VOA常速英语2013--美平价医保令许多人望而却步

 

Policy Cancellations Threaten Promise of Obamacare 美平价医保令许多人望而却步

While technical problems with the web site have plagued the initial implementation¹ of the Affordable² Care Act -- President Obama's health care program, there are other  consequences of this complex system of private insurance and government subsidies³ that are coming to light.  Thousands of healthy Americans are losing their current  insurance and may have to pay higher premiums⁴ for new health care coverage⁵.  

华盛顿 — 奥巴马总统的“平价医保法”刚刚推出，就遇到一大堆技术问题。除此之外，这个复杂的由政府补贴的私人保险系统的其他后果也正在显现出来，成千上万身体健康的美国人将失 去他们目前的保险，而为新的医保付更高的保费。

Andrew Leonard is a 26-year-old information technology consultant⁶.  He's losing his health coverage because it does not meet the standards required under the  Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.  Leonard says a new plan will cost him three times as much, and the only expanded coverage he will receive is for medical  care for children.“I don’t have any kids, and, when I do have kids, I would probably get their own insurance plan or change it at that point," said Leonard. "Why do  I have to change it now?”

26岁的伦纳德是一名信息技术顾问，他可能丢掉现在的医保，因为他的医保不符合平价医保法中制定的标准。伦纳德说，他得为新医保交三倍的保费，而保险内容仅仅是增加了子女的医药开 支：“可我根本没孩子。等将来有了孩子，我会给他们买保险或者到时候再换保险。我为什么现在就得换呢？”

More than three million Americans are now losing insurance plans that do not comply with the new health care law, seemingly contradicting a promise made by President  Obama during his reelection campaign that ‘if you like your health care, you can keep it.’”

现在有300多万美国人会丢掉他们所谓不符合新医保法的保险，这似乎背离了奥巴马总统竞选连任时的承诺。他当时说：“如果你们喜欢自己的保险，就继续保留它。”

Dr. Kavita Patel, a health care reform expert at the Brookings Institution, says in many cases new policies are required under Obamacare to ensure equal coverage for  men and women, with children or without, to equally share costs.“You shouldn’t have to pay more just because you are a woman, which is what had been happening  before. So, as a result, we have a much more nationwide policy that does not necessarily penalize⁷ you for being a woman, and as a result of that we’ve got benefits  that apply to both men and women," said Patel.

布鲁金斯学会医改专家帕特尔博士说，根据平价医保法，很多人需要购买新的保险，以确保男性和女性、有子女或没有子女，都得到平等的医疗照顾，并平等地分担开支：“你不必像过去那 样，仅仅因为是女性就要付更多的钱。所以，我们现在有一个更大范围的全国性政策，不会因为你是女性就惩罚你，男性和女性会得到同等的医疗照顾。”

But she says these changes should not significantly increase the cost of plans and that most young people will qualify for a government subsidy⁸ when they enroll⁹.

但是帕特尔说，这些变化不应当大幅度增加医疗保险开支，大部分年轻人参保时都将符合得到政府补贴的条件。

Critics of Obamacare, like Republican Senator Lamar Alexander, say the law is too complex and gives government too much control over the system.

“It's a law transforming our health care delivery system in the wrong direction, we believe, by increasing premiums, canceling insurance plans, destroying  relationships with doctors, raising taxes," said Alexander.

共和党参议员亚历山大等持批评立场的人说，奥巴马医保法过于复杂，而且给予政府太多的控制权：“我们认为，这是一个把我们的医疗系统引向错误方向的法律，因为它将提高保费，取消 很多人的保险计划，破坏与医生的关系，增加人们的税负。”

Andrew Leonard says if he can’t find an affordable alternative, he may drop his insurance completely and pay a fine for not having coverage.

“I haven’t researched it enough, but if it ends up being that it is cheaper to go without health insurance, I just won’t go to the doctor most of the year. And if  something happens, you know, I’ll hold off as much treatment until open enrollment¹⁰ comes along," he said.

伦纳德说，如果找不到其他负担得起的保险，他可能干脆不买保险，交罚款算了：“我还没做足够的研究。不过如果没有医疗保险更省钱，我一年里基本上不去看医生就是了。假如真有什么 事，我就尽量推迟治疗，等下一年度开放投保时再说。”

Dr. Patel says these technical glitches¹¹ and policy cancelations could threaten the entire system if they discourage young and healthy Americans from enrolling¹².

“I think all of this is causing, causes me great concern that people are now feeling that the promise about having affordable health care is not attainable," she  said.

帕特尔说，如果这些技术故障和一些保险被取消使年轻人和身体健康的人不愿意投保的话，整个系统就会有危险：“所有这些都让我非常担心，人们现在可能觉得所谓平价医疗照顾难以持续 。”

She says over time Obamacare will stabilize¹³ costs if these problems are addressed and more people enter the marketplace.

帕特尔说，假以时日，如果这些问题得到解决，更多人参保，奥巴马医保将会使保费稳定下来。 

1 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

2 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。

3 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 premiums   

n.费用( premium的名词复数 )；保险费；额外费用；（商品定价、贷款利息等以外的）加价

参考例句：

• He paid premiums on his life insurance last year. 他去年付了人寿保险费。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Moves are afoot to increase car insurance premiums. 现正在酝酿提高汽车的保险费。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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。

6 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

7 penalize   

vt.对…处以刑罚，宣告…有罪；处罚

参考例句：

• It would be unfair to penalize those without a job.失业人员待遇低下是不公平的。
• The association decided not to penalize you for the race.赛马协会决定对你不予处罚。

8 subsidy   

n.补助金，津贴

参考例句：

• The university will receive a subsidy for research in artificial intelligence.那个大学将得到一笔人工智能研究的补助费。
• The living subsidy for senior expert's family is included in the remuneration.报酬已包含高级专家家人的生活补贴。

9 enroll   

v.招收；登记；入学；参军；成为会员（英)enrol

参考例句：

• I should like to enroll all my children in the swimming class.我愿意让我的孩子们都参加游泳班。
• They enroll him as a member of the club.他们吸收他为俱乐部会员。

10 enrollment   

n.注册或登记的人数；登记

参考例句：

• You will be given a reading list at enrollment.注册时你会收到一份阅读书目。
• I just got the enrollment notice from Fudan University.我刚刚接到复旦大学的入学通知书。

11 glitches   

n.小过失，差错( glitch的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Manufacturing glitches have limited the factory's output. 生产中的故障影响了该厂的产量。 来自辞典例句
• Another kind of period variation,\"Glitches,\" are seen in several pulsars. 在几个脉冲星中还看到了周期的另一种变化，即“自转突快”现象。 来自辞典例句

12 enrolling   

v.招收( enrol的现在分词 )；吸收；入学；加入；[亦作enrol]( enroll的现在分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They lashed out at the university enrolling system. 他们猛烈抨击大学的招生制度。 来自辞典例句
• You're enrolling in a country club, Billy. 你是注册加入乡村俱乐部了，比利。 来自辞典例句

13 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。