From 1989 to 1994, Arsenio Hall, an American comedian, hosted his own late night talk show on national U.S. television.  “The Arsenio Hall Show” in some ways followed the well-known talk show formula:  Open the show with a monologue delivered by the host, have some guests and hope for funny spontaneity to break out.

Hall regularly used a bit in his monologue he called “Things that make you go ‘Hmmmm'”.  These were observations on the goings on of the day that just didn’t make a lot of sense.  I ran across such a moment earlier this week.  Not only did I think “Hmmmm”, I was just flabbergasted … but not surprised.  No, my observation isn’t “news”, but something long known, and despite earnest efforts, still broken.  But, first, the event.

I am a cancer survivor having had two different types.  The survivor part had little to do with my actions and a ton to do with the expertise of my doctors and the Good Lord who smiled on me for some reason.  However, being cancer-free is not necessarily a permanent condition, so I regularly undergo screenings to keep an eye out for trouble.  I can testify to the fact that early discovery is a huge advantage toward successful treatment of cancer.

The scarier of the two types I faced is colon cancer.  Time out for a rant.  When I tell friends that I’m going in for a colonoscopy, a test for colon cancer, I usually hear one of two things:  “Oh, I know I need to have one of those, but it sounds horrible” or “When I had mine done, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be”.  Both of these outlooks are dead wrong.  Regular colonoscopies prevent cancer by getting rid of precancerous polyps in a timely manner.  I can give you a heartfelt promise that multiple colonoscopies, begun at age 50 and as scheduled by your doctor, are vastly preferable to having a piece of your colon cut out.  And, people, having a colonoscopy isn’t like wearing braces on your teeth … something you do only once!  Time in.

So it came to pass that the time was right for my next colonoscopy.  It would be done this time in the Republic of Panama, which  is known for quality medical care, although it can sometimes be rather spartan in its delivery.  Actually, I had a very U.S.-like experience, in a modern, sparkling endoscopy facility with the latest shiny new equipment.  It appears I’ll continue cancer-free, although the Pathologist will hopefully confirm this in about a week.

In January, 2013, my sweet wife had a colonoscopy in Charlotte, North Carolina (she had no choice with me around :).  There are a number of players in the provision of this service that generate a bill.  There’s the hospital bed in a ward for half a day, assisting nurses and the use of their procedure room and equipment.  Also, the Gastroenterologist and possibly a Pathologist render a statement.  Her test in the United States cost, for the hospital charges alone, $10,000.  Now, I know the insurance company pays a lesser negotiated amount, but if one doesn’t have insurance, its $10,000.

Get ready.  The cost of hospital services here in Panama for equal facilities, two assisting nurses and equipment required for my colonoscopy earlier this week was … drum roll, please … $250.  Put in perspective, $10,000 is 40 times $250.  This isn’t a political statement made to suggest a fix or name a guilty party.

It is simply an observation that makes me go “Hmmmmm”.

Note:  The picture in this post is of Hospital Chiriqui in David, Panama.  It is the facility where I had my latest colonoscopy.  Thanks to VivaTropical.com for the picture.