FairWait
🇮🇱
Healthcare in Israel: cost & waiting times
Single national insurerUnder the National Health Insurance Law every resident must join one of four health funds (kupot holim) — Clalit, Maccabi, Meuhedet or Leumit — which provide a standard basket of services funded by a health tax. Members choose a family doctor in their fund and are referred to specialists and hospitals. Many people also buy supplementary insurance from their fund.
Emergency number: Ambulance 101 · Police 100 · Fire 102
How residents get care
- Join a health fund — Residents register with Clalit, Maccabi, Meuhedet or Leumit (through the post office or the fund).
- See your family doctor — Book through the fund's app or website; many specialists can be booked directly in the app.
- Referral and 'form 17' — For hospital care the fund issues a commitment form (tofes 17) authorising payment.
- Emergencies — Call 101 (Magen David Adom). Urgent-care centres (Terem and others) handle non-life-threatening problems.
Official waiting-time source
The Ministry of Health publishes waiting times for specialists and elective surgery by health fund and hospital. Supplementary insurance lets members choose a surgeon and get quicker private operations.
Ministry of Health — waiting times for specialists and surgery ↗
Typical private costs
Typical self-pay prices — for an exact figure use the official links above or ask a clinic for a written quote.
| Item | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Private specialist consultation | ₪400–₪900 |
| Urgent-care centre visit (uninsured) | ₪400–₪900 |
| Private MRI (one area) | ₪1,500–₪3,000 |
| Cataract surgery, per eye (private) | ₪8,800–₪13,000 |
| Hip replacement (private) | ₪44,000–₪57,000 |
Typical waits & prices by procedure
Typical averages for comparison, not quotes. Public care is free or nominal at the point of use unless noted. Private care has no standard queue — availability depends on the provider. Where an official statistic exists (UK, Ireland, Poland) the interactive guide shows it, dated and sourced.
| Procedure | Typical public wait | Typical private price |
|---|---|---|
| GP / primary-care appointment | ~5 days | ₪220–₪440 |
| Specialist consultation (first) | ~91 days | ₪660–₪1,100 |
| MRI scan (one area) | ~42 days | ₪1,300–₪2,200 |
| CT scan | ~42 days | ₪1,500–₪2,600 |
| Gastroscopy / endoscopy | ~63 days | ₪5,900–₪8,800 |
| Cataract surgery (per eye) | ~126 days | ₪8,800–₪13,000 |
| Knee arthroscopy | ~175 days | ₪16,000–₪24,000 |
| Inguinal hernia repair | ~154 days | ₪11,000–₪16,000 |
| Gallbladder removal | ~182 days | ₪20,000–₪29,000 |
| Hip replacement | ~210 days | ₪44,000–₪57,000 |
| Knee replacement | ~238 days | ₪48,000–₪62,000 |
| Tonsillectomy | ~175 days | ₪11,000–₪15,000 |
| Carpal tunnel release | ~168 days | ₪6,600–₪9,900 |
| X-ray | ~14 days | ₪290–₪550 |
| Ultrasound scan | ~28 days | ₪550–₪1,000 |
| Echocardiogram | ~42 days | ₪910–₪1,500 |
| Colonoscopy | ~70 days | ₪6,600–₪10,000 |
| Coronary angiogram | ~42 days | ₪9,100–₪14,000 |
| Varicose vein removal | ~140 days | ₪11,000–₪16,000 |
| Lumbar disc surgery (discectomy) | ~189 days | ₪33,000–₪48,000 |
| Rotator cuff repair (shoulder) | ~175 days | ₪24,000–₪33,000 |
| Hysterectomy | ~140 days | ₪26,000–₪38,000 |
| Vasectomy | ~70 days | ₪1,500–₪2,600 |
| Bunion surgery | ~175 days | ₪15,000–₪20,000 |
Prescriptions
Medicines in the health basket are dispensed with a co-payment through your health fund's pharmacies; others are paid privately.
Dental care
Dental care for children is in the basket; adults mostly pay privately or through supplementary dental plans.
Adult public dental cover: limited. Typical self-pay prices:
| Treatment | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Check-up + X-rays | ₪145–₪330 |
| Scale & polish | ₪220–₪440 |
| Filling | ₪330–₪730 |
| Extraction | ₪330–₪915 |
| Root canal | ₪1,100–₪2,560 |
| Crown | ₪1,465–₪3,295 |
| Implant (post only) | ₪4,390–₪9,145 |
| Implant + crown | ₪7,320–₪12,805 |
| Veneer (per tooth) | ₪1,465–₪3,295 |
| Full denture (per arch) | ₪1,830–₪4,390 |
Finding a doctor or specialist
Well-known hospital groups (listed, not vetted or ranked):
- Sheba Medical Center ↗
- Tel Aviv Sourasky (Ichilov) Medical Center ↗
- Hadassah Medical Center ↗
- Assuta Medical Centers ↗
Check a provider's inspection rating or registration with Ministry of Health ↗.
Health insurance
Insurers and schemes people in Israel commonly use, and cover for visitors. Listed for comparison, not recommended — check the policy wording yourself.
| Insurer | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Clalit Health Services ↗ | National / public scheme | Largest health fund. |
| Maccabi Healthcare Services ↗ | National / public scheme | Health fund. |
| Meuhedet ↗ | National / public scheme | Health fund. |
| Leumit Health Services ↗ | National / public scheme | Health fund. |
| Harel Insurance ↗ | Local health insurer | Private health insurance. |
Visiting Israel?
Your entitlement: None in practice — the UK–Israel agreement only covers industrial accidents for people entitled to industrial injuries benefit, and the GHIC isn't valid. Visitors pay, and treatment is expensive.
EHIC / GHIC: EHIC/GHIC not valid.
Pharmacies: Pharmacies (Super-Pharm, Be, and health-fund pharmacies) are widespread.
Insurance: Travel insurance essential — check it's valid given current FCDO advice, as many policies exclude areas the FCDO advises against travelling to.
Useful links
Open the full interactive guide, compare tool & tracker →Content last checked: 2026-10-02. Figures are typical/official-source references, not quotes — see the links above for the current real number.