What the four health funds have in common, what actually differs between them in Jerusalem, and how registration and switching work.
Every resident of Israel is covered by national health insurance under the National Health Insurance Law, and the cover is delivered through one of four non-profit health funds — the kupot cholim: Clalit, Maccabi, Meuhedet and Leumit. You must belong to one. Which one is your choice, and for most people in Jerusalem the choice comes down to where the nearest clinic is and who works there.
This guide explains what is the same across all four, what genuinely differs, how to register, and how to switch. It pairs with our Bituach Leumi guide, which covers the institute that collects the health tax and pays the benefits.
What is the same everywhere
- The basic basket. The law defines a health basket (sal briut) of services and medicines that every fund must provide. Family doctors, specialists, hospital care, most tests and a long list of medicines are in it, whichever fund you choose.
- How it is paid for. The health tax is collected by Bituach Leumi as a percentage of income, not as a premium to the fund. You pay the same whichever fund you join. Small co-payments apply for some visits and medicines.
- Who is entitled. Residents, from the day residency starts. New olim are registered with a fund as part of the aliyah paperwork in most cases, and can switch afterwards. Non-resident visa holders are generally not covered and need private insurance — check your status before you assume.
What actually differs
- Clinics near you. This is the real decision. All four funds run clinics in Jerusalem, but not in every neighbourhood, and the family doctor you can see easily is the one whose clinic is a short walk away. Look up each fund's clinics around your address before choosing.
- Doctors and languages. Ask other English-speakers in your neighbourhood which doctors take new patients and which speak English well. A fund with a fine reputation nationally can have a full clinic on your street.
- Pharmacies. Some funds run their own pharmacies inside or next to the clinic; others work through partner pharmacy chains. Either way, check where you would collect a prescription.
- Supplementary insurance. Each fund sells its own optional tiers of bituach mashlim (supplementary cover) for services outside the basket — choice of surgeon, some dental and alternative treatments, more generous second opinions. The tiers are not identical between funds; read what is included rather than the tier name.
- The app. Appointments, referrals, test results and prescriptions all run through the fund's app, and the apps differ in how much they offer in English. It matters more than it sounds.
How to register
Registration and transfers between funds go through Bituach Leumi, not the fund itself. In practice you either complete the form online through the Bituach Leumi site, or fill it in at a branch of the Israel Post, with your Teudat Zehut. Once the registration is processed, the fund issues a membership card and you can register with a family doctor at your chosen clinic.
- Bring: your ID, and for children the sefach (the ID appendix) that lists them.
- Then: download the app, choose a family doctor and a paediatrician, and book a first visit before anyone is ill — a new patient visit is easier to get than an urgent one.
Switching funds
You are allowed to move from one fund to another; the transfer is submitted the same way as the first registration and takes effect at fixed points during the year, not immediately. Supplementary insurance does not automatically carry over, and some tiers have waiting periods for new members, so time a switch carefully if you rely on that cover.
When you cannot wait for a clinic appointment
Jerusalem has several urgent-care centres that treat walk-ins in the evenings and on weekends, and three main hospitals with emergency rooms — Hadassah Ein Kerem, Hadassah Mount Scopus and Shaare Zedek. For emergencies the ambulance service, Magen David Adom, is on 101. Your fund's app usually lists the nearest urgent-care option and whether a referral is needed to avoid a charge.
The Hebrew you will meet
- קופת חולים — kupat cholim — health fund
- רופא משפחה — rofe mishpacha — family doctor; רופא ילדים — rofe yeladim — paediatrician
- הפניה — hafnaya — referral; התחייבות — hitchayvut — the fund's written commitment to pay for a treatment
- מרשם — mirsham — prescription; בית מרקחת — beit mirkachat — pharmacy
- ביטוח משלים — bituach mashlim — supplementary insurance
More vocabulary, grouped by situation, is in Hebrew words you need for daily life in Jerusalem. If you are still setting up, the first-month checklist shows where this step sits in the order.
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