时差N小时 医疗法案

By the early 1950s, it was becoming apparent that a growing number of elderly Americans had no economic protection from the increasing cost of health care. Most people over 65 had very low incomes and few owned private health insurance of any kind.

早在19世纪50年代，医疗保险成本日益高涨的同时，越来越多的美国老人却没有受到经济保护，这一现象日益突出。大多数年龄超过65岁的老人收入微薄，只有少数人参保了各种名目的私人医疗保险。

Congress began a years–long debate on this issue of national health insurance for the elderly. Critics in Congress feared Medicare would lead to substandard and overpriced care, and felt that it should serve only the indigent¹. They also predicted that, with growing numbers participating, it would eventually bankrupt the federal Treasury².

国会就老年人国家医疗保险这个问题进行了长达几年的争论。国会的批评人士担心医疗保险会衍生出各种低劣、超价收费的保险，并认为医疗保险只能为穷人服务。他们估计，随着参保的人数不断增长，最终会导致联邦财政部门破产。

The legislative³ compromise that became the final Medicare Act—officially known as the "Social Security Amendments⁴ of 1965”—was part of President Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society" program. Today it protects more than 40 million Americans from the high cost of hospital care.

立法上的妥协成就了最终的医疗法案——官方称作“1965年社会保障修正案”，这也是林肯·约翰逊总统“大社会”计划的组成部分。而今在住院花费高昂的美国，它让四千多万人民受益。

Much of the program's costs are covered by payroll⁵ taxes paid by workers. Yet costs quickly started to exceed expectations, and as Americans' life expectancy⁶ increased over the years, the Medicare program became even more expensive.

这项计划的大部分开销来源于工薪阶层的工资税。然而，开支很快开始超出预算。而且多年来美国人口寿命也在不断增加，这使得医疗保险计划变得更加入不敷出。

It has become a matter of national debate and a financial issue for every Congress and President since. Today it is still one of the fastest growing items in the federal budget. Nonetheless, Medicare remains⁷ a popular program, and a well-established part of the federal government's role in our society.

自此，医疗保险就变成历任总统，历届国会上永恒不变的国家性话题和财政大事。如今，它仍然是联邦预算中增长最快的一项。无论如何，医疗保险仍深受人民欢迎，也是联邦政府社会职能的良好体现。

1 indigent   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的

参考例句：

• The town government is responsible for assistance to indigent people.镇政府负责给穷人提供帮助。
• A judge normally appoints the attorney for an indigent defendant at the defendant's first court appearence.法官通常会在贫穷被告人第一次出庭时，为其指派一名辩护律师。

2 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

3 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

4 amendments   

（法律、文件的）改动( amendment的名词复数 )； 修正案； 修改； （美国宪法的）修正案

参考例句：

• The committee does not adequately consult others when drafting amendments. 委员会在起草修正案时没有充分征求他人的意见。
• Please propose amendments and addenda to the first draft of the document. 请对这个文件的初稿提出修改和补充意见。

5 payroll   

n.工资表，在职人员名单，工薪总额

参考例句：

• His yearly payroll is $1.2 million.他的年薪是120万美元。
• I can't wait to get my payroll check.我真等不及拿到我的工资单了。

6 expectancy   

n.期望，预期，（根据概率统计求得）预期数额

参考例句：

• Japanese people have a very high life expectancy.日本人的平均寿命非常长。
• The atomosphere of tense expectancy sobered everyone.这种期望的紧张气氛使每个人变得严肃起来。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。