rushing a complicated and expensive health care bill through Congress. "We saw, with the [economic] stimulus the effort to rush and spend, what can happen if you jam major legislation before people have an opportunity to understand what is in it," he said.

House Democrats say they're still working to finalize²⁰ a measure and if possible bring it to the House floor for a vote before lawmakers leave town for their August break.

But with conservative Democrats still voicing concerns, it is possible that the president might be forced to accept a delay until September.

Public Opinion polls show that a majority of Americans favor health care reform, but several recent surveys also show a decline in approval for the way President Obama is handling the issue.

1 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

2 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》

3 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

4 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

5 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

6 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

7 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。

8 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

9 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

10 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

11 filibuster   

n.妨碍议事，阻挠；v.阻挠

参考例句：

• A senator dragged the subject in as a filibuster.一个参议员硬把这个题目拉扯进来，作为一种阻碍议事的手法。
• The democrats organized a filibuster in the senate.民主党党员在参议院上组织了阻挠议事。

12 assailing   

v.攻击( assail的现在分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对

参考例句：

• Last-minute doubts were assailing her. 最后一分钟中的犹豫涌上心头。 来自辞典例句
• The pressing darkness increased the tension in every student's heart, assailing them with a nameless fear. 黑暗压下来，使每个人的心情变得更紧张。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

13 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

14 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

15 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

16 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

17 unbearable   

adj.不能容忍的；忍受不住的

参考例句：

• It is unbearable to be always on thorns.老是处于焦虑不安的情况中是受不了的。
• The more he thought of it the more unbearable it became.他越想越觉得无法忍受。

18 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

19 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

20 finalize   

v.落实，定下来

参考例句：

• Let us finalize tonight.让我们今天晚上干完
• 。At the same time,industrial designers work with engineers to finalize components and assembly.同时，工业设计师和工程师一道来完成部件和组装部分的工作。