奥巴马每周电视讲话 2010年5月8日

Weekly Address: President Obama Praises the Benefits and Successes of Health Reform Already in Effect

 每周电视讲话：奥巴马总统赞扬医疗改革的成功实施及其带来的好处

 

WASHINGTON – In his weekly address, President Barack Obama highlighted the ways in which health reform is already holding insurance companies more accountable and giving consumers more control.  Implementing 2 everything in the new law will not happen overnight.  But already, consumers are getting a break from unfair rate hikes and insurance companies will no longer drop coverage 3 for people when they get sick.  Four million small businesses have been notified that they could be eligible 4 for a health care tax cut this year.  Retirees will soon receive help if they fall into the prescription 5 drug “donut hole.”  And, young adults will be able to stay on their parents’ plan until they are 26 years old.

 华盛顿消息：在本周的电视讲话中，巴拉克·奥巴马总统强调说医疗改革使得保险公司负有更多责任，并给予消费者更多控制权。虽然新医改法下的一切事情不会在一夜之间全部开始生效。但是消费者已经在不公平的高涨的保险费率上取得一些突破，而且保险公司再也不能在人们生病的时候缩减保险承保范围了。400万中小企业已接到通知，今年，他们将获得医保的税费减免。退休人员也将在陷入处方药“甜甜圈”【注1】时获得帮助。还有，年轻人将可以在父母的保险计划中受益直至26岁。

 

It has now been a little over a month since I signed health insurance reform into law.  And while it will take some time to fully 6 implement 1 this law, reform is already delivering real benefits to millions of Americans.  Already, we are seeing a health care system that holds insurance companies more accountable and gives consumers more control.

 自从我签署医疗改革法生效以来有一个多月时间了。尽管该法的全面实施尚待时日，但改革已经为千万美国人民带来实实在在的利益。而且我们也看见医保系统使得保险公司负有更多责任，消费者也有了更多的控制权。

 

Two weeks ago, four million small business owners and organizations found a postcard in their mailbox informing them that they could be eligible for a health care tax cut this year – a tax cut potentially worth tens of thousands of dollars; a tax cut that will help millions provide coverage to their employees.

 两周前，400万中小企业主和组织收到了一张明信片，上面是关于他们获得本年度医保税费减免的通知。这份税费减免可能价值数万美元，可帮助数百万企业主为其员工提供医疗保险。

 

Starting in June, businesses will get even more relief for providing coverage to retirees who are not yet eligible for Medicare.  And a little over a month from now, on June 15th, senior citizens who fall into the prescription drug coverage gap known as the “donut hole” will start receiving a $250 rebate 7 to help them afford their medication.

 从六月开始，企业将在新医保范围外的退休人员医保问题上获得进一步的压力缓解。再过一个多月，也就是6月15日，当老人陷入处方药保险缺口（也就是所谓的“甜甜圈”）时将获得250美元的贴现以帮助其支付医疗费用。

 

Aside from providing real, tangible 8 benefits to the American people, the new health care law has also begun to end the worst practices of insurance companies.  For too long, we have been held hostage to an insurance industry that jacks 9 up premiums 11 and drops coverage as they please.  But those days are finally coming to an end.

 除了能为美国人民带来实实在在的利益外，新医疗保险法也将终结保险公司的恶劣行径。我们被整个保险行业随意提高保险费率和降低保险服务范围绑架的太久太久了。这些日子以来，一切都要结束了。

 

After our administration demanded that Anthem 12 Blue Cross justify 13 a 39% premium 10 increase on Californians, the company admitted the error and backed off its plan.  And this week, our Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, wrote a letter to all states urging them to investigate other rate hikes and stop insurance companies from gaming the system.  To help states achieve this goal, we’ve set up a new Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight 14, and will provide grants to states with the best oversight programs.

 在管理部门质询蓝十字颂歌公司（Anthem Blue Cross）【注：一家加利福利亚的保险公司】对加利福利亚地区提高39%保险投保费的正当性后，该公司承认了错误并放弃了这项计划。本周，健康与公共事业局（Health and Human Services）局长凯瑟琳·瑟比列斯（Kathleen Sebelius）给所有州写了封信，鼓励各州调查其他的保险费率提高问题并叫停保险公司在保险系统中钻空子的行为。为帮助各州达成这一目标，我们新成立了一个消费者信息与保险监管办公室，将为各州施行最好的监管计划提供资助。

 

In the next month, we’ll also be putting in place a new patients’ bill of rights.  It will provide simple and clear information to consumers about their choices and their rights.  It will set up an appeals process to enforce those rights.  And it will prohibit insurance companies from limiting a patients’ access to their preferred primary care provider, ob-gyn, or emergency room care.

