Each resident of Israel has the right to freely switch between health maintenance organizations at will.
HMOs must accept each patient who applies and may not apply any conditions for joining, including age or health situation. Employers are not authorized to require that employees join a specific HMO.
How do I switch?
Fill out the form and submit it at the Bituah Leumi websiteor at any Israel Post branch. Online registrations are free of charge.
Date the transfer is implemented - By law, transfers to a different HMO come into force on six dates every year (the 15th of each odd-numbered month) as shown on the table:
|
The date the switch enters into force |
The date of the transfer request |
|
January 1 |
September 16 to November 15 |
|
March 1 |
November 16 to January 15 |
|
May 1 |
January 16 to March 15 |
|
July 1 |
March 16 to May 15 |
|
September 1 |
May 16 to July 15 |
|
November 1 |
July 16 to September 15 |
- Until the transfer is implemented, you will continue to enjoy all the usual benefits at the HMO you are leaving.
Annulment of the notice of transfer
You can annul the notice of transfer to another HMO until 45 days before the transfer is implemented, as shown in this table:
|
The date the cancellation is implemented |
Date of the cancellation request |
|
January 1 |
Until November 15 |
|
March 1 |
Until January 15 |
|
May 1 |
Until March 15 |
|
July 1 |
Until May 15 |
|
September 1 |
Until July 15 |
|
November 1 |
Until September 15 |
After you annul the transfer notice, you can submit notice of a transfer to the HMO of your choice, but your registration at the new HMO will be implemented on the date following the closest implementation date.
Customer rights during the transfer between HMOs
If you were registered for the highest tier of health insurance at your previous HMO, you will be automatically registered for the highest tier at Meuhedet (Meuhedet Si) with no waiting period.
