美国国家公共电台 NPR Last Chance To Sign Up For Obamacare, For 2017 And Maybe Forever

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: 

Now, today is the last day - for this year anyway - to sign up for the health insurance plans under the Affordable¹ Care Act, which may seem a bit strange since most of the talk in Washington has been about getting rid of Obamacare. But NPR's Alison Kodjak reports that amid all this confusion, people keep signing up for coverage².

ALISON KODJAK, BYLINE³: At Whitman-Walker Health in downtown Washington, D.C., yesterday, there was a steady stream of people looking for help enrolling⁵ in Obamacare. Katie Nicol is a senior manager who oversees⁶ five people whose sole job is to help people sign up for insurance coverage.

KATIE NICOL: We've been busy, you know, consumer after consumer all day.

KODJAK: Which may be surprising given all the uncertainty⁷ surrounding the Affordable Care Act. Not far from Whitman-Walker, Republicans in Congress and President Donald Trump⁸ are working to dismantle⁹ the health care law. Members of the House and Senate have taken the first steps to repeal¹⁰ the ACA, and Trump issued an executive order to roll it back. Still, as today's deadline to get coverage approaches, Nicol says demand for insurance hasn't waned¹¹.

NICOL: Our volume has been the same as it has in past years.

KODJAK: That tracks with the latest numbers released by the Department of Health and Human Services. As of January 14, 8.8 million people had signed up for coverage, slightly more than last year. Those numbers haven't been updated since Trump moved into the White House. Nicol says even as their clients pick insurance for this year, they worry about what happens next.

NICOL: We definitely have people coming in with a lot of anxiety surrounding the ACA and whether it's still going to be here for - just through the end of the year.

KODJAK: That's because Republicans have spent the last few months talking about repealing¹³ and replacing Obamacare. But the details of a new plan have been sparse¹⁴.

The concern Nicol sees in D.C. is showing up across the country, says Jennifer Sullivan, a vice¹² president of Enroll⁴ America, which works to get people affordable health insurance.

JENNIFER SULLIVAN: Between actions in Congress and actions from the new administration, consumers are confused. We are hearing that consumers are concerned and need clarification about what's available.

KODJAK: In recent weeks, several polls have shown that now that Obamacare is threatened, more people view it favorably. And that's likely at the top of mind of many congressional Republicans who are grappling with how to replace the ACA with a program that will ensure at least as many people have coverage.

Alison Kodjak, NPR News, Washington.

(SOUNDBITE OF TORTOISE'S "CORNPONE BRUNCH")

1 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。

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 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 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。

5 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

6 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

7 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

8 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

9 dismantle   

vt.拆开，拆卸；废除，取消

参考例句：

• He asked for immediate help from the United States to dismantle the warheads.他请求美国立即提供援助，拆除这批弹头。
• The mower firmly refused to mow,so I decided to dismantle it.修完后割草机还是纹丝不动，于是，我决定把它拆开。

10 repeal   

n.废止，撤消；v.废止，撤消

参考例句：

• He plans to repeal a number of current policies.他计划废除一些当前的政策。
• He has made out a strong case for the repeal of the law.他提出强有力的理由，赞成废除该法令。

11 waned   

v.衰落( wane的过去式和过去分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡

参考例句：

• However,my enthusiasm waned.The time I spent at exercises gradually diminished. 然而，我的热情减退了。我在做操上花的时间逐渐减少了。 来自《用法词典》
• The bicycle craze has waned. 自行车热已冷下去了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

13 repealing   

撤销，废除( repeal的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• In addition, repealing the alternative minimum tax would also help. 此外，废除替代性最低税也会有所帮助。
• Repealing the investment tax credit. 取消投资税款扣除。

14 sparse   

adj.稀疏的，稀稀落落的，薄的

参考例句：

• The teacher's house is in the suburb where the houses are sparse.老师的家在郊区，那里稀稀拉拉有几处房子。
• The sparse vegetation will only feed a small population of animals.稀疏的植物只够喂养少量的动物。