While few people would dispute the assertion that the U.S. is a world leader in medical innovation, David Goldhill’s op-ed piece reprinted in The Oregonian from The Washington Post gives the impression that American health care is world class (“In health care, America is the world’s indispensable nation,” Nov. 30). But by objective metrics, that’s not the case. The U.S. is way down the list of nations by life expectancy, behind such countries as Cuba, Estonia, Slovenia, and Qatar. Our infant mortality rate is similarly troubling. Around fifty other countries have lower rates of infant mortality than we do, including Russia, Uruguay, Bulgaria, and, again, Cuba.

The sad truth is that your chances for getting world-class health care in the U.S. improve the more money you have. Medical innovation is of dubious value where it only benefits a certain segment of the population.

Jefferson Ranck, Portland

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