“历史上有多少次？”目前，在国会任职的医生中，共和党人占多数，包括此前当选参议员的四位医生均为共和党人。
'How many times in history?' Currently, the majority of the doctors serving in Congress are Republicans, including all four physicians previously elected to the Senate.
但这种党派格局可能发生变化。一位知名共和党医生、参议员比尔·卡西迪即将卸任。其他人，如堪萨斯州参议员罗杰·马歇尔，连任前景不明。
But those party dynamics may shift. One high-profile Republican doctor, Senator Bill Cassidy, is stepping down. Others, such as Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas, are facing uncertain odds for re-election.
与此同时，至少有五位拥有医学学位的民主党新人，计划在11月的中期选举后加入第120届国会。
Meanwhile, at least five Democratic newcomers with medical degrees are aiming to join the 120th Congress after November's midterm election.
据护士专业出版物Nurse.org统计，今年竞选国会的民主党护士至少有10位，而共和党护士有四位。
At least 10 Democratic nurses are making a bid for Congress this year too, compared to four Republicans, according to the publication Nurse.org.
不过，并非11月选票上的每一位医疗专业人士在医疗政策上都持相同观点。
Not every healthcare professional on November's ballot shares the same view on healthcare policy, though.
在南卡罗来纳州，安德鲁斯对NewsNation表示，“全民医保”——一项全民公共医保提案——是一项“过时、不切实际的政策”。
In South Carolina, Andrews told NewsNation that "Medicare for All" — a proposal for universal public healthcare — is an "outdated, non-pragmatic policy".
相比之下，埃尔-赛义德是该政策的坚定支持者，曾合著《全民医保：公民指南》一书。
El-Sayed, by contrast, is a strong proponent of the policy, having co-written a book called Medicare for All: A Citizen's Guide.
美国拥有全球高收入国家中医疗成本最高的体系之一，医疗负担能力一直是许多民主党医生竞选活动的共同主题。
The US has one of the costliest healthcare systems of any high-income country in the world, and affordability has been a common feature in many of the Democratic doctors' campaigns.
例如，安德鲁斯将其政治议程称为“患者与价格纲领”，并以此为名在本州各地巡回宣传。
Andrews, for instance, has dubbed her political agenda the "Patients and Prices Platform", and she travelled around her state on a similarly named tour.
身兼医生的加利福尼亚州民主党联邦众议员阿米·贝拉对半岛电视台表示，美国正处于决定其医疗体系未来的关键节点。
US Representative Ami Bera, a California Democrat who is also a doctor, told Al Jazeera that the country is at a key juncture to decide the future of its healthcare system.
贝拉正在竞选中期选举连任，部分基于这样的信念：医生和患者应处于这一讨论的核心地位，而非单纯的成本。
Bera is running for re-election in the midterms, in part based on the belief that doctors and patients should be at the centre of that discussion, as opposed to mere costs.
“别谈报销了。让我们谈谈我们为什么上医学院——我们想照顾病人，”贝拉说。
"Let’s not talk about reimbursement. Let’s talk about why we went to medical school — we want to care for our patient,” Bera said.
“在诊室、在手术室（OR）行医的医生，对患者护理有着独特的视角。他们把这种独特的视角带到了国会。”贝拉今年协助成立了“民主党医生政治行动委员会”（Democratic Doctors PAC），旨在助推医疗保健成为选举季的核心议题。
“Doctors who have practised, have been in the exam room, in the OR [operating room] have a unique perspective on patient care. They bring that unique perspective to Congress.”Bera helped form the Democratic Doctors PAC this year to help boost healthcare as an election-season cause.
其他以健康为灵感的团体同样向这场竞选投入了资金和资源。亲科学倡导组织“314行动”（314 Action）在10月报告称，其在今年中期选举中的支出已接近3000万美元。
Other health-inspired groups have likewise poured money and resources into the race. The pro-science advocacy group 314 Action reported in October that it had spent nearly $30m on this year's midterms.
但贝拉表示乐观，认为医疗保健最终不会被视为单一党派的议题，也不会成为党派分歧的根源。
But Bera expressed optimism that healthcare would ultimately not be seen as a single-party issue or a source of partisan divide.
“直到此刻，对话一直是这样的，对吧？民主党捍卫《平价医疗法案》，共和党攻击《平价医疗法案》。”贝拉说。“我认为这是一个如此危急的时刻，以至于它打开了思考‘下一步怎么办？’的机会之窗。”Vax PAC创始人费格尔-丁同样认为，这一中期选举周期是一个机遇时刻。
“Up until this moment in time, that is what the conversation's been, right? Democrats defending the Affordable Care Act, Republicans attacking the ACA,” Bera said. “I think it's such a crisis moment that it's opened up the opportunity to think about the ‘what next'?”Feigl-Ding, the founder of Vax PAC, also believes this midterm election cycle is a moment of opportunity.
他指出，俄亥俄州卫生部前主任艾米·阿克顿（Amy Acton）近期在民主党初选中获胜，现正竞选该州州长。
He pointed to the recent Democratic primary victory for Amy Acton, the former director of the Ohio Department of Health, now running to be the state's governor.
根据马里斯特大学（Marist University）最近的一项民调，阿克顿在周二投票前以7个百分点的优势领先其共和党对手。费格尔-丁形容这一结果具有历史意义。
Acton is leading her Republican opponent going into Tuesday's vote by 7 percentage points, according to a recent Marist University poll. Feigl-Ding described that result as historic.
“想想看，历史上有多少次卫生部门主任竞选州长、赢得初选，并有望赢得州长选举？”费格尔-丁问道。
“If you think about it, how many times in history does a health director run for governor and win the primary, and is now slated to potentially win the governor’s race?”Feigl-Ding asked.