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  3. Now the politics of US health reform is in a mess but the odds on a bill passing in the end are improving. It will not be a tidy

Now the politics of US health reform is in a mess but the odds on a bill passing in the end are improving. It will not be a tidy

admin2014-03-25  49
问题     Now the politics of US health reform is in a mess but the odds on a bill passing in the end are improving. It will not be a tidy thing, but if it moves the country close to universal health insurance the administration will call it a success.
    At this moment, that point of view may seem too optimistic. Last Friday, the Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives had hoped to produce a finished bill. But they failed, because the party’ s fiscal conservatives demanded further savings. House Democrats are also divided on revenue-raising measures.
    The Senate is dealing with the same problems: how to contain the cost of expanded insurance coverage, and how to pay for what remains, so that the reform adds nothing to the budget deficit over the course of 10 years.
    Where the money comes from remains the crucial problem. Apparently, the answer is straightforward: tax employer-provided health benefits. At present, an employer in the U. S. is free from paying tax if he pays the health insurance while an individual purchaser has to buy it with after-tax dollars. This anomaly costs nearly $ 250bn a year in revenue—enough to pay for universal coverage, and then some. Yet many Democrats in both the House and the Senate oppose to ending it. Will there be a breakthrough in terms of that aspect?
    However, to get employers out of health insurance should be an aim, not something to be feared. Many US workers have complained that if they lose their job, their health insurance will go with it and tying insurance to employment will undoubtedly worsen the insecurity.
    What about high-risk workers who are thrown on to the individual market? If the tax break were abolished as part of a larger reform which obliges insurers to offer affordable coverage to all people regardless of pre-existing conditions, it will not be a problem. It’ s true this change needs to increase tax, and many people in Congress are reluctant to contemplate in any form. But some kind of increase is inescapable. This one makes more sense than most.
    The President should say so. His Republican opponent John McCain called for this change during the election campaign and Mr Obama and other Democrats assailed the idea. So what? Mr. Obama has changed his ideas on other aspects of health reform. For example, it seems that he now prefers an individual mandate to buy insurance. Let us see a similar flexibility on taxing employer-provided insurance.
What "change" did John McCain once called for during the election campaign?
选项 A、Increasing tax.
B、Obliging insurers to offer affordable coverage to all people regardless of pre-existing conditions.
C、Insurance should be bought by individual instead of being provided by employers.
D、To get employers out of health insurance.
答案A
解析 由第六段最后两句“But some kind of increase is inescapa—ble．This one makes more sense than most．(但某种形式的增税是不可避免的。这种形式比其他大多数形式都更有意义。)”可知，第七段作者提到的美国总统应该说的观点和约翰·麦凯恩在竞选时曾经呼吁的改变指的是“增加税收”。选项B只是作者认为解决被迫进入零售市场的高风险员工医疗保险的一个办法。由第七段第五句“For example，it seems that he now prefer an indi—vidual mandate to buy insurance．(比如，他目前似乎更倾向于要求个人购买保险。)”可知，选项C是奥巴马改变立场后的一个观点。由第五段第一句“However，to get employers out of health in—surance should be an aim，not something to be feared．(但是，让雇主脱离医疗保险应该是个目标，而非值得畏惧的事情。)”可知，选项D是作者的一个观点。所以，本题选择A。
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