Applaud, not criticize

Syndicated columnist Eugene Robinson attacks Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani's gratitude to American health care for curing him of prostate cancer, but he plays fast and loose with the facts ["U.S. health care: Pay more, die sooner," syndicated column, Nov. 13].

Giuliani observes that the U.S has higher prostate-cancer survival rates than England. Robinson can revise this to "about the same" only because more American men receive preventive screening for prostate cancer than Englishmen do, so his rate has a bigger denominator as well as a bigger numerator.

Of course, this implies that superior U.S. preventive care results in "unnecessary" diagnosis — a "problem" many Englishmen would like to have. According to the Lancet Oncology journal, America leads the world in survival rates for the four most common types of cancer, including prostate.

Indeed, The Washington Post fact check claiming Giuliani is "out of date" reports five-year prostate-cancer survival rates of 98 percent in the U.S. versus 74 percent in England!

At least Robinson, like Giuliani, is grateful he has health insurance when other Americans do not. Giuliani will end the discrimination that forces Americans to get health insurance either from our employer or the government, instead allowing us the same individual choice we claim as a birthright in other areas of our lives.

Robinson should applaud this reform, which will reduce the number of uninsured.

John R. Graham
Director, Health Care Studies
Pacific Research Institute