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Move to Nullify healthcare Act Roils Democrats
特朗普決定廢除《平價醫療法案》 民主黨人陷入混亂
By Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Robert Pear
文/謝麗爾·蓋伊·斯托爾伯格，羅伯特·皮爾
The Trump administration's decision to ask a federal appeals court to invalidate the Affordable Care Act
特朗普政府決定讓聯邦上訴法院廢除《平價醫療法案》，
has given House Democrats a new opening to pursue what they see as a winning political strategy:
眾議院民主黨人便有了新的機會，采取他們眼中的制勝策略：
moving past talk of impeachment to put kitchen-table issues like health care front and center.
繞過彈劾（總統）的話題，把醫療保健等民生問題放在首要及核心位置。
The notice to the court, filed late Monday by the Justice Department,
司法部周一晚間向最高法院發布了廢除《平價醫療法案》的通知，
could not have come at a more opportune time for Democrats.
然而，對民主黨人而言，這一通知來得正是時候。
The finding by Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel,
因為特別檢察官羅伯特·S·穆勒三世調查后發現，
that there was no evidence of a criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia,
沒有證據表明特朗普競選團隊和俄羅斯之間有合謀犯罪行為，
dashed the hopes of the most partisan Democrats that the House would impeach the president.
所以，最具黨派色彩那些民主黨人的希望破滅了——他們一直希望眾議院能彈劾特朗普總統。
Speaker Nancy Pelosi — who celebrated her 79th birthday on Tuesday —
司法部發布通知之前，眾議院議長南?！づ迓逦鳌芏齽倓倯c祝完自己的79歲生日——
had already planned to move to change the conversation with the unveiling of the Democrats' own health care plan on Tuesday.
就已經打算在周二公布民主黨人自己的醫保方案，改變兩黨對話的走向。
The Democrats' bill aims to lower health insurance premiums,
這一法案旨在降低醫療保險費用，
strengthen protections for people with pre-existing medical conditions
加強對已存在傷病人群的保護，
and ban the sale of what Democrats call "junk insurance."
同時禁止他們所謂的“垃圾保險”的銷售。
The Justice Department's move gave the unveiling an urgency that not even she could have anticipated.
但司法部的舉動讓南?！づ迓逦鞯挠媱澴兊镁o迫得她自己都意想不到了。
"The Republicans did say during the campaign
“共和黨人在競選期間確實說過，
that they weren't there to undermine the pre-existing condition benefit,
他們并非要破壞已存在傷病人群的福利，
and here they are, right now, saying they're going to strip the whole Affordable Care Act as the law of the land,
但他們現在又說，他們要把《平價醫療法案》整個從美國的法律體系中剔除出去，”
Ms. Pelosi told reporters Tuesday,
佩洛西周二對記者說到，
adding, "This is actually an opportunity for us to speak to the American people with clarity."
她還補充說，“這也是我們跟美國人民開誠布公的一個機會。”
The administration staked out its new position in a lawsuit that was filed by Republican attorneys general in Texas and other states
2017年，國會未能成功廢除《平價醫療法案》，德克薩斯等州的共和黨司法部長們提起訴訟時，
after Congress failed in 2017 to repeal the Affordable Care Act,
特朗普政府表明自己有了新的立場，
but later reduced the law's tax penalty for people who do not have insurance to zero.
后來卻還是將對沒有保險的人的稅收罰款降至為零了。
The suit contended that the absence of the real tax penalty rendered the law's "individual mandate"
該訴訟裁定，沒有了實際的稅收罰款，該法律的“個人強制參?！币幎ā?/div>
— the requirement that most Americans have insurance — unconstitutional.
——該規定要求大多數美國人都要有保險——就違憲了。
Without a requirement to purchase insurance, they argued,
他們辯稱，如果沒有購買保險的要求，
the law could not then insist that insurance companies cover pre-existing medical conditions
這一法律便不能堅持要求保險公司承保已存在傷病人群的保險費用，
and a suite of other "essential health benefits," such as maternity care and prescription drugs.
和產科護理及處方藥等一系列其他“基本健康福利”的費用。
譯文由可可原創，僅供學習交流使用，未經許可請勿轉載。
