Medical Insurance for Children of Foreign Workers Who are Not Permament Residents of Israel | iSavta
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Medical Insurance for Children of Foreign Workers Who are Not Permament Residents of Israel

It is not easy to be in another country without medical insurance especially if you have your children with you. Though, some countries offer insurances for migrant workers, these may cause a huge amount of money.

It is important that a foreign citizen in another country would feel safe knowing that they can immediately seek for medical help in times of emergency. It is also important that the foreigner can insure their children and receive medical services parallel to the services provided to the citizens of the country as part of the national health insurance.

The Ministry of Health in Israel, through the Meuhedet Health Fund, operates a program for arranging medical insurance for children who are in Israel but are not permanent residents of Israel.

Minors who live in Israel but not with a residency status such as children of foreign workers, may apply for a medical insurance plan.

 

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The children insured in the arrangement are entitled to receive all the services provided to children who are residents of Israel within the framework of national health insurance.

Here is the complete circular regarding the provision of health services for minors in Israel who are not covered by the National Health Insurance Law on the Ministry of Health:

In this informational sheet, we will present to you the health plan providing services for minors who are not Israeli residents.

The Ministry of Health initiated this plan and it is operated by Meuhedet Health Fund. The effect of the extended agreement is for a period of 4 years, as of 1.4.2015 and until 31.3.2019. The engagement will allow three additional extension periods of two years each.

We shall explain hereunder who is eligible to be registered to the plan, the manner of registration, and the terms of the plan.

It should be emphasized: the details that you provide will be used solely for the health insurance and will not be used for any other purpose. Do not be afraid to exercise the right granted to you because exercising this right does not put you at risk or expose you to the police, the Ministry of Interior or other enforcement authorities in any manner.

Persons eligible to be registered:

1. A child that was born in Israel and whose mother stayed in Israel for six consecutive months prior to his birth, or that the cumulative stay of his mother until his birth and his stay – as of the date of his birth, is six months in the aggregate – is entitled to receive a certificate of eligibility and register to the plan.

2. A child that was not born in Israel or that was born in Israel but left it after his birth – whether he stayed in the country for six consecutive months before he requested a certificate of eligibility and register to the plan.

Persons not entitled to be registered:

Children who are residents of the Palestinian Authority, children of diplomats, children to parents who stay in Israel for academic purposes and in teaching positions in academic institutions and children staying in the country as tourists.

Place of registration:

You should contact one of the health bureau located around the country to receive a certificate of eligibility.

The parent or the person responsible for the minor is required to arrive to the health bureau with the following certificates:

  • The minor birth certificate (if the minor was born in Israel);
  • Passports of that person and the minor (if the minor has a passport)
  • If the minor is less than six months old – you should make an effort to bring the mother's passport even if the person performing the registration is another parent or another person responsible for the minor.

In case the minor is attending the education system – it is recommended to bring a certificate issued by the kindergarten or the school that the minor attended the educational institution in the last six months prior to the referral to the health office.

If you work in Israel – it is recommended to try and present certificates on behalf of the employer proving that you worked for the employer in the last six months prior to your arrival to the health office.

If the person responsible for the minor, who registers the minor, is not his natural parent – you should arrive with the adoption documents or guardianship documents, as the case may be.

In the health offices, you will be required to fill in a short document of details, the clerk in the health office will produce to the eligible persons a certificate confirming that they are entitled to health insurance.

The person responsible for the minor is required to arrive to one of the branches of Meuhedet Health Fund with one of these certificates (a detailed list of the branches of Meuhedet Health Fund can be found at the health bureau) and there, after registration, he will receive a certificate confirming that the minor is an insured member of the health fund.

It is preferable that the query will be made in the health fund branch located in 73 Lewinsky St. in Tel Aviv where the clerks speak a number of languages and will be able to provide you an explanation in your own language.

Effective date of eligibility:

In respect of a minor that was born in Israel and was registered in the health fund within 6 months as of the date of his birth, his eligibility takes effect immediately upon his registration at the health fund, without any waiting period.

In respect of a minor that was born in Israel but was not registered on time (within 6 months as of the date of his birth) and in respect of a minor that was not born in Israel – he may be registered as eligible for health insurance after he stayed in the country six consecutive months. The eligibility to receive the health services in full takes effect four months as of the registration date in accordance with the rules set forth in this procedure.

A minor that was not born in Israel shall be entitled to receive the same scope of services but shall not be entitled to receive the services he needs due to a preexisting medical condition prior to his arrival to Israel and for a period of two years from the time of his registration as aforesaid.

Regarding the arrangement – a minor that left Israel after his birth in Israel shall be treated in the same manner as a minor that was not born in Israel.

What does the eligibility include?

A minor that is registered for the service shall be entitled to receive all the services that an Israeli minor is entitled to receive except for health services that are provided abroad. These services include diverse medical treatments provided by family doctors, pediatricians, and other specialists, hospitalization in hospitals, all medications that are included in the national health basket and more.

(1) Entitlement to reimbursement of expenses for services that were provided to the minor only in a medical emergency (especially in the ER and at the hospital).

(2) The minor shall be entitled to receive the basic clinic services in the clinics of the health fund (primary medicine and professional medicine) as customary and as provided to the insureds in these clinics. The medications that are included in 20 the health basket according to the arrangement and that are included in the prescription that the minor receives during his visits to the clinics of the health fund and the laboratory tests that are included in the health basket in accordance with the arrangement and that are practiced in the laboratories of the health fund if the physician at the health fund decided that he needed them.

Elective services that require a referral (Form 17) in advance or retroactively to outside service providers (outside the health fund) shall not be provided during the period of the said four months. Therefore, it is important to register early and not to wait until the minor has a medical problem that requires treatment.

The services are provided by the health fund itself, in its clinics, by its physicians and service providers working with the health fund. The member is not entitled to receive reimbursement for medical services that were purchased privately, unless the health fund approved this explicitly.

Services that are provided in the family health centers ("Tipat Halav") of the Ministry of Health will continue to be provided also by the Ministry of Health as customary to all Israeli residents and that are not included in the health insurance.

Cost:

The monthly insurance premium is in the amount of 120 NIS per minor. The limit of payment for each parent for all his underage children is 240 NIS.

The parent of a minor that is subject to a waiting period, as specified above, is obligated to pay also for the awaiting months.

Method of payment:

At the time of registering at the health fund, a monthly payments register will be issued to you.

Please make sure that you make all payments on time. Remember, a delay in payment may result in termination of your eligibility.

In addition, there are different services that require additional payment, for example – an appointment with a specialist, medications. The payments that will be charged from you are identical to the payment charged from all Israeli minors.

Payment of the health insurance and for the services included in the payment is a condition for receiving the service.

The arrangement is intended for your children. The health offices thought the country and the branches of Meuhedet Health Fund will help you to exercise your rights and you may approach them with any question you might have.

And again, do not be afraid: all the details that you provide will be used solely for the purpose of the health insurance and they will not be used for any other purpose. Please help us to help you, and provide full and accurate details. In this manner, you will be able to exercise fully the rights granted to you and arrange for your children a comprehensive health insurance.

Source: http://www.health.gov.il / http://www.kolzchut.org.il

 

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