 下个月，我们将推出新的病人权益法案。这将为消费者的选择和权利提供简明的信息。并建立申诉流程来强制保证这些权利。而且将禁止保险公司限制病人自己选择他们喜欢的主治医师，妇产医生或是急诊护理。

 

We’re holding insurance companies accountable in other ways, as well.  As of September, the new health care law prohibits insurance companies from dropping people’s coverage when they get sick and need it most.  But when we found out that an insurance company was systematically 15 dropping the coverage of women diagnosed with breast cancer, my administration called on them to end this practice immediately.  Two weeks ago, the entire insurance industry announced that it would comply with the new law early and stop the perverse 16 practice of dropping people’s coverage when they get sick.

 我们也将通过其他途径让保险公司负责。自九月份起，新医疗保险法将禁止保险公司在人们生病和最需要的时候缩减保险范围。当我们发现某家保险公司对诊断出乳腺癌的患者系统性地缩减保险范围时，我们的管理部门及时要求他们停止这种行为。两周前，整个保险行业发表声明称将尽早遵从新法规定并终止对病人缩减保险范围的错误行径。

 

On Monday, we’ll also be announcing the new rule that allows young adults without insurance to stay on their parents’ plan until they’re 26 years old.  Even though insurance companies have until September to comply with this rule, we’ve asked them to do so immediately to avoid coverage gaps for new college graduates and other young adults.  This also makes good business sense for insurance companies, and we’re pleased that most have agreed.  Now we need employers to do the same, and we’re willing to work with them to make this transition possible.  These changes mean that starting this spring, when young adults graduate from college, many who do not have health care coverage will be able to stay on their parents’ insurance for a few more years.  And you can check healthreform.gov to find a list of all the insurance carriers who have agreed to participate right away.

 周一，我们将颁布新的规定，允许没有医疗保险的年轻人在父母的医保计划中受益直至其到26岁。尽管保险公司要到9月份才被要求遵守这项规定，但我们已要求他们尽快按照规定行事以避免应届大学毕业生以及其他年轻人的医保缺口。这对保险公司在商业上也是有利的，我们很高兴大部分公司也同意这一观点。现在我们需要雇主们也同样付出努力，我们希望通过共同努力来渡过这个过渡期。这些改变意味着从今年春天开始，当大学生毕业后，许多没有医疗保险的毕业生将可以在父母的保险计划中继续受益数年。你们可以马上登陆healthreform.gov查看参与该计划的保险承保商清单。

 

I’ve said before that implementing health insurance reform won’t happen overnight, and it will require some tweaks and changes along the way.  Ultimately, we’ll have a system that provides more control for consumers, more accountability for insurance companies, and more affordable 17 choices for uninsured Americans.  But already, we are seeing how reform is improving the lives of millions of Americans.  Already, we are watching small businesses learn that they will soon pay less for health care.  We are seeing retirees realize they’ll be able to keep their coverage and seniors realize they’ll be able to afford their prescriptions 18.  We’re seeing consumers get a break from unfair rate hikes, patients get the care they need when they need it, and young adults get the security of knowing they can start off life with one less cost to worry about.  At long last, this is what health care reform is achieving.  This is what change looks like.  And this is the promise we will keep as we continue to make this law a reality in the months and years to come.

 我曾说过医保改革的实现不会一蹴而就，在这个过程中需要些调整和改变。最终，我们将拥有一个医保系统，在这个系统中，消费者有更多控制权，保险公司负有更多责任，没有医疗保险的美国人将有更多可负担的起的选择。但现在我们已经可以看到改革改变着无数美国人的生活。我们可以看到中小企业将在医疗保险上降低支出。我们可以看到退休人员会发现他们可以继续保留自己的保险，老人们会发现他们可以担负的起处方药。我们可以看到消费者在不公平的高涨的费率上取得一定的突破，病人在需要的时候可获得应有的保险服务，年轻人在开始自己的生活时少了一份支出的担忧，多了一分安宁。这就是医疗保险改革所要达到的最终目标，也是改革应有的样子。这也是我们在未来的岁月里继续将这部法律落到实处所信守的诺言。

 

Thanks so much.

 非常感谢！