每日英語 #164: Private Health Insurance 私人健康保險

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Private Health Insurance 私人健康保險

Most Americans have private health insurance; that is, they or their employers pay for a private company to take care of their doctor and hospital expenses. Unlike many other countries, the United States does not have a national, free health system.

大多數美國人擁有私人健康保險；也就是說，他們自己或由他們的雇主支付私人公司來承擔醫療和住院費用。與許多其他國家不同，美國沒有全國性的免費醫療體系。

The national or “federal” government does pay for the medical care of certain people who are very poor or who are old, but there are many people in the U.S. with no health insurance at all. Most people are part of a “group health” plan called a Health Maintenance Organization, or HMO.

國家或“聯邦”政府確實為一些非常貧困或年長的人的醫療提供支付，但在美國，仍有許多人完全沒有健康保險。大多數人參加了一種名為健康維護組織（Health Maintenance Organization，HMO）的“團體健康”計劃。

These HMOs are private companies that organize and administer clinics and hospitals for their members. You become a member of an HMO by paying a certain amount of money, or by having your company pay for you.

這些HMO是私人公司，負責為其成員組織和管理診所和醫院。你可以通過支付一定數額的錢或者由你的公司支付費用來成為HMO的成員。

When you first get sick, you usually have to see a GP before being able to talk to a medical specialist. The GP will examine you and, if he or she thinks you need to see someone who is an expert, you will get a “referral” – permission to talk to another doctor who specializes in the problem you have.

當你第一次生病時，通常需要先看全科醫生（GP），才能與專科醫生進行交流。全科醫生會對你進行檢查，如果他或她認為你需要看專家，你就會得到一個“轉診”（referral）——也就是與專門研究你問題的醫生交談的許可。

If you don’t agree with your doctor, you can also get a second opinion, usually without having to pay any extra money.

如果你不同意你的醫生的診斷，你也可以獲得“第二意見”，通常不需要支付額外費用。

重要單字

• 1. private health insurance /ˈpraɪvət hɛlθ ɪnˈʃʊrəns/ 私人健康保險
• 2. federal government /ˈfɛdərəl ˈɡʌvərnmənt/ 聯邦政府
• 3. Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) /hɛlθ ˈmeɪntənəns ɔːrɡənaɪˈzeɪʃən/ 健康維護組織
• 4. GP (General Practitioner) /ʤiː-piː/ 全科醫生
• 5. referral /rɪˈfɜːrəl/ 轉診
• 6. second opinion /ˈsɛkənd əˈpɪnjən/ 第二意見