Before you start

Registered resident status — citizenship, a teudat oleh or recognised residency. B/1 holders and visitors are excluded
Registration with Bituach Leumi, which triggers health-fund enrolment
A Teudat Zehut or, for olim, a temporary ID number
An Israeli payment method for contributions and the supplemental plan

Step-by-step

1
Register with Bituach Leumi
Public healthcare follows from registered residency. Olim are usually registered on landing; others register at the Haifa branch or online. This is also what applies the olim health-tax exemption for roughly the first six months.
In personWho: You, with Bituach LeumiImmediate for olim; 1–3 weeks for a change of status
2
Choose one of the four health funds
Every fund must accept you and provide the identical statutory basket, so compare clinics, apps and supplemental tiers rather than cover. In a vertical city, check which fund has a clinic on your tier of the mountain rather than one that is merely nearby on a map.
OnlineWho: You, through Bituach LeumiFree; the basic basket is health-tax funded
3
Add the supplemental plan (bituach mashlim)
Almost every resident adds their fund's own supplemental tier for faster specialists, choice of surgeon, partial dental and overseas cover. It is a separate and much cheaper product than standalone commercial insurance.
Mobile appWho: Your kupahRoughly ₪50–150 a month
4
Register with a family doctor and learn the referral rule
Most specialist appointments require a hafnaya referral from your GP. Book and renew prescriptions through the fund's app. Copays are small with a quarterly ceiling.
Mobile appWho: You
5
If you are on a B/1: get the employer's policy in writing
The Foreign Workers Law obliges your employer to provide private medical insurance. Obtain the policy document, the insurer and the hospital network before you need them. It is not the national system and does not behave like it.
Via employerWho: Your employer

Documents you’ll need

Teudat Zehut, or teudat oleh and temporary ID for new immigrants
Bituach Leumi registration confirmation
Proof of Haifa address for clinic assignment
Payment details for contributions and the supplemental plan
For B/1 holders: the employer-provided private policy

Things most newcomers don’t know

Living and working in Haifa does not put you in the health system.

Entitlement follows registered residency, not presence or employment. B/1 foreign workers, remote workers and visitors sit outside it entirely and an emergency-room bill lands wholly out of pocket. The Foreign Workers Law places the duty on the employer for B/1 staff, which only helps if you have actually seen the policy and know which hospitals it covers.

Source: Bituach Leumi — foreign worker entitlement; Foreign Workers Law 5751-1991

Rambam is the referral centre for the whole north, which is a genuine advantage of living here.

Complex cases from across northern Israel are sent to Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa. For a resident that means tertiary specialities, trauma capability and clinical research are local rather than a journey away — the opposite of the usual trade-off when you leave a country's largest city.

Source: Rambam Health Care Campus

Pick your health fund by which tier of the mountain its clinic is on.

The four funds provide an identical legal benefits basket, so the only differentiators that matter day to day are clinic location, app quality and the supplemental tier. In a city with 300 metres of vertical relief, a clinic that is close on a map but two bus changes and a climb away is not close. And the choice is reversible a few times a year at no cost.

Source: Ministry of Health — National Health Insurance Law

The olim health-tax waiver ends without a reminder.

New immigrants with no or low income are typically exempt from health tax for roughly the first six months from aliyah, after which contributions start automatically through Bituach Leumi. A payment gap can disrupt cover. Diary the end of month six rather than waiting for a letter.

Source: Bituach Leumi — registration and contributions for new olim

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming residence in Haifa means coverage — B/1 holders, remote workers and visitors are outside the system.
Booking a specialist without a GP referral (hafnaya) and paying full price.
Choosing a health fund by brand rather than by which clinic you can actually reach on your tier of the city.
Letting the olim health-tax exemption lapse without noticing contributions have begun.
Dialling a single emergency number — it is 101 for a Magen David Adom ambulance, 100 police, 102 fire.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.