VOA慢速英語:塞內(nèi)加爾將提供低價(jià)醫(yī)療保險(xiǎn)

[00:00.00]From VOA Learning English, [00:02.62]this is the Economics Report. [00:05.90]Low-cost health insurance is about to be available [00:09.62]to students and informal sector employees in Senegal [00:14.21]through a World Bank Program. [00:17.34]Nearly two-thirds of all Senegalese [00:20.27]are unable to get health insurance, [00:23.40]many of these people fall into debt [00:26.77]when they get sick or suffer an accident. [00:30.14]The World Bank Group's International Finance Cooperation [00:34.63]is working with the International Center [00:37.49]for Development & Research to provide the insurance. [00:41.94]The bank says it plans to offer low-cost, [00:46.24]private health insurance plans in Senegal [00:50.01]as part of the area's first private co-pay program. [00:54.93]Tiphaine Crenn is an operations officer at the IFC. [01:01.23]He says health insurance through private companies [01:05.67]is very costly in the West African nation. [01:09.95]He says about 65 percent of people in Senegal [01:15.63]do not have any health care coverage. [01:19.36]In Senegal, only civil service employees or workers [01:25.24]at companies with more than 50 employees, [01:29.30]are able to receive health care coverage. [01:33.06]Mr. Crenn said this means many people take out loans [01:39.17]to pay for the cost of health care. [01:42.56]He says this can empty a family savings. [01:47.02]The IFC says that it will work [01:51.98]with six private Senegalese insurance companies [01:55.87]to share the costs of health risks. [01:59.40]It says it will offer micro-healthcare products [02:03.86]at well below normal costs. [02:07.12]Mr. Crenn said other health care plans [02:12.35]can cost between $500 and $600 a year in Senegal, [02:18.77]and are difficult to get. [02:21.47]The IFC program will offer plans as low as $16 per year. [02:28.60]Although plans that include hospital visits [02:32.80]will cost up to $60 per year. [02:36.55]Students can get basic health care and pharmacy services [02:42.13]if they get injured at school [02:45.06]or on the way to school for just $3 per year. [02:49.60]In exchange for these yearly fees, [02:53.57]people will receive a health card [02:56.05]that requires them to make payments of equal [02:59.99]to 20 percent of normal treatment or medication costs. [03:05.13]Mr. Crenn says such a system [03:09.69]could change the future of health care in Africa. [03:13.24]He said if the system really works, [03:16.66]it could provide a lesson for West Africa. [03:20.74]Mr. Crenn said the pilot program plans to target [03:26.03]around 108,000 people during the first year in Dakar. [03:32.45]The program is expected to expand [03:36.18]to Senegal's Thies and St. Louis areas. [03:40.39]After that the program may be offered in neighboring countries. [03:46.53]And that's the VOA Learning English Economics Report. [03:51.20]VOA's Jennifer Lazuta provided this report from Dakar. [03:55.85]I'm Mario Ritter.

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