Private health insurance: protect your family

French olim, it must be said, struggle to understand the Israeli healthcare system, which, as I always say, sits halfway between the French and the American systems.

In the American system, almost everything is private, and those without health insurance, private health insurance of course, are truly to be pitied; as for the others, they too are to be pitied, because it is not uncommon for doctors to send their patients for an entire series of examinations, often unnecessary, in order to profit from them, notably by collecting fees for each consultation before and after examining the patient. It is also interesting to note that, beyond the difficulty of obtaining the famous "Green Card" that allows one to work in the United States, one of the reasons most frequently cited by French-speaking olim who spent time in the US, when asked why they ultimately left American soil, is that the healthcare system is a real obstacle course where every step carries an exorbitant cost for the patient, which can lead to staggering expenses, even for those who are insured...

In the French system, there is of course the social security system, which gives access to public healthcare, and on the private side, it is possible to consult privately and even to have surgery, but only in clinics, which are generally far less well-equipped than hospitals. The mutuelle then takes over to reimburse the differences in private fees compared to public rates, as well as dental care and eyeglasses.

In Israel, the system is a judicious blend of the two and, as a result, allows the patient, in most cases, to receive optimal care, provided of course, as you understand, they have taken out a PRIVATE health insurance policy.

It is not uncommon for French olim to call me wanting more information about the Israeli PRIVATE healthcare system, and very quickly they ask: "But does this insurance reimburse dental care or eyeglasses?" This is when I understand the gap separating them from the Israeli system, and that they do not at all grasp the very essence of this PRIVATE health insurance. No, it reimburses neither eyeglasses nor dental costs, but it is light-years away from such simple care, because in reality it is THE key that grants access to an entirely different universe: the Israeli PRIVATE healthcare system, which is a genuine parallel healthcare system and exists to compensate for all the shortcomings of the public system, which increasingly struggles to be satisfactory, notably due to the rise in life expectancy and the many treatments and costs it generates...

As you know, life expectancy has made a considerable leap over the past 100 years.

The first improvement came when doctors understood that they had to wash their hands to avoid the risk of contamination from one patient to another. This simple gesture marked a considerable shift. In that same spirit, even today a major awareness campaign has just launched on Israeli television channels about the absolute necessity of disinfecting hands in hospital settings, the primary source of contamination, which causes 5,000 deaths per year in Israeli hospitals.

The second stage of this evolution originated in the discovery of penicillin, which again made it possible to save many lives, contributing greatly to the increase in life expectancy. In its wake, the many vaccines that have emerged since have led to the near-disappearance of several scourges that over the centuries caused the deaths of tens of thousands of people, such as smallpox, plague, cholera, poliomyelitis, and rabies, all of which now evoke, thank God, a bygone era.

The third major step was the advent of medical imaging equipment, whether X-rays, CT scans, or MRIs, which make it possible to diagnose, screen for, or monitor a condition without having to operate on patients to find out exactly what they are suffering from.

The fourth step saw the emergence of many chemical treatments capable of treating, in particular, hypertension, cholesterol, and diabetes, which in turn greatly contributed to the increase in life expectancy.

The fifth step, we are living through it right now.

Innovative cancer treatments based, among other things, on immunotherapy, which lead some specialists to say that within a decade this disease will be classified in the same category as those mentioned in the previous paragraph, such as cholesterol or diabetes, are the revolution of today...

For example, leukemia, which even three years ago offered little hope of recovery, is today treated by immunotherapy, which relies on a genetic process that first identifies cancer cells and then attacks them using the patient's own white blood cells, after which the healthy cells are re-injected into the patient.

Another example: today certain types of diabetes can be treated with tablets taken daily rather than with insulin injections that affect quality of life. Except that these tablets are still not covered by the Ministry of Health and cost approximately 10,000 shekels per month.

As you might expect, it is not only therapeutic treatments that benefit from the unprecedented innovations of modern medicine, but also screening techniques. Today, through a blood test, medicine is able to determine whether a patient has colon cancer, without even needing them to undergo a colonoscopy, although the latter remains necessary to detect the very beginning of a tumor or polyps.

But here is the thing: in order to benefit from these innovative treatments, one must have taken out a PRIVATE health insurance policy, because the gap between the appearance of various treatments and technologies on the market and their coverage by the Israeli Ministry of Health through the famous "medicine basket" varies from 3 to 7 years, and their cost is particularly high...

The cost of immunotherapy treatments varies between 80,000 and 90,000 shekels per month.

But even without needing such treatments, going without private health insurance in Israel can also prove worrying.

For example, when a pregnant woman has contractions well before her due date and absolutely must have monitoring, she has no choice but to go to the hospital, which is not always necessary and even less desirable, or to wait several days to get an appointment at the Kupat Holim to which she belongs. This delay is not without consequence when one considers that care may be needed, particularly for the fetus.

Or why wait months for an orthopedic operation, delays communicated by the Ministry of Health itself in May 2018, when within the space of a week a patient can undergo a procedure by one of the best surgeons in the country and thus regain quality of life rather than having to suffer for many weeks.

Likewise, a woman who needs surgery has no desire to wait several weeks either, nor to be uncertain about being operated on by the doctor of her choice.

Two more important points to highlight:

Of the top ten hospitals in the world in terms of quality of care and hygiene, three are Israeli, but all are private...

Of the 5,000 surgeons practicing in Israel, only 2,200 work with the Kupot Holim (all funds combined), and the rest work exclusively in private practice, including the best...

The vast majority of native

Israelis take out a PRIVATE health insurance policy due to their long experience with the limitations of the Israeli public healthcare system, either because they have experienced those limitations themselves, or because they have seen their loved ones suffer from them. This is the case, among others, of the very famous Israeli weather presenter, Dany Roop, who even wrote a book to recount the hardships endured by his father faced with a public healthcare system that proved, in his father's case, particularly deficient and ultimately fatal...

French-speaking olim, for their part, as I said above, struggle to understand the VITAL necessity of taking out health insurance here in Israel, or when they do understand it, it is only after a condition has already appeared in themselves or in someone around them. In that case, of course, they will not be insured for everything and will have to submit to the admission conditions that the insurance companies will ask them to sign.

In other cases, after requesting quotes from several brokers, they cannot distinguish the difference in coverage offered by one or the other, and most often to their detriment. To make a genuine comparison, one must first be sure to be comparing the same things...

As I always say when someone calls me to take out such insurance, I always explain that they must FIRST make sure they are dealing with a genuine broker, who themselves holds a LIFE INSURANCE license (that is what health insurance is called in Israel) issued by the Israeli Ministry of Finance, and not just a car or home insurance license. It is also very important to verify that this same broker works with all companies and not just one or two, because in that case it means their financial interests, through higher commissions, take precedence over the real interest of the insured. A genuine broker will first and foremost look out for the interests of the people they are insuring, and in many cases it is even preferable to insure adults with one company and children with another, due to differences in coverage.

Above all, do not wait for something to develop before taking out a PRIVATE health insurance policy. Get ahead of it EARLY, especially since for a child under 18, the cost is only 48 shekels per month!

As for us, my husband and I are mindful that in this profession, we are first and foremost dealing with Dinei Nefashot as written in the Talmud, meaning that our primary goal is to protect our insured clients against any turn of events, particularly in matters of health.

With over 25 years of experience in insurance, my husband is recognized for his professionalism and seriousness, and we will advise you in the best way according to your interests.

For any additional information, please contact me directly at 054 307 0916 or by filling out the form below.

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