VOA常速英语: US Businesses May Face Challenges in Filing COVID Insurance Claims

This table does not get seated.
这张桌子不能坐人。
This table does get seated.
这张桌子能坐人。
People get seated checkerboard style only every other table can be occupied.
人们采用棋盘式的方式，只能每隔一张桌子坐人。
The bar can accommodate four people instead of the usual 20.
这个酒吧可以容纳四人，而不是通常的20人。
Like in other restaurants in the nations capital this venue can operate at only 50 capacity for indoor dining.
和华盛顿其他的餐馆一样，这个场馆只能容纳50人室内就餐。
That means profits get cut in half too.
这意味着利润也会减半。
That after the restaurant was fully shot from March to June.
从3月到6月，餐厅受到全面的影响。
We laid some people off, we furloughed some people that went and got unemployment compensation
我们解雇了一些人，我们暂时解雇了一些人，去领取失业救济金。
and now theyre back so weve got almost everybody back.
现在他们回来了，所以几乎所有人都回来了。
Owner of the restaurant MediumRare Mark Busher says the pandemic cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars.
这家名叫MediumRare餐厅的老板Mark Busher说，这场疫情使他损失了几十万美元。
To try and compensate Busher got in touch with his insurance company
为了获得赔偿，他和保险公司取得了联系
hoping the 25, 000 dollars he paid in insurance would pay off.
希望他付的25000美元的保险金能有回报。
We like many responsible business owners filed a claim with our insurance company
我们像许多负责任的企业主一样，向我们的保险公司提出索赔，保险公司称，
saying that our business has been interrupted due to circumstances beyond our control.
说我们的生意因为我们无法控制的情况而中断了。
And were going to seek to the insurance company
我们要去找保险公司
for reimbursement of lost sales and profits under the wording of our policy.
根据我们保单的措辞要求赔偿销售和利润损失。
It didnt take very long to get a letter back saying were denying your claim.
没过多久就收到一封信，信上说我们拒绝你的索赔。
A pandemic or a virus is not a covered cause of loss.
疫情或病毒并不能给与赔偿。
Insurance companies changed their policies after the SARs outbreak that hit the world in 2002-2003,
2002-2003年非典爆发后，保险公司改变了政策，
when insurance companies had to pay millions of dollars in compensation.
当保险公司不得不支付数百万美元的赔偿时。
Some added straightforward wording saying they are not covering losses
一些公司补充了直截了当的措辞，
because of a pandemic or virus outbreak.
由于疫情或病毒造成的损失不予赔偿。
Others found more intricate wording but to the same effect.
其他公司的措辞更为复杂，但大意相同。
Yet independent experts say it all depends on how to interpret the contract.
然而，独立专家表示，这一切都取决于如何解释合同。
Thats the thing if there is if theyre requiring physical loss only,
如果他们要求补偿具体的损失，
then youre kind of stuck but a good business interruption policy shouldnt have a physical loss requirement.
那么就会陷入困境，但是一个好的业务中断策略不应该有一个具体损失的要求。
Some of them they dont have a direct physical loss requirement but theyre still using it anyway.
其中一些公司没有直接的具体的损失要求，但仍然适用这些条款。
Theyre adding it in as if it was there and its not.
他们把它加进去，好像它可以适用，实际上不可以。
However insurance companies explained that the new policies were not adopted to get out of paying.
然而，保险公司解释说，新的保单并不是为了逃避支付赔偿。
Theyre simply trying to preserve the insurance industry.
他们只是想保护保险业。
The US has never seen such a massive disaster.
美国从未见过如此大规模的灾难。
The largest one before the pandemic was hurricane Katrina that cost insurance companies 54 billion dollars.
疫情之前最大的一次是卡特里娜飓风，这场飓风使保险公司损失了540亿美元。
The covid 19 pandemic according to the American Property Casualty Insurance Association
美国财产保险协会公布，
has led to monthly losses between about 250 and 430 billion dollars monthly.
新冠疫情导致每月约2,500亿至4,300亿美元的损失。
This is more than half of all the money insurance companies have for covering future losses.
这超过了保险公司用于弥补未来损失的全部资金的一半。
If a pandemic is specifically mentioned in the insurance contract,
如果保险合同中特别提到疫情，
the number of insurance claims will be so large
保险索赔的数目会很大
It will surpass the amount these companies can pay.
它将超过这些公司所能支付的金额。
Insurers say in a case like todays it is the government that should support small businesses.
保险公司说，在今天这样的情况下，政府应该支持小企业。
Small business owners on the country are urging the government to change laws making it impossible
这个国家的小企业主敦促政府修改法律，
for insurance companies to evade paying in extraordinary circumstances like the current pandemic.
使保险公司特殊情况下不能逃避支付赔偿，比如目前的疫情。
For Valentino Vaisiliwa in Washington Anna Rice VOA news
VOA瓦伦蒂诺·瓦西利瓦，安娜·赖斯华盛顿报道