kupat cholim for new olim

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Kupat cholim for new olim

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GramaNewYork

Mon, Oct 15 2012, 10:15 am

Can someone tell me from your experience, (1) what is the difference between the different kupat cholim organizations and (2) if you choose one when you arrive in Israel, do you have to stay with the one you chose or are you free to switch?

fiddle

Mon, Oct 15 2012, 10:24 am

you can switch I think every three months. usually people research kupot where they are going to live. some are better than others in different areas. and some are not available in different areas.

Marion

Tue, Oct 16 2012, 12:31 am

In the Jerusalem area Meuchedet or Maccabi seem to be the big two. In the yishuvim it's usually Clalit, or so it seems. Leumit appears to be the smallest, but maybe that's just where I am. (In Ma'ale Adumim Meuchedet has 4 clinics, a child development centre, and a dental clinic, Maccabi has 2, Clalit has 3 and a dental clinic, and Leumit has 1.)

The basic insurance is the same in all of them, as these are the services mandated by the National Health Law. The copays work differently. The main differences come with the supplementary insurance plans that you pay for.

hila

Tue, Oct 16 2012, 1:24 am

Does this mean you are finally coming ??? Smile

looking forward to seeing you again !

BeershevaBubby

Tue, Oct 16 2012, 1:35 am

fiddle wrote:

you can switch I think every three months. usually people research kupot where they are going to live. some are better than others in different areas. and some are not available in different areas.

That technically may be the case but there are some things that take 6 months to kick in.

IMO, wait until you get here, see which clinics are closest to you. Take a 'tour' at say 8:30, 9 a.m. and see how smoothly things seem to run. Find out if anyone at reception speaks English. Find out if there's an administration office so when an emergency comes up you don't have to travel across town to get last-minute paperwork....

cubbie

Tue, Oct 16 2012, 3:48 am

Bear in mind that any medical tests you have done in the past might have to be redone (my parents made aliyah from UK and the doctors didn't understand any of their medical papers here, so they had to start from scratch), so depending on your medical situation, changing kuppah can mean starting all the checks and test yet again.

GramaNewYork

Tue, Oct 16 2012, 6:07 am

Hila, we are STILL working on it!!!!

Thank you, ladies, for your insights.

avocado

Tue, Oct 16 2012, 9:46 am

definitely check around your area because there are huge fluctuations in the services offered in different areas.

I've been olim tend to most often go for maccabi or meuchedet, but I don't know why or what the difference in service is.

I personally am on maccabi, which serves well in my area. if you are near jerusalem then maccabi also have a deal going with the hadassah hospitals that makes it less of a hassle seeing doctors there. also they have a very good online system, whereby you can get all your results and a lot of your records online, and book appointments for you and your kids very easily without having to speak to any obnoxious secretaries.

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