周三，美国总统奥巴马(Barack Obama)呼吁国会的民主党议员不顾政治风险和共和党的反对，通过意义深远的医改法案。已长达一年的医改立法大戏，由此揭开了最后一节的序幕。
President Barack Obama opened the final act of a year-long drama over health-care legislation Wednesday, calling on Democrats in Congress to approve the sweeping bill despite political risks and Republican opposition.
奥巴马誓言团结美国民众和摇摆不定的国会议员。白宫幕僚称，下周奥巴马将展开两次行程，然后进行一系列公开和私下的游说。白宫方面希望在本月结 束前进行最终投票。
The president vowed to rally Americans and wavering lawmakers alike. White House aides said a pair of trips next week will be followed by a stream of public and private lobbying. The White House wants final votes by month's end.
奥巴马在白宫东厅(East Room)对一群穿白衣的医生和护士表示：“现在处于危及关头的不仅是我们能不能解决这个问题，而且是我们能不能解决任何问题。”一年前，奥巴马也是在白 宫东厅开始推动医改立法。
'At stake right now is not just our ability to solve this problem, but our ability to solve any problem,' Mr. Obama told a crowd of white-coated doctors and nurses in the East Room, where a year ago he started the drive for the legislation.
民意调查显示，医改立法不受欢迎，今秋的国会选举中民主党将出现重大损失。在这种情况下，奥巴马呼吁民主党议员忽略政治。他说：“我不知道这在 政治上会怎样，但我知道它是正确的。让我们把它完成了。”
With polls showing that the legislation is unpopular and congressional Democrats bracing for big losses in this fall's elections, the president urged them to ignore the politics. 'I do not know how this plays politically, but I know it's right,' he said. 'Let's get it done.'
民主党议员和白宫都在权衡高风险和回报。通过医改法案将实现民主党几十年来的一个梦想，让大约3,000万美国人也享受医保，并将成为1965 年建立“Medicare”医保体系以来，其覆盖范围的一次最大规模扩张。但如果公众不欢迎医改，一些民主党议员可能会失去他们的席位，民主党在众议院的 多数党地位也可能面临风险。
Democrats and the White House are balancing high risks and rewards. Passing the health overhaul would fulfill a decades-old Democratic dream, bringing insurance to some 30 million Americans, and represent the greatest expansion of coverage since Medicare was created in 1965. But if the public judges the overhaul harshly, it is likely to cost some Democrats their seats, and the party's majority in the House could be at risk.
白宫认为，虽然民调数据不佳，但如果医改方案成为法律，美国民众会喜欢上它，因为届时他们的注意力将从立法进程转移到方案的影响。民调也发现， 民众对具体条款的支持确实高于整个方案。
The White House argues that, despite the negative poll numbers, Americans will like the measure if it becomes law, since the focus then could shift from the legislative process to the measure's impact. Polling does find stronger support for the bill's individual provisions than for the package as a whole.
奥巴马周三还强调了立法过程中采用的部分共和党人士的意见。共和党议员们觉得这个姿态并不足够。
Mr. Obama Wednesday also highlighted a handful of Republican ideas used in the legislation. Republicans dismissed the gesture as insufficient.
奥巴马拒绝了共和党要求推倒重来的呼声，他说，考虑到“两党之间坦诚而明显的分歧”，这样做没有必要。他笑着说：“有关医疗的方方面面该说的都 说到了，而且差不多人人都曾经这么说。”
Rejecting Republican calls to start again, the president said that given the 'honest and substantial differences between the parties,' there was no point. 'Everything there is to say about health care has been said,' he said to laughter, 'and just about everybody has said it.'
奥巴马首次明确呼吁国会使用一种程序上的技术，利用这种技术，参议院可以以简单多数票让法案得到最终通过。他没有使用这种技术的学名 “reconciliation”（和解），而是说要像过去几次重要立法一样，用这种程序来进行简单的、只投赞成票或反对票的直接表决(up or down vote)。
For the first time, the president explicitly called on Congress to use a procedural technique that will let the Senate give its final approval with a simple majority vote. He didn't use the word for that technique-'reconciliation'-but characterized the process as a way of calling a simple 'up or down vote' that has been used for big bills before.
奥巴马的最后一博，是对其说服能力的关键考验。民主党可能会面临艰难抉择，既要考虑到通过的法案可能不受欢迎，也要考虑到立法流产的风险和一年 多的努力付诸东流会成为一种耻辱。民主党领袖们表示，已经投过一次赞成票的议员反正都会受到攻击，但如果他们能够证明法案是对的，他们的政治形象将会更 好。
The final push by Mr. Obama amounts to a critical test of his powers of persuasion. Democrats could face a tough decision, balancing the risk of passing potentially unpopular legislation against the risk of inaction and the stigma of having labored for more than a year to produce nothing. Democratic leaders say lawmakers who already voted yes once will be attacked no matter what, but will be in better shape politically if they have something to show for it.