法蒂玛·侯赛因，华盛顿讯——美国总统唐纳德·特朗普表示，其政府将向超过2000万名“医疗补助计划”（Medicare）参保人每人一次性支付90美元，以帮助他们缴纳“B部分”的保费。此举预计将花费约20亿美元。
FATIMA HUSSEIN WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump says his administration will make one-time payments of $90 per person to help more than 20 million Medicare enrollees pay for their Part B premiums. It will cost about $2 billion.
在所有“医疗补助计划”受益人中，不到三分之一有资格获得这笔款项，预计本周将开始发放。约3500万名“医疗补助优势计划”（Medicare Advantage）参保人，以及数百万其他残疾人和低收入“医疗补助计划”受益人则不在资格范围内。
Less than one-third of all Medicare recipients are eligible for the payments, which are expected to be sent out this week. Not eligible are roughly 35 million Medicare Advantage enrollees, millions of other people with disabilities and low-income Medicare recipients.
这位共和党总统在选举年于周末作出这一承诺，正值11月3日中期选举临近之际，而生活成本和医疗开支已成为选民最关注的问题之一。关于这笔款项的问答如下：约2080万名在美国居住、参与原始“医疗补助计划B部分”且未从“医疗救助计划”（Medicaid）获得保费援助、也未支付与收入相关的月度调整金额的人将有资格领取。
The election-year promise that the Republican president made over the weekend comes as the Nov. 3 midterms are fast approaching, with the cost of living and healthcare expenses among the top issues for voters. Some questions and answers about the payouts: Some 20.8 million people in the original Medicare Part B who are living in the United States, not receiving premium assistance from Medicaid or not paying an income-related monthly adjusted amount.
根据非营利医疗研究机构KFF的数据，超过一半的6420万合格“医疗补助计划”受益人——即“医疗补助优势计划”的参保人——将无法获得这笔款项。此外，1200万获得保费援助的低收入老年人和残疾人也无法领取。
Medicare Advantage enrollees, who make up more than half of the eligible 64.2 million Medicare beneficiaries, will not receive a payment, according to KFF, a healthcare research nonprofit. Nor will 12 million low-income older adults and people with disabilities who get premium assistance.
“B部分”计划涵盖医生就诊、救护车服务和实验室检测等费用。每月总费用通常从约200美元起，并随收入水平而异。
The Part B program covers expenses such as doctor’s visits, ambulance services and lab tests. Total monthly costs generally start at about $200 and vary with income.
根据“医疗补助与医疗救助服务中心”网站的信息，符合条件的受益人将于本月收到一笔90美元的退款，其中大多数人将在周五前后通过直接存款收到款项，其他人则会在10月晚些时候收到财政部寄出的纸质支票。
According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services website, eligible beneficiaries will receive one $90 rebate this month, with most getting a direct deposit on or around Friday. Others will receive a paper check from the Treasury Department later in October.
KFF医疗补助计划政策项目主任朱丽叶·库班斯基表示，这笔款项将自动发放。
Juliette Cubanski, director of KFF’s program on Medicare policy, said the payment will be automatic.
“就这项福利而言，民众无需致电或注册——他们只需直接收到这笔钱，但并非所有参加医保的人都能获得这笔款项。”白宫的一份事实说明称，民众可以拨打1-800-MEDICARE（1-800-633-4227）查询自己是否有资格获得保费返还。如需查询付款状态，则应致电社会保障局，电话号码为1-800-772-1213。
“As far as a benefit goes, people don’t have to call or sign up — it’s just money they receive directly, but not everybody on Medicare will receive this money.”A White House fact sheet says people can call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to check on their eligibility for the premium rebate. To check on payment status, people should call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213.
这笔款项将来自国会于2008年设立的医保改善基金，该基金原本旨在改进医保按服务收费计划。
Payments will come out of the Medicare Improvement Fund created by Congress in 2008 and intended to make improvements to the Medicare fee-for-service program.
根据国会预算办公室的说法，该基金设立的初衷是改善计划管理，并对合同及承包商进行监督，但经过多项立法修改后，其用途已有所扩展。这并非该基金首次被使用。
The fund was created to improve program management and conduct oversight of contracts and contractors, according to the Congressional Budget Office, but its purpose has expanded after various legislative changes. This is not the first time the fund has been used.
民主党总统巴拉克·奥巴马的政府与国会曾将200亿美元重新分配，通过《平价医疗法案》扩大医疗覆盖范围。但在特朗普任期内，这是该基金首次被用于直接向受益人付款。
Democratic President Barack Obama’s administration, along with Congress, redirected $20 billion to expand healthcare coverage through the Affordable Care Act. But under Trump, it is the first time that the fund has been used to directly pay recipients.
特朗普承诺的这项福利遭到批评者质疑，他们认为90美元的付款只是一次选举前的作秀，旨在影响选民，而非解决医疗成本和管理的结构性问题。
Critics of Trump’s promise characterize the $90 payments as a preelection stunt designed to sway voters rather than address structural problems in healthcare costs and administration.
参议院财政委员会的民主党领袖、俄勒冈州参议员罗恩·韦登在一份声明中表示：“这又是一位失败总统试图摆脱美国民众对其失败议程的厌恶所做的绝望之举，充其量不过是加一箱由特朗普推高的油价而已。”特朗普最近曾承诺向约30个州、估计有100万名《平价医疗法案》参保人发放500美元的返还支票，白宫声称这些人被拜登政府多收了一些费用。
The top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, said in a statement that “this is another desperate attempt by a failed president to escape Americans’ revulsion with his failed agenda, amounting to one tank of Trump-inflated gas.”Trump recently promised $500 rebate checks to an estimated 1 million Obamacare enrollees across 30 states whom the White House alleged were overcharged by the Biden administration for some fees.
古巴斯基表示，医保返还金正是在美国民众感受到食品、能源和汽油价格上涨压力的时候发放的。她说，飙升的医疗成本只会进一步加剧这种压力。“这或许对民众有些帮助，但可能作用有限。”
Cubanski said the Medicare rebate payments were being doled out when Americans were feeling the bite of higher food, energy and gas prices. Surging healthcare costs are only compounding those pressure, she said. “This might be helpful for people but it might not go very far.”