How to choose the right Kupat Holim

In Israel, there’s a clear distinction between medical services. Organizations with their own background, history, approach to implementation, and even philosophy act as the basis of the healthcare system in the country. Here they’re called Kupat Holim. Read on to learn more about the different types of Kupat Holim, how they differ, what their pros and cons are, and how to choose the right organization for your needs.

Overview of Kupat Holim in Israel

Here’s the lowdown on the medical entities in Israel. There are four of them. Let’s start with the largest one and work our way down to the smallest one.

Clalit

Not just the oldest organization (since 1911), but the one that has the largest customer base in the country – more than half of all Israelis are Clalit members. The best thing about Clalit is its extensive network of clinics, which are available in almost every municipality and residential area.

But there are some drawbacks, too: the sheer number of people can mean long waits – sometimes weeks or even months – to receive certain services and special treatment. Clalit has two versions of the program: Mushlam and Platinum. The first one is for new repatriates and covers all the most basic medical needs. The second one is an expanded package of services that includes:

Maccabi

Maccabi is the second largest in terms of the number of registered clients (over two million) and the number of entities. The focus in Maccabi is on insurance. Local options have a lot going for them compared to other plans you can get from other organizations. It’s also worth mentioning that there’s hardly any waiting in line, and you can even make an appointment (and chat) with a doctor through a mobile app.

On the downside, there’s the relatively high cost of additional services, plus the lack of some medications in the local pharmacies – and sometimes even basic ones. Maccabi has an extended insurance program that includes:

And if you’re into fitness, you can work out in specially designed fitness centers. Maccabi also has direct access to Assuta clinics. This is the most cutting-edge (and one of the largest) medical facility in Israel. It’s got all the bells and whistles: surgical procedures, cancer institutes, dialysis, both outpatient and inpatient units, and other departments, including a radiotherapy one .

Assuta has even been accredited by the international American body JCI (Joint Commission International), which is given for high standards of quality and safety of medical services. Just 600 or so clinics around the world have this very accreditation, which is pretty impressive.

Meuhedet

Meuhedet is the third largest organization in terms of registered customers (over one million Israelis have chosen it as their service provider). Among the positive aspects of Meuhedet are the high quality of its services and the fact that there are virtually no queues. That is somewhat pleasant, given the bureaucratic abyss that sometimes exists in Israel. Meuhedet now provides both basic and advanced services. The former include:

And the second include:

It is noteworthy that Meuhedet offers four insurance packages to choose from:

• Adif – offers a wide range of free services, including medical care abroad.
• Si – extended service coverage that focuses on aesthetic medicine, psychological care and dentistry.
• Siudi – a program for families with persons in need of constant care, with 24-hour health monitoring and additional nursing care.
• Hul – similar to Adif, yet deeper and more advanced – the package aim to meet specific customer needs. For example, treatment (both conventional and palliative) for rare diseases.

One of the organization’s disadvantages is the problematic location of the clinics, which are mostly found in large cities.

Leumit

This organization may be the smallest in terms of number of people, but it’s certainly not the least important. The company was set up in 1933. Right from the start, the founders made it their mission to make sure everyone had access to medical care. And, well, it hasn’t strayed too far from this path.

On the plus side, the organization offers minimal or even no waiting times, plenty of children’s specialists, and the option to see another doctor for a second opinion without an extra appointment. One can also get life insurance here. The main drawback, however, is the lack of laboratories, which means you have to wait a while for test results. As for services, Leumit offers a basic (aka Kesef) set in spirit:

And an extended one (aka Zahav), which includes:

What is also interesting is that through the mobile application, the range of services is somewhat different. So there you can get:

Do note also that the services through the mobile application are paid.

Factors to consider when choosing a Kupat Holim

First, you should think about how entities are spreading across the country. For instance, Clalit, which is the largest, have the most branches in different parts of the country. This can be useful if you need a personal visit but don’t live in an area with a lot of people.

Secondly, think about how long you’re willing to wait for an appointment. For some, the maximum allowable time frame will be a few days, for some a few weeks, and for some a few months. It really depends. It’s also worth noting that the staff at different institutions may speak different languages. It’s no surprise that Hebrew is the most common in all of them, yet for instance, Leumit also has lots of English- and Arabic-speaking staff, which might be useful for a certain someone.

Thirdly, it’s worth looking at what the extended insurance covers. The terms and conditions vary from one place to another.But no matter what you choose, you’ll find that the basic plan offers roughly the same benefits, since the Israeli government sets the list.

What to choose: Clalit, Maccabi, Leumit, or Meuhedet

It all depends on the situation and the client’s situation. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each company to make it easier to understand what would be more suitable in a particular situation.

Supplemental health plans: What do they offer?

Even though Israel has a pretty well-organized insurance system, there are still some medical services that are only available on a paid basis.

For instance, aesthetic cosmetology and plastic surgery aren’t covered by any free insurance plans. It’s also worth noting that, unlike in many other govs, people here must pay for a call to the local ambulance: if there’s no reason to hospitalise, they’ll pay the full amount. But if they do need to go in, they’ll only have to pay a portion of it.

In any case, supplemental health plans cover everything that’s not available under the free alternative. As an Israeli citizen, you can choose a set of options and also access additional diagnostic and medical services. The price of a plan depends on the options you choose and your general health, including whether you have any long-term illnesses and your age. For instance, a program that costs 80 shekels for a young person aged 25 would cost an Israeli who is 60 years old 140 shekels a month.

How to switch Kupat Holim

Let’s define the legal aspects. According to the law, every resident of the State of Israel has the right to be a member of a health insurance company of his choice. The law also obliges health insurance companies to provide medical services to all people who decide to join them. In addition, it is forbidden for an organization to condition the acceptance of new members on meeting any criteria, such as a certain age.

As for the transfer from one entity to another, this can be done either at a branch of the Postal Bank or through the website of Bituach Leumi, the National Insurance Institute. It is better to do it the second way, because the Bank will charge a fee of about 18 shekels. Also, do note that you can only transfer to another Kupat Holim 12 months after you were in the previous one. And you can only do this twice a year.

Sometimes it is possible to transfer to another Kupat Holim earlier. For example, if a client has moved more than 40 miles from his previous place of residence and there is no branch of his health insurance company there. Then he can transfer immediately. However, the restrictions apply not only to the minimum required length of stay in a particular organization, but also to the periods during which it is possible to apply for a transfer at all. There are only six in a year.

Things to note

New repatriates need to remember that they can pick their health insurance company upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport. If you don’t make your choice at the airport building, you will have to apply for the enrollment procedure through the Postal Bank – and pay for it.

We’d also like to make a quick comment about the ambulance call. At the end of 2023, citizens over 80 who get a subsistence and care allowance can get 50% back on the cost of getting to the hospital by ambulance. If you or your relative doesn’t fall into this category, it’ll probably be cheaper to get to a medical facility by cab. Like if you live near the hospital, it will definitely come out cheaper, and by a substantial amount. We hope the article was useful and that we were able to give you some context on how Israel’s health care system works.