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 overhauling 1 the U.S. health care system.  Approval with the expected 60 vote majority (that) Senate Democrats 3 have held together, would cap a year of intense effort on the part of President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats. But, difficult negotiations 4 lie ahead in reconciling the Senate measure with one approved earlier this year by the House of Representatives.

With Republicans maintaining their wall of opposition 5, 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 coverage 6.

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 subsidies 7.

Connecticut Democrat 2 Chris Dodd noted 8 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, notably 9 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 Harry 10 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 proceedings 11 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 caucus 12 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.