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Amazon (and friends) takes on a new industry: health care
亚马逊（及其朋友）探索新领域：医疗保健
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A company defined by utterly ruthless efficiency sets its sights on the flabbiest part of the U.S. economy?
当一家以绝对无情的效率著称的公司将目光瞄准了美国经济最脆弱的环节会怎样？
We shall see, now that Amazon has announced that it—
这一问题的答案很快就会揭晓了，因为亚马逊已经宣布，公司将
along with Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway and the banking behemoth JPMorgan Chase
携手沃伦·巴菲特的伯克希尔·哈撒韦公司和银行巨头摩根大通银行
will be entering the dominion of health care.
进军医疗保健行业。
“The three of our companies have extraordinary resources,
“我们三家公司拥有非凡的资源，
and our goal is to create solutions that benefit our U.S. employees, their families and, potentially, all Americans,”
我们的目标是开发有利于我国员工及其家庭，也有可能是所有美国人的项目，”
said JPMorgan chairman Jamie Dimon on Jan. 30,
摩根大通董事长杰米·戴蒙1月30日表示，
treading lightly (“potentially”) on the enormous implications (“all Americans”) that were apparent.
这句话明显有着重大含义（即“所有美国人”）但他只做了蜻蜓点水般的阐释（用了“也有可能”一词）。
As it takes shape, the as-yet-unnamed joint enterprise will nominally serve, without seeking profit,
随着这家尚未透露姓名的合资企业逐渐成型，在不考虑利润的前提下，其在名义上服务的，
only the 1.2 million people who work for the three companies.
不过是在这三家公司工作的120万员工
But the clear and worthy goal is to confront the Gorgon that has stymied politicians for decades.
但其明确而值得肯定的目标是对抗几十年来一直困扰着政治家们的高更集团
The triumvirate combines the savvy integrity of the Oracle of Omaha, as America’s most admired investor is known
三巨头汇聚了“奥马哈先知”，也即美国最受尊崇的投资者的沃伦·巴菲特的长于信誉，
the leadership status and financial muscle of the country’s largest bank and, crucially, Amazon.
摩根大通作为美国最大银行的领导地位和财政实力以及最为关键的亚马逊。
The retail and tech giant has flourished by innovating relentlessly and expanding omnivorously.
通过不断创新和全面扩张，这个零售和科技巨头得到了蓬勃发展。
Word that Amazon was entering health care immediately depressed the value of old-school health-insurance companies.
亚马逊准备进军医疗保健领域的消息一出，老派医疗保险公司的估值立马下跌。
Anyone who has been a customer of either knows why.
任何一位购买过其中一家的产品的人都知道这其中的原因。
The U.S. health care system is the antithesis of Silicon Valley.
美国的医疗体系可以说是硅谷所代表的科技企业的对立面。
Grossly inefficient and userunfriendly, it may be the least transparent enterprise outside the Kremlin—and just as awash in money.
效率极低，对用户也不够友好的医疗体系可能是克里姆林宫以外最不透明的企业——同时也是一个浸泡在金钱海洋里的行业
The $3.3 trillion that Americans spent on health care in 2016 was close to Germany’s entire GDP that year.
2016年美国人在医疗保健上的投入高达3.3万亿美元，接近德国当年的全部国内生产总值。
It accounted for an astounding 18% of the U.S. gross domestic product—
在美国的国内生产总值中也占到了18％的比例，简直令人咂舌。
twice the share other developed countries typically spend on health—
其他发达国家通常用于医疗保健的比例的两倍——
and produced a return on investment that would get any CEO fired.
其投资回报率低到可以让任何一位CEO被轰下台。
Life expectancy in the U.S. is actually going down.
实际上，美国的预期寿命也在下降。
