More than 9 million Americans have signed up for private health insurance or Medicaid coverage.
900多万美国人已经注册了私人医疗保险或针对穷人的医疗补助计划。
And here's another number: zero. Because of this law, no American can ever again be dropped or denied coverage for a pre-existing condition like asthma, back pain, or cancer. No woman can ever be charged more just because she's a woman. And we did all this while adding years to Medicare's finances, keeping Medicare premiums flat, and lowering prescription costs for millions of seniors.
再说一个数字:0。由于这项法案,再也不会有美国人因为哮喘、背痛或癌症这样的已有疾病而享受不到医疗保险。再也不会有女性因为自己的性别而要多支付费用。同时,我们也在继续提供资金支持老年保健医疗计划,保持其保费稳定,并为无数老年人降低处方药成本。
Now, I don't expect to convince my Republican friends on the merits of this law. But I know that the American people aren't interested in refighting old battles. So again, if you have specific plans to cut costs, cover more people, and increase choice - tell America what you'd do differently. Let's see if the numbers add up. But let's not have another forty-something votes to repeal a law that's already helping millions of Americans like Amanda. The first 40 were plenty. We got it. We all owe it to the American people to say what we're for, not just what we're against.
如今,我并不期待我的共和党朋友们能信服这部法案的益处。但我知道美国民众对为此再产生分歧也不感兴趣。因此,我又要说,如果你有确定的计划可以削减成本,那就覆盖更多的民众,增加更多的选择,告诉美国人民你做的有什么不同。让我们拭目以待,看看数字是否会增长。但让我们不要再为废除这项已经帮助了数百万美国民众的法案举行更多次投票了,之前的40多次已经足够了。我们已经明了。我们应该为美国民众说出支持什么,而不仅仅是反对什么。
And if you want to know the real impact this law is having, just talk to Gov. Steve Beshear of Kentucky, who's here tonight. Kentucky's not the most liberal part of the country, but he's like a man possessed when it comes to covering his commonwealth's families. "They are our friends and neighbors," he said. "They are people we shop and go to church with.farmers out on the tractors . grocery clerks . they are people who go to work every morning praying they don't get sick. No one deserves to live that way."
如果你想了解这部法案的真实影响,就和肯塔基州州长史蒂夫•贝希尔聊聊吧,他今晚也在现场。肯塔基州在美国算不上最开明,但在推行医改法案上,他做得非常出色。他说:“民众是我们的朋友,我们的邻居,与我们一起搭伴购物和去教堂,有驾驶拖拉机的农场主,也有杂货店的职员。他们每天早晨上班时祈祷自己不要生病。没人应该过那样的生活。”
Steve's right. That's why, tonight, I ask every American who knows someone without health insurance to help them get covered by March 31st. Moms, get on your kids to sign up. Kids, call your mom and walk her through the application. It will give her some peace of mind - plus, she'll appreciate hearing from you.
史蒂夫是对的。这也是为什么我想在今晚请认识无医保人士的人帮助他们在3月31日前购买医保。母亲们,请给孩子们购买医保,孩子们,也请你们让你的母亲购买医保,这会让她的心情更加平静,而且她将感激你的建议。
After all, that's the spirit that has always moved this nation forward. It's the spirit of citizenship - the recognition that through hard work and responsibility, we can pursue our individual dreams, but still come together as one American family to make sure the next generation can pursue its dreams as well.
正是这种精神鼓励美国前进。正是这种公民精神,通过辛苦工作和承担责任而来的精神,使得我们每个人可以追求自己的梦想。但我们仍要团结为统一的美国大家庭,这样才能确保我们的下一代也可以追求他们的梦想。
Citizenship means standing up for everyone's right to vote. Last year, part of the Voting Rights Act was weakened. But conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats are working together to strengthen it; and the bipartisan commission I appointed last year has offered reforms so that no one has to wait more than a half hour to vote. Let's support these efforts. It should be the power of our vote, not the size of our bank account, that drives our democracy.
公民权意味着支持每个人的选举权。在去年,《选举权法》部分遭到弱化。但保守的共和党和自由的民主党正一起努力加强其实施,并且去年我任命的两党委员会提出了改革举措,因此没人需要再为投票等上半个小时了。让我们支持这些努力。我们投票的力量,而非我们的银行账户,使得我们走向民主。
Citizenship means standing up for the lives that gun violence steals from us each day. I have seen the courage of parents, students, pastors and police officers all over this country who say "we are not afraid," and I intend to keep trying, with or without Congress, to help stop more tragedies from visiting innocent Americans in our movie theaters, shopping malls, or schools like Sandy Hook.
公民权意味着为每天丧身枪击案的生命大声疾呼。我见证了全美各地父母、学生、牧师和警察的努力,他们说“我们不害怕”;我也要一直努力,不管是否通过国会,防止我们的电影院、超市、或者桑迪胡克小学那样的学校发生更多的枪击案悲剧,防止无辜的美国民众命丧枪口。
Citizenship demands a sense of common cause; participation in the hard work of self-government; an obligation to serve to our communities.
公民权需要大家感到在为共同的事业而付出努力,参与到自治政府的工作中,并且承担服务社区的义务。