Choosing a kupat holim: Israel's health funds

Israel has universal health coverage, but you have to pick a health fund, and that choice shapes your day-to-day care.

The short version

Four health funds (kupot holim) deliver public healthcare: Clalit, Maccabi, Meuhedet and Leumit [1]. All must provide the same national health basket.
You pay for the basic plan through Bituach Leumi health insurance contributions, not premiums to the fund [2].
New immigrants can register at the airport, a post office or online, and must do so within 90 days of aliyah [3].
You can switch funds on six fixed dates a year, up to twice in 12 months [4].
Supplementary plans (bituach mashlim) are optional extras with their own monthly fee and waiting periods [5][6].

USD conversions in this guide use the European Central Bank reference rates of October 29, 2026, a cross rate of about ILS 3.12 per USD.

How the system works

If you're coming from employer coverage in the States, the Israeli model will feel simpler, and a lot cheaper. There are no networks to check against your plan, no surprise out-of-network bills and no open enrollment season in November. Every resident belongs to one fund, and every fund must offer the same basic package of services and drugs set by the state, often called the health basket (sal habriut).

You don't pay the fund for that basic basket. Instead, Bituach Leumi collects a health insurance contribution from your wages or income and passes it to the funds. For employees in 2026, that's 3.23% of monthly wages up to ILS 7,703 (about USD 2,470) and 5.17% above that, up to the ceiling [2]. Our Bituach Leumi guide covers the full rates.

Funds compete on what they add on top: clinic locations, appointment apps, specialist access, English-speaking staff and their supplementary plans. Funds must accept every applicant, and employers can't require you to join a particular fund [6].

Who's covered: residents, including olim and returning residents. Tourists and many temporary visa holders aren't in the system. The Tel Aviv municipality notes that non-citizens can buy a private policy, including from one of the four funds [1]. If that's you, see our healthcare in Tel Aviv guide.

The four funds compared

All four operate in Tel Aviv. The real differences are local: which fund has a clinic near your apartment, how easy it is to book a doctor who speaks English, and how its app works for you.

Fund	Phone in Israel	Supplementary plans (names from fund sites)
Clalit	*2700	Mushlam Gold and Mushlam Platinum
Maccabi	*3555	Maccabi Zahav and Maccabi Sheli
Meuhedet	*3833	Several tiers; the top one is Meuhedet Si
Leumit	*507	Check the fund's site for current tiers

Phone numbers are from Nefesh B'Nefesh's health fund guide [5]. Plan names come from Clalit's and Maccabi's own pages [7][8] and Meuhedet's membership page [6].

We won't rank the funds. Quality varies more by clinic and doctor than by brand, and friends' experiences differ widely. NBN suggests looking at which provider best serves your neighborhood [5]. The Ministry of Health also has a calculator that compares the funds' services and fees, but it's only in Hebrew [5].

Questions to ask before you choose

Where is the nearest clinic, and is there an after-hours urgent care option nearby?
Can you book English-speaking doctors? Most funds let you filter by language in the app or on the phone line. In Tel Aviv, plenty of doctors speak English, especially younger ones.
Does the fund cover your specialists without long waits? Ask about the specific field you need, such as pediatrics, women's health or mental health.
What does the supplementary plan cost at your age and family size, and what's the waiting period?
How good is the app? You'll use it for appointments, test results and prescriptions far more often than you'd think.

How to register

New immigrants

Olim have the easiest path. According to Bituach Leumi [3]:

Register at the airport at the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration's desk when you land.
Or register at any post office. If you didn't register at the airport, you can sign up at a post office.
Or register online. About three weeks after arrival, once the Interior Ministry has passed your details to Bituach Leumi, you can register on the NII website.
Do it within 90 days. After 90 days, you have to go to the NII branch nearest your home [3].

The Ministry's guide notes that online registration is free, post office registration carries a fee, and you then visit the fund to complete the process [9]. New olim with no income, or income below ILS 688 a month (about USD 220) in 2026, may be exempt from health insurance contributions for six months [3].

NBN also says that new olim who join a supplementary plan within the first 90 days after arrival get any waiting period waived [5]. If you think you'll want one, that's a strong reason to decide early.

Everyone else

Residents 18 and over who aren't members of a fund can register at a post office with their ID card, for a fee. Many people who've never been registered need to go to an NII branch first to have their residency confirmed [10]. Returning residents and people on special visas should check their status with Bituach Leumi before assuming they're covered.

Children automatically belong to the fund of the parent who receives the child allowance [10].

Switching funds

You're not locked in. Switching rules are set nationally, and Leumit and Meuhedet both lay them out [4][6]:

Up to two switches in any 12-month period.
Six fixed transfer dates a year: January 1, March 1, May 1, July 1, September 1 and November 1.
Apply in the window before each date. For example, requests made between September 16 and November 15 take effect January 1 [4].
Apply at any Israel Post branch with a transfer form and your ID card, or online through Bituach Leumi with a credit card in your own name [4].
You can cancel a transfer request up to 45 days before it takes effect [6].

You keep getting basic services from your old fund until the transfer date [4].

Transfer takes effect	Submit your request between
January 1	September 16 and November 15
March 1	November 16 and January 15
May 1	January 16 and March 15
July 1	March 16 and May 15
September 1	May 16 and July 15
November 1	July 16 and September 15

The supplementary plan catch: your old fund's supplementary plan ends when you switch. The new fund can't stop you from joining its plan, and under some conditions you may be exempt from its waiting period [4]. Meuhedet, for example, says members who held the top tier at their previous fund are automatically registered in Meuhedet Si with no waiting period [6]. Ask your old fund for a seniority confirmation and give it to the new one [4].

Supplementary plans: are they worth it?

Supplementary insurance (bituach mashlim) is sold by each fund on top of the national basket. Most Israelis buy it. Plans typically add:

Private surgery in Israel with a choice of surgeon, for a deductible
Dental discounts, since most adult dental care isn't in the basic basket
Complementary medicine such as physiotherapy extras or acupuncture
Second opinions and some services abroad

Two examples from the funds' own pages:

Clalit Mushlam Platinum includes all Gold services. After 12 months, deductibles for listed private surgeries start at ILS 300 (about USD 96) and are capped at ILS 2,000 (about USD 640). Waiting periods for different services run from 3 to 24 months, and monthly rates vary by age and are linked to the consumer price index [7].
Maccabi Sheli advertises about a 70% discount on listed prices for up to 20 complementary medicine treatments a year and 50% off certain dental procedures at Maccabi Dent clinics [8].

Prices change and depend on your age, so check each fund's site for current premiums. As a rule of thumb, supplementary plans cost a small fraction of what Americans are used to paying for private insurance back home.

Dental is the gap most Americans notice. NBN puts a private exam with X-rays at around ILS 200 to 300 (about USD 65 to 95) [5]. Budget for it.

Private insurance from commercial insurers is a separate layer again. Some employers offer it. Don't buy overlapping coverage without checking what your fund's plan already includes.

Want to hear which clinics other Americans in Tel Aviv like? Ask in our community group for Americans in Israel.

Choosing a kupat holim: Clalit, Maccabi, Meuhedet and Leumit for Americans