DESIGNS IN DECORATOR WOOD & LAMINATES, LTD.

Mo.

*Ow

•

Healing The World from page 8

It Doesn't

Have

IIP

metro

To Cost

A fortune...

Only Look

Like It!

Complete kitchen and

bathroom remodeling

as well as furniture

design and installations

including granite, wood

and other materials.

Jason has experienced some
improvement in strength in his left
hand, but nothing dramatic. It's still
too early to assess the full impact of
the treatment. Meanwhile, because
Jason is a longtime oenophile — a
connoisseur of fine wines — the
Bodzins are leaving on a trip in late
July to Bordeaux, France, to visit
some of the country's top wineries.
"[The disease] is not going to stop
us from doing everything," Jason said
as Pearlena nods in agreement. In
fact, the couple took on a daunting
task recently by moving to a West
Bloomfield apartment from their
Southfield home of more than 30
years.

Economics And Morality

Lois Haron Allied Member ASID 248.851.6989

Call it a "BREEZE" Replaceable Hair

• Light • Airy • Affordable
• Today's Style • Wearer Friendly
• Looks Natural Consistently
• Almost goof proof

Reg. $599 - $100 OFF - 1st time clients-exp. 6/19/13

SAMPLE DEMONSTRATION AVAILABLE

Call

888-569-9898

ASK FOR DONNA

THE APARTMENT

17125 W. 12 Mile Rd.

1841190

LefvF

TEA AND FROZEN YOGURT LOUNGE
1411kAilk

FROZEN YOGURT

Including Sugar - Free &Vegan

Hours:

We're open Late
M-Thurs I I am — I I pm
Fri, Sat. I I am — Midnight
Sunday I I am — I I pm

Follow us on
Facebook and Twitter

ari

10 June 20 • 2013

TEAS

SMOOTHIES

Over 40 varieties of fresh brewed Loose
Leaf Teas (Hot or Cold), Bubble Tea

In the Orchard Mall
Outside entrance faces Hiller's
6385 Orchard Lake Road
West Bloomfield, MI
248-671-6011

www.leafnberry.com

Regular or Organic Health

— COUPON —

20% OFF*

ANY PURCHASE

V

Leff W*116

TEA AND FROZEN YOGURT LOUNGE

JN

Expires 7/3/13..excluding shows.
Must present coupon.

Rotem, who has been at Hadassah for
13 years, says they became active in
the medical tourism business about
eight years ago. While some are con-
cerned that bringing foreigners for
treatment will compromise the care
available for Israelis, Rotem says the
most significant impact has been to
provide crucial dollars to Hadassah
and other hospitals, imaging insti-
tutes, labs and research facilities, all
of which greatly benefit the Israeli
population while advancing medicine
overall.
He also hopes medical tourism
will help slow or end the significant
brain drain of some of Israel's best
and brightest who must go abroad for
opportunities.
For example, the hospital's revenue
from medical tourism has grown
from about $1 million in 2003 when
there was no special attention given
to medical tourism, to $16 million in
2007. Last year the revenue totaled
$27 million, providing roughly 5 per-
cent of the medical center's budget.
In the same five years, total Israeli
medical tourism revenue has risen
from $110 to $162 million. These
numbers don't include other boosts to
the Israeli economy like hotels, food,
recreation and other things those
coming for medical care want and
need.
Growing this profit center is very
important, given the serious financial
challenges currently facing Hadassah
and other Israeli hospitals due, in
part, to generous medical coverage
but low government reimbursements.
At Hadassah, we operate at 103
percent capacity year-round," Rotem
said. "The government controls pay-
ment of nurses and doctors and the
cost of hospitalization, and we cannot
cover the expenses with just Israelis."
Beyond economics, Rotem says the
program provides important non-
tangible benefits, like saving lives and

making friends.
"We care about people he said.
"When we have services that can
only be offered here, it is the moral
thing to do to offer them to foreign-
ers. Plus, we hope it will be a bridge
to peace, making good relations with
Palestinians and the Arab states:"
Another draw is fertility centers.
Including the Hadassah Medical
Center, Israel has 24 recognized fer-
tility centers and has become a world
leader in in-vitro fertilization (IVF)
treatment. In fact, Israel has the
highest per capita rate of IVF in the
world, with "test-tube" babies now
accounting for nearly 5 percent of all
Israelis born.
The sensitivity and accommodation
of Halachah brings many Jews from
abroad, but others come because the
treatment is top-notch and the cost
is one-third to one-fourth of what it
costs in the United States.
Overall, Americans make up
a small fraction of those seeking
medical treatment in Israel. The
majority come from what Rotem
termed "underserved countries:'
with approximately 30 percent from
Eastern Europe, 60 percent from the
former Soviet Union and 10 percent
from Africa and the Middle East.
Most are not Jewish. Those with
good health insurance and access to
adequate care largely prefer to under-
go treatment in their home countries.
If they don't have insurance, they
look to where the treatments are
cheapest, like Singapore, Thailand,
India and Mexico.
A broad estimate is that a treat-
ment that would cost $100 in the
U.S, would cost $10 in India, $50 in
Europe and $30-40 in Israel. A hip
replacement is only about 10-20 per-
cent less expensive in Israel than in
the U.S., but heart bypass surgery is
75-85 percent cheaper.
Those seeking cosmetic and other
elective surgeries not covered by
insurance can experience a signifi-
cant cost saving by coming to Israel,
even when factoring in travel and
hotels. But other countries can still be
cheaper.
Increasingly, insurance companies
are considering treatment in foreign
countries as a way to save money
and not increase premiums. This is a
promising trend for Israel because the
real growth in patients and revenue
will come from cracking the North
American market.
Estimates are that upwards of 1.6
million Americans went abroad for
medical treatment last year, much of
it cosmetic, and that annual growth
of 35 percent per year could continue
for some time.

