英语翻译＋英语口译 -  2008年9月4日经济报道－美国保健费用：方案待解。

ECONOMICS REPORT - U.S. Health Spending: Looking for a Cure
Thu, 4 Sep 2008
This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.
经济报道－美国保健费用：方案待解。
2008年9月4日，星期四。
这是VOA特别英语的经济报道。
Health care costs are a major concern of Americans. The percentage of people covered by private health insurance dropped last year. Yet more people had insurance than the year before.
保健费用是美国人的重要担心。去年，私人健康保险涵盖人群比例下降。但是，与上年相比，保险人数上升。
The Census Bureau says that was because of an increase in government health programs. Government programs covered eighty-three million people last year, about twenty-eight percent of the nation.
（美国）人口调查局说，这是因为政府健康项目中（保险）上升。去年，政府项目投保了8300万人，约占美国人口的28%。
Federal and state programs insure older people, the poor and members of the military. But unlike other developed countries, the United States does not offer health insurance to all its citizens.
联邦与州项目投保年长者、穷人和军人家属。但是，与其它发达国家不同，美国并不向所有公民提供健康保险。
Forty-seven million people were uninsured in two thousand six. The Census Bureau says that number fell by more than a million last year. But experts predict that the current economic downturn will again raise the number of uninsured.
2006年，美国4700万人未保险。人口调查局说，去年该数据下降数量超过100万。但是，专家预测，目前的经济下滑将再次增加未投保人数。
People buy health insurance to pay some or all the costs of medical care. But plans can be costly, and people with existing conditions may not be able to get coverage at all.
民众购买健康保险，以便支付部分或全部医疗保健的费用。但是，这些项目的费用昂贵，并且现有条件的民众根本无力投保。
Yet even people with insurance may not have enough coverage to pay high medical bills. The Commonwealth Fund, a research group, says twenty-five million adults are underinsured. It says that is a sixty percent increase in five years.
然后，即使有保险的人也未必能够由保险支付高昂的医疗费用。联邦基金（一研究小组）说，2500万成人保险太低；它还说，这一数据在五年内上升60%。
The United States now spends more than two trillion dollars a year on health care. Health spending could represent one-fifth of the economy in less than ten years.
目前，美国每年在保健方面的开支超过2万亿美元。10年内，保健费用可达到美国经济总体的五分之一。
Republican presidential candidate John McCain has proposed tax credits to help pay for insurance. He also has ideas for ways to make health care more competitive and less costly. And he has called for a Guaranteed Access Plan to help get coverage for people who have difficulty getting insurance.
共和党总统候选人约翰. 麦凯恩提出税收抵免，以帮助支付保险。他还有其它想法，以使保健更具竞争力，并且费用更低。另外，他还要求“保证获得计划”帮助有困难获得保险的人获得保险。
Democrat Barack Obama has a plan that he says would guarantee health insurance for all Americans. It includes a requirement to insure all children. He also proposes a National Health Insurance Exchange to make it easier to buy private plans or to continue coverage when changing jobs.
民主党候选人巴拉克•奥巴马有一项计划，他说可保证所有美国人获得健康保险。该计划包括一项为所有儿童投保的要求。他还建议，全美健康保险局使购买私人保险项目更容易，或当工作变动时，可继续投保。
Sixty percent of Americans are insured through plans offered by employers. As costs increase, employers often have workers pay more for doctor visits and other services. The Mercer consulting company says employee cost-sharing has risen sharply over the past five years.
60%的美国人通过雇主提供的项目保险。随着费用上升，雇主通常要求员工支付更多的看医生和其它服务费用。美世咨询公司说，职工费用分摊在过去五年中急剧上升。
Early reports suggest that next year's cost increase for employers will fall below six percent, to the lowest growth in more than ten years.
前期报告表明，明年雇主费用增加将低于6%，即十多年内的最低增幅。
And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report, written by Mario Ritter. I'm Steve Ember.
这是由Mario Ritter编写的VOA特别英语的经济报道。我是Steve Ember。