Coburn Credits Free Enterprise Health Care For Survival, Ponders Retirement
Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn talks cancer, health care, leaving Congress
Coburn says he has a rare type of prostate cancer and that he has given a lot of thought to whether he wants to stay in the Senate for the next three years.
By Chris Casteel
WASHINGTON — Sen. Tom Coburn has beaten melanoma, colon cancer and prostate cancer. He is now in the midst of fighting prostate cancer again.
Last week, Coburn, R-Muskogee, kept up his usual hectic schedule on Capitol Hill and, in an interview in his office, he was as impassioned as ever on topics such as health care and the Senate’s operations.
Coburn, 65, a physician, was first elected to the Senate in 2004, and he limited himself to two terms. He won the second term in 2010 and has three more years of service.