Israelis Spend Over $400 Monthly on Healthcare, Survey Reveals

The average Israeli household spends approximately 967 shekels per month on healthcare, according to a household expenditure survey. An additional 584 shekels are paid monthly as health tax, bringing the total to about 1,551 shekels, or roughly 18,600 shekels annually, before any extraordinary medical expenses.

The health tax rate is 3.23% on the first portion of salary up to 7,703 shekels per month, and 5.17% on amounts exceeding that, capped at a maximum monthly payment of 2,534 shekels for salaries of 51,910 shekels or more. Starting in 2026, the tax bracket will be a fixed, index-linked amount rather than a percentage of average salary.

Health insurance premiums constitute the largest portion of family healthcare spending, averaging 364 shekels per month. This includes 216 shekels for supplementary health services (SHIS) from health funds, 125 shekels for private insurance, and 18 shekels for long-term care insurance. Dental care is the second-largest expense at 225 shekels monthly, followed by medications and medical equipment at 251 shekels, and other health services at 127 shekels.

This breakdown explains the feeling among families that they are paying twice for the same services. For example, a child might pay 27 shekels monthly for a "Platinum" plan with Clalit Health Services, while an adult aged 65 or older pays 156 shekels for the same plan. This age-based pricing is a primary factor in SHIS costs, leading younger families to pay less and older couples to pay significantly more.

A family of four, with parents in their forties and children under 18, pays around 279 shekels monthly for Clalit's Platinum plan, totaling approximately 3,350 shekels annually for the plan alone. Maccabi Health Services offers a family cap of 152 shekels per month on its "Adif" program, being the only fund with such a ceiling; Clalit, Meuhedet, and Leumit Health Services calculate payments per person without a family limit. All four funds offer reduced rates for the first three children, with the fourth child and subsequent children exempt from payment.

Co-payments for certain services also exist, with family quarterly ceilings for out-of-pocket expenses: 250 shekels at Clalit, 266 shekels at Maccabi, and 313 shekels at Leumit. These ceilings cover visits to specialists, clinics, and outpatient services, including children under 18. Seniors and new immigrants often pay half these amounts. Prescription drugs within the health basket have a minimum charge of 21 shekels, with additional charges of 15% of the consumer price or 10% if a generic alternative is available. Chronic patients have a separate quarterly cap of about 1,190 shekels at Clalit.

In total, Israelis paid 17.9 billion shekels in private health insurance premiums last year. A significant 78.9% of health fund members, totaling 7.4 million people, hold supplementary health insurance. Research indicates that 87% of individuals aged 22 and older possess some form of voluntary insurance beyond the basic health basket, contributing to duplicate coverage and double payments for the same treatments.