This is the VOA Special English Health Report.
这里是美国之音慢速英语健康报道。
President Obama has signed legislation to make the biggest changes in the health care system in forty-five years.
奥巴马总统已经签署法律，对医保体系进行45年来最大的改革。
BARACK OBAMA: "Today, after almost a century of trying; today, after over a year of debate; today, after all the votes have been tallied, health insurance reform becomes law in the United States of America. [Applause]"
奥巴马：“今天，在近一个世纪的努力之后，在经历一年多的辩论之后，在所有选票都得到统计之后，今天，医保改革方案在美国成为了法律。”
Many parts of the plan will fully take effect in four years. But some take effect quickly. For example, in six months the new law will bar insurance companies from denying coverage to children with pre-existing health conditions. Adults with pre-existing conditions will be added in four years.
这项计划的许多部分需要四年时间才能全面生效，但是其中一些措施将很快生效。例如，六个月之内，新的法律将禁止保险公司拒绝为存在过往病史（pre-existing conditions）的儿童投保。四年之内，有过往病史的成年人也将纳入投保范围。
The government will help millions of people pay for insurance. It will also permit millions more to receive free coverage through the Medicaid program for the poor.
政府将帮助数百万人支付保险费用，还将允许数百万人通过低收入人口医疗保障计划(Medicaid program)获得免费覆盖。
In all, the plan aims to make health insurance available to thirty-two million people now without it. People will be able to buy private policies through marketplaces called exchanges to be administered by the states. Illegal immigrants will not be able to take part.
总之，该计划目的在于为目前没有医疗保险的三千两百万美国人提供保险。人们可以通过政府经营的保险交易中心购买保险,但非法移民将不能参加。
An estimated eighty-three percent of people under age sixty-five who are in the United States legally now have insurance coverage. The plan is expected to raise that to ninety-five percent within several years.
现在，预计83%合法居住在美国的65岁以下的人口被保险覆盖，该计划期望在几年之内将医保覆盖面提升至95%。
People over sixty-five are covered by the Medicare insurance program which the government created in nineteen sixty-five.
65岁以上人口由政府在1965年设立的医疗保障项目(Medicare)提供保险覆盖。
For the first time, Americans will be required to have health insurance or face a yearly fine starting in four years. The law will also require companies with more than fifty employees to offer coverage. If not, they could face a fine of two thousand dollars a year for every worker.
四年之内，美国民众将被要求参加医疗保险，否则每年都将面临罚款。该法律还要求拥有超过50名雇员的公司参保。否则，他们将面临2,000美元每人每年的罚款。
Also, this year the law will start closing what is known as "the doughnut hole." That is a lack of Medicare coverage for some drug costs for older Americans. resident Obama promised senior citizens that the reforms will not cut their guaranteed benefits.
今年，该法律还将关闭所谓的“甜甜圈洞”。这指的是医疗保障项目(Medicare)对美国老年人使用的某些药物费用缺少覆盖。奥巴马总统向年长市民承诺，医疗改革不会削减他们的保证利益。
He signed the bill Tuesday at the White House, before Democratic lawmakers and people with stories of health insurance problems.
周二奥巴马在白宫，在民主党议员和曾经遭遇医疗保险问题的人们面前签署了该法案。
BARACK OBAMA: "We have now just enshrined, as soon as I sign this bill, the core principle, that everybody should have some basic security when it comes to their health care."
奥巴马：“这是神圣的一刻，我一签署这项法案，我们便向世人宣告了这个核心原则：每个人在医疗保健方面都应该获得一些基本的保障。”
The president said he expected the Senate to quickly make a last set of legislative fixes needed in the new law. Republicans are promising to fight the Senate bill. And some states have already gone to court the fight the new law.
奥巴马总统表示，他期望参议院能够尽快对新的法律进行最后的修改。共和党人表示将反对参议院版本的法案。一些州政府已经前往法庭对这部新的法律提起诉讼。
The changes are expected to cost about nine hundred forty billion dollars over ten years, but also help reduce the federal budget deficit.
这项长达10年的计划预计将耗资9400亿美元，但是同时帮助削减了联邦预算赤字。
And that's the VOA Special English Health report, written by Caty Weaver. I'm Steve Ember.
这里是美国之音慢速英语医疗报道，是由Caty Weaver编辑，我是Steve Ember。