Overview

Israel has a national health insurance system that covers all residents of the country. The system is centralized under the Ministry of Health, with four competing non-profit health plans responsible for service provision and payment. Primary care and community-based specialist clinics have a prominent role and referrals are needed for some specialists and hospital care. Provision of dental care was incorporated into the health basket for children and older adults between 2012 and 2018.

Public sources accounted for 64.8% of current health expenditure in 2019, but voluntary health insurance plays a large role in health financing, representing 11% of current health expenditure in 2019. About 82% of adults obtain voluntary health insurance policies. At the same time, out-of-pocket payments persist, accounting for about 20% of health spending.

Life expectancy at birth in Israel rose from 79 years in 2000 to 83.4 years in 2018, and it appears that the impact of COVID-19 on life expectancy was relatively small in comparison with many European countries. Israel was one of the first countries to start a COVID-19 mass vaccination campaign for the first and second doses, which were rolled out in record time, and the first country to administer third and fourth doses.