Klalit Health Services
The largest of Israel's four statutory health funds, covering roughly half the population through an integrated network of community clinics and owned hospitals.
Klalit Health Services (Hebrew: Sherutei Bri'ut Klalit) is the largest of Israel's four statutory health funds, covering roughly half of all Israeli residents through an integrated network of community clinics and owned hospitals. Klalit is one of the four Kupot Holim licensed under Israel's 1995 National Health Insurance Law, alongside Maccabi Healthcare Services, Meuhedet, and Leumit.
The organization traces its founding to 1911, predating the State of Israel by 37 years, and was historically affiliated with the Histadrut labor federation. It now operates as a non-profit public-benefit corporation under the supervision of Israel's Ministry of Health and Bituach Leumi, which collects the statutory health tax and distributes it to the funds via a capitation formula.
Operating model
Klalit is the only Israeli health fund that owns and operates a major hospital network alongside its community-clinic system. The hospital arm includes Beilinson, Schneider Children's Medical Center, Soroka, Carmel, Kaplan, and other tertiary centers. This vertical integration distinguishes Klalit from peer funds, which operate as payers contracting with independent hospital systems.
Service entitlements are defined annually by the Sal HaTziyud (Health Services Basket) and accessed through clinic referrals and the Tofes 17 commitment document.
Position in the Israeli payer system
Klalit's scale, hospital ownership, and geographic footprint — including dense coverage of Israel's periphery — make it the de facto baseline against which the other three funds are benchmarked on cost, access, and clinical performance. It is also the largest single purchaser of pharmaceuticals and medical devices in the Israeli market and a primary clinical-trial partner for Israeli and multinational health-tech firms, including innovation arms such as Sheba ARC.
