Friedman E
School of Public Health, Boston University, USA.
Physician Exec. 1996 Jan;22(1):26-30.
Moderator: Good evening. Tonight I will be moderating a debate on the Health Care System Salvage and Coverage Overhaul Act of 2010 (Senate Bill 1, with companion legislation in the House). The bill is awaiting final congressional action, and the issue is considered so important that all 14 major television networks are carrying this debate live, along with many radio networks and at least 1,873 Internet/World Wide Web sites. As you know, S.B. 1 would provide immediate federal aid to the 1,000 hospitals and health care systems that are currently in bankruptcy; extend government-subsidized coverage to the estimated 90 million Americans who lack it; return to the federal government a wide range of health care regulatory and payment activities that had been transferred to the states; and prohibit certain types of health care enterprises and services, chiefly proprietary delivery and managed care systems. At the moment, the chances of its passage are too close to call. Arguments in support of S.B. 1 will be presented tonight by Sen. Joseph P. Kennedy II, Democrat of Massachusetts; arguments in opposition to the bill will be presented by Sen. George W. Bush, Republican of Texas; and the view of the Independent Party will be presented by former Kansas Senator Nancy Kassebaum, who also speaks as chairman of the National Nonpartisan Commission to Save American Health Care. Senator Kennedy will begin.
晚上好。今晚我将主持一场关于《2010年医疗保健系统救助与覆盖范围改革法案》（参议院第1号法案，众议院也有配套立法）的辩论。该法案正在等待国会的最终行动，这个问题被认为非常重要，以至于所有14家主要电视网络都在直播这场辩论，许多广播网络以及至少1873个互联网/万维网站点也在转播。如你所知，参议院第1号法案将立即向目前处于破产状态的1000家医院和医疗保健系统提供联邦援助；将政府补贴的医保覆盖范围扩大到估计9000万没有医保的美国人；把一系列已下放给各州的医疗保健监管和支付活动收归联邦政府；并禁止某些类型的医疗保健企业和服务，主要是私营医疗机构和管理式医疗系统。目前，该法案通过的可能性难以预测。支持参议院第1号法案的论点今晚将由马萨诸塞州民主党参议员约瑟夫·P·肯尼迪二世提出；反对该法案的论点将由得克萨斯州共和党参议员乔治·W·布什提出；独立党的观点将由前堪萨斯州参议员南希·卡斯鲍姆提出，她同时以拯救美国医疗保健全国无党派委员会主席的身份发言。肯尼迪参议员将首先发言。
