How Much Does It Cost to See a Doctor in Israel? NIS 31.16 to NIS 41.80 a Quarter for a Specialist
A specialist visit costs NIS 31.16 to NIS 41.80 a quarter from April 2026, and no health fund’s table carries a charge for a primary doctor.
A visit to a community specialist costs NIS 31.16 to NIS 41.80 a quarter from 1 April 2026, depending on the health fund, under the Ministry of Health’s 2026 circular to Israel’s four health funds. No fund’s table in that circular carries a charge for a visit to a primary doctor, the GP or family doctor most members see first. The figures are co-payments for insured members. Each is set under the fund’s own Knesset-approved plan and indexed to the 2025 health cost index.
| Figure | What it counts | Period |
|---|---|---|
| NIS 31.16 to NIS 41.80 | Co-payment for one community specialist, once per quarter, by fund | From 1 April 2026 |
| No co-payment line | Visit to a primary doctor, in every fund’s table | From 1 April 2026 |
| NIS 41.05 to NIS 41.80 | Co-payment for a hospital outpatient clinic, once per quarter, by fund | From 1 April 2026 |
| NIS 250.77 to NIS 313.46 | Family quarterly ceiling on doctor, outpatient-clinic and institute co-payments together, by fund | From 1 April 2026 |
| NIS 125.39 to NIS 156.73 | The same ceiling for a family with a new immigrant or a member over retirement age, by fund | From 1 April 2026 |
Source: Ministry of Health, Circular 2/2026, published 23 September 2026. This is the Ministry’s own binding circular to the health funds under the National Health Insurance Law, 1994, with each fund’s charges set out under its own approved plan.
A specialist visit costs NIS 31.16 to NIS 41.80 a quarter
Leumit charges the most for a specialist, at NIS 41.80 a quarter. Clalit charges the least, at NIS 31.16. The Ministry of Health published these rates in its own 2026 circular to the funds, indexed to the 2025 health cost index. Each fund charges under its own Knesset-approved plan.
The charge is made once per quarter. One payment covers repeat visits to that specialist for three months from the visit. A visit to a different specialist within the same quarter can carry a second charge. Every community specialist outside the primary specialties is charged, a psychiatrist included. How long members wait for those appointments is a separate record on waiting times for specialists.
No fund charges for a visit to a primary doctor
No health fund’s 2026 table carries a co-payment line for a visit to a primary doctor, under the Ministry of Health’s own circular to the funds. The Ministry of Health states that a primary doctor is a general practitioner or a specialist in family medicine, paediatrics, internal medicine or gynaecology. Every other community specialist is a secondary doctor and is charged.
| Doctor | Class in the circular | Co-payment line, from 1 April 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| General practitioner | Primary | None in any fund’s table |
| Family medicine, paediatrics, internal medicine, gynaecology | Primary | None in any fund’s table |
| Psychiatrist | Secondary | NIS 31.16 to NIS 41.80 a quarter, by fund |
| Any other community specialist | Secondary | NIS 31.16 to NIS 41.80 a quarter, by fund |
After-hours visits, night clinics and home visits are charged separately, each under the fund’s own plan. Meuhedet lists an out-of-hours home visit at NIS 208.98.
A hospital outpatient clinic visit costs NIS 41.80 a quarter
Clalit, Meuhedet and Leumit each charge NIS 41.80 a quarter for a hospital outpatient clinic, and Maccabi charges NIS 41.05. The Ministry of Health published these amounts in the same circular, indexed to the 2025 health cost index under each fund’s approved plan. Like the specialist charge, the outpatient charge is made once per quarter.
| Fund | Hospital outpatient clinic, per quarter | Community specialist, per quarter |
|---|---|---|
| Clalit | NIS 41.80 | NIS 31.16 |
| Maccabi | NIS 41.05 | NIS 34.43 |
| Meuhedet | NIS 41.80 | NIS 33.58 |
| Leumit | NIS 41.80 | NIS 41.80 |
Source: Ministry of Health, Circular 2/2026, the Ministry’s own circular to the four health funds. All amounts apply from 1 April 2026.
The family quarterly ceiling runs NIS 250.77 to NIS 313.46
A family pays no more than NIS 250.77 a quarter at Clalit and no more than NIS 313.46 at Leumit for specialist, outpatient-clinic and institute co-payments combined. The Ministry of Health states these ceilings in its own circular, indexed to the 2025 health cost index. For a family with a new immigrant or a member over retirement age, the ceiling is roughly halved.
- Chronic patients have a separate monthly ceiling, computed quarterly. It is NIS 397.05 at Clalit and NIS 459.75 at Meuhedet and Leumit.
- Section 17.1 of the circular lists the population groups exempt from the specialist, outpatient-clinic and institute co-payments.
The circular publishes no emergency room or private-visit price
The Ministry of Health’s circular sets co-payments for members of the four health funds within the state basket of services. It is the Ministry’s own binding instrument to the funds. It does not price care outside that basket.
- No hospital emergency department charge appears in the four fund tables.
- No price appears for a private consultation.
- No price appears for a visit by a tourist or another uninsured visitor.
- The night and out-of-hours lines in the tables are fund charges for members. They are not prices for anyone outside a fund.
Each fund charges under its own Knesset-approved plan
Israel has no single national price for a doctor visit. The Ministry of Health issued its circular to the funds as its own binding instrument under the National Health Insurance Law, 1994. Each amount is indexed to the 2025 health cost index and applies from 1 April 2026. A quarterly charge is not a per-visit price, and dividing it by a number of visits does not produce one. The family ceiling caps the combined charges and is not added to them. Rates from different funds belong to different plans and are not summed.
Questions readers ask
Is it free to see a GP in Israel?
The Ministry of Health records no co-payment line for a visit to a primary doctor in any fund’s 2026 table. A GP is a primary doctor under the circular’s definition. After-hours and home visits are charged separately.
How long does one specialist co-payment last?
The Ministry of Health states that one co-payment covers that specialist for three months from the visit. Repeat visits to the same specialist in that period carry no further charge.
Do I pay again if I see a different specialist in the same quarter?
The Ministry of Health published fund tables under which a visit to a different specialist within the quarter can carry a second charge. The amount follows the fund’s own plan.
Is a visit to a psychiatrist charged?
The Ministry of Health states that a psychiatrist is a secondary doctor, so the specialist co-payment applies. That is NIS 31.16 to NIS 41.80 a quarter from 1 April 2026, depending on the fund. Waiting times for mental health care are a separate record.
Which health fund charges the least for a specialist?
The Ministry of Health puts Clalit’s specialist co-payment at NIS 31.16 a quarter from 1 April 2026, the lowest of the four funds.
Which health fund charges the most for a specialist?
The Ministry of Health puts Leumit’s specialist co-payment at NIS 41.80 a quarter from 1 April 2026, the highest of the four funds.
Is a visit to a paediatrician charged?
The Ministry of Health states that a paediatrician is a primary doctor. No fund’s 2026 table carries a primary-doctor charge.
How much does an out-of-hours home visit cost?
The Ministry of Health published Meuhedet’s out-of-hours home visit at NIS 208.98 under that fund’s own plan. Each fund prices after-hours care in its own table.
Is there a limit on what a family pays for doctor visits?
The Ministry of Health states a family quarterly ceiling of NIS 250.77 to NIS 313.46, depending on the fund. The ceiling covers doctor, outpatient-clinