The Kupat Cholim is permitted to offer supplemental health service plans (‘Shaban’- Sherutei Briut Nosafim) that offer additional medical services beyond those included in the Health Basket. These plans are optional and require additional payment to the Kupat Cholim beyond the basic health insurance contributions that all residents pay to Bituach Leumi.

A health fund is forbidden to make the provision of services included in the basket of services conditional on enrollment or membership in its supplementary health services plan.

Differences between Kupot

There are differences in the supplementary plans offered by the different health funds. Each fund is free to choose which services it will offer its members under its supplementary plan, providing that these services are not included in the basic “basket of services.”

Waiting period

The health fund may set a reasonable “qualification period” (waiting period), i.e. a certain period between the date when the member joined the supplementary plan and the date when he will be entitled to rights under the plan. (There are funds that exempt a person switching from another fund in which he was insured under a supplementary plan from all or a part of the waiting period).

Comparison to Private Insurance Policies

The supplemental plans can be compared to private insurance policies that also cover additional medical services beyond those included in the Health Basket, but with some important differences, including:

• The health fund is obligated to accept any member requesting to join the plan, regardless of his state of health, and the rights of an enrolling member may not be made conditional or restricted in any way.
• The price of the plan must be uniform for each age group, regardless of the number of years of membership in the plan or the member’s state of health or finances.

In addition, a health fund may introduce changes in its supplementary plan (e.g. payments, addition or removal of medical services, etc.) only after it received the approval of the Ministry of Health. Private insurance policies, on the other hand, are regulated by the Finance Ministry.