VOA标准英语2009年-US Senate Poised for Historic Health C

Dan Robinson | Washington 23 December 2009

The U.S. Senate is a few hours away from a historic vote to approve legislation overhauling¹ the U.S. health care system.  Approval with the expected 60 vote majority (that) Senate Democrats³ have held together, would cap a year of intense effort on the part of President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats. But, difficult negotiations⁴ lie ahead in reconciling the Senate measure with one approved earlier this year by the House of Representatives.

With Republicans maintaining their wall of opposition⁵, the Senate completed a series of final procedural votes, including one formally declaring debate on the legislation at an end.

Senators return at seven o'clock Thursday morning to vote on the bill, which would provide about 30 million more Americans access to health insurance coverage⁶.

Like a measure in the House, the $871 billion Senate bill would create new private insurance marketplaces, or exchanges, to expand choices for Americans.  Insurance companies would be barred from denying coverage to individuals with existing health problems. 

Also, like the House bill, nearly all Americans would be required to purchase some form of insurance, while lower-income Americans would receive help from federal government subsidies⁷.

Connecticut Democrat² Chris Dodd noted⁸ that Thursday's vote will be only the second time the Senate will be in session on Christmas Eve since 1963.

Saying the Senate stands at a historic moment, Dodd took note of the fact that the final bill is not all that many Democrats hoped it would be, but said it is a foundation that will be improved upon. "Those who come after us will work on our product.  They will make it better, they will make it stronger, they will find our shortcomings in this bill, they will add to it, they will subtract from it. But they can never engage in those efforts, if we do not do the job that I am confident we will do tomorrow morning at 7:00 AM on Christmas Eve, and that is to renew the American dream, and revive our middle class, and rebuild the foundation upon which future generations will stand.

Although Democrats are assured their 60 votes, through various compromises and support from two Independent senators, Republicans used the remaining hours of floor time Wednesday to re-state their objections.

Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire and others accused Democrats of manipulating figures regarding estimates of cost-savings from the government-run Medicare program. "They are playing games, they are manipulating the Medicare trust fund, they are sticking it to [doing it at the expense of] our seniors, and our kids are going to get a massive bill, a massive bill for this, because this new entitlement that is being funded, will not be able to be sustained," he said.

Negotiations with the House of Representatives to craft a final bill for President Obama will be difficult because of some major differences, notably⁹ the House bill's provision for a government-run health insurance option, absent from the Senate measure.

Two liberal House Democrats, Lynne Woolsey and Barbara Lee, said on Wednesday they intend to fight to keep this public option in, along with other steps to protect lower and middle-income Americans and hold insurance companies accountable.

Senate majority leader Harry¹⁰ Reid told reporters that, at the moment, he is looking ahead only to Thursday's vote. "My eyes are focused on tomorrow morning.  There will be proceedings¹¹ after tomorrow morning, but I will worry about those after tomorrow morning," he said.

House-Senate negotiations aimed at reconciling the two versions of the bill are not expected to begin until the new year, although informal contacts are likely already under way.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Wednesday she is open to hearing from all members of the House Democratic caucus¹² before the talks begin.

Unidentified Obama administration officials on Wednesday were quoted as anticipating that negotiations on a final bill would not be complete until after the president's State of the Union Address in January, and could slip into February.
 

1 overhauling   

n.大修；拆修；卸修；翻修v.彻底检查( overhaul的现在分词 )；大修；赶上；超越

参考例句：

• I had no chance of overhauling him. 我没有赶上他的可能。 来自辞典例句
• Some sites need little alterations but some need total overhauling. 有些网站需要做出细微修改，而有些网站就需要整体改版。 来自互联网

2 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。

3 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》

4 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。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 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。

7 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》

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

10 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。

11 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

12 caucus   

n.秘密会议；干部会议；v.（参加）干部开会议

参考例句：

• This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
• It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。