Choosing a Kupat Cholim (Health Fund)

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   In brief

   Israel has four health funds (Kupot Cholim): Clalit, Maccabi, Meuchedet, and Leumit.

   All four are regulated by the Ministry of Health and legally obligated to provide the same basic basket of health services (sal briut). Even their supplemental plans are highly comparable. That means choosing between them isn't really about coverage — it comes down to three practical criteria:

   • Geography / Accessibility — how close is the local clinic?
   • Recommendations — what do locals in your area say?
   • Particular Services / Doctors — any specialist or hospital arrangement that matters to you?

   When you make Aliyah you can register at the airport, or later at a post office or Bituach Leumi. Once you select a kupah, complete the process with the kupah itself. You'll receive a kupah card (the equivalent of an insurance card) and confirmation you're in their system.

2. 2

   Geography and Accessibility

   Your local clinic should be close to your home and easy to get to. Small details make a big difference:

   • Some towns only have one health fund clinic within them (or nearby).
   • Even in dense cities, clinic location matters — you'll be at your local branch often for family doctors, nurses' appointments, blood tests, and more.
   • Look for a branch near your home, in a commercial centre you visit often, or on a public transport line that's convenient.

   Where each fund is strongest:

   • Meuchedet and Maccabi — most Anglos in Jerusalem and Gush Etzion register with one of these.
   • Leumit — Beit Shemesh and Ramat Beit Shemesh tend to speak highly of their local Leumit clinic.
   • Clalit — the largest and oldest fund, with the most extensive infrastructure in the Merkaz, Sharon area, and the periphery.
3. 3

   Recommendations

   Locals with personal experience are your best resource. If you have English-speaking friends or family already in your future area, ask them about the different health funds. Questions worth asking:

   • Which kupah has the most English-speaking physicians?
   • What are the clinic hours?
   • How is the overall customer service?

   Facebook groups are gold. Navigate the Israeli Healthcare System is a good place to start. Many communities also have Anglo crowdsourcing groups you can join for local advice.

4. 4

   Particular Services or Doctors

   If you have a specific specialist you've been referred to, or a specific condition you're managing, check which kupah they work with before deciding.

   • All kupot are required to offer access to specialists in every field (e.g. cardiology).
   • But not every kupah covers every individual cardiologist — arrangements vary.
   • If you know you'll need a specific hospital as a regular resource, check which fund has arrangements with that hospital.

   Most kupot offer adequate support for any condition. But if you're coming in with strong preferences — a specific doctor, a specific hospital — that can be the deciding factor.

5. 5

   You're not stuck — you can switch

   Choosing your first kupah is not a permanent commitment. If you're unhappy, you can always switch.

   For general instructions on how to change health funds, see our internal guide on Switching Between Health Funds, or the YL page on Switching Health Plans.

6. 6

   Supplemental insurance

   Every kupah offers a supplemental insurance plan you can add on top of the basic basket.

   You don't have to opt in when you make Aliyah, but there's a big incentive to do it early: if you join within 90 days of your Aliyah, the standard waiting periods are waived — giving you access to many additional benefits much sooner.

   For more, see YL's page on supplemental insurance.

7. 7

   Helpful contacts

   Government helplines:

   Organisation	Website	Phone
   Kol HaBriut (Ministry of Health)	Website	*5400
   Bituach Leumi	Website	*6050
   Yad Mechavenet (Bituach Leumi)	Website	*2496
   SHAI — Citizen Advice Service	Website	118
   Central Government Response Centre	Website	1299

   Aid organisations:

   • List of health-sector aid organisations

   Government bodies:

   • Ministry of Health — Kol HaBriut helpline: *5400
   • Public Complaints Commissioner for the National Health Insurance Law
   • Israel Post
8. 8

   Related guides

   Other guides in the Kupat Cholim (Health Fund) — member rights series:

   • Form 17 (Hitchayvut) — Health Fund Commitment Form
   • Switching Between Health Funds (Changing Your Kupat Cholim)
   • Filing a Complaint Against Your Health Fund (Kupat Cholim)