Health funds, doctors and urgent care in Tel Aviv

Everyone in Israel gets the same basic health coverage through one of four health funds. Here is how I would set things up in Tel Aviv and what to do when something happens at night.

Pick a health fund

The four funds (kupot cholim) are Clalit, Leumit, Maccabi and Meuhedet. AACI suggests choosing by which clinics are near your home, whether doctors there speak your language, and your family's medical needs (AACI (opens in a new tab)). Nefesh B'Nefesh says all four are represented in Tel Aviv (Nefesh B'Nefesh (opens in a new tab)).

By law every fund provides the same basket of services; health contributions are collected by Bituach Leumi whichever fund you join, and funds may charge co-payments for some visits and medicines (Maccabi (opens in a new tab)). Supplementary insurance is optional and costs extra; the Ministry of Health has a comparison tool (AACI (opens in a new tab)). If you want to switch later, the move takes effect on one of six fixed dates a year, and you apply through Bituach Leumi's website or at a post office (AACI (opens in a new tab)).

Find a doctor who speaks English

Once you have joined, use your fund's app or website to search for family doctors near home and filter by language. Our doctor directory lists English-speaking doctors we have checked, with the languages each one's own listing gives. There are also directories for dentists, therapy, pharmacies and the health fund branches.

After hours

• Maccabi members can call Maccabi Nonstop on *3555 (Maccabi (opens in a new tab)).
• Leumit runs a free 24/7 medical consultation line on 1-700-507-507 or *507, including on Shabbat and holidays, and books house calls on *9101 (Leumit (opens in a new tab)).
• Clalit and Meuhedet members should check their fund's own after-hours number. I did not find it on a page I could check.
• Nefesh B'Nefesh's Tel Aviv page lists Bikur Rofe for urgent care and notes other locations through the health funds (Nefesh B'Nefesh (opens in a new tab)). See the urgent care directory.

The emergency room and the referral form

Leumit explains how this works: call the fund's line first, and with a referral the fund sends it straight to the emergency room at no charge. If you go without a referral, you sign a form promising to bring a Tofes 17 (commitment form) to the hospital, and you pay at the hospital (Leumit (opens in a new tab)). Emergency room fees are set by law and depend on the time of day, and the Ministry of Health publishes the exemptions (Leumit (opens in a new tab)). In a real emergency, call 101 for an ambulance (Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality (opens in a new tab)).

Hospitals

The city's hospital is Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov) at 6 Weizmann Street; the vehicle entrance on Weizmann is open around the clock (Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (opens in a new tab)). Its main emergency room is on floor -1 of the Sylvan Adams ER Building, and children are seen at the separate pediatric ER in Dana-Dwek Children's Hospital. The ER's urgent care line is +972-3-697-3410 (Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (opens in a new tab)). Nefesh B'Nefesh also lists Rabin (Beilinson), Assuta and Wolfson as nearby hospitals (Nefesh B'Nefesh (opens in a new tab)).

If you are new, register with a fund before you need one. The order of steps is in Your first week in Tel Aviv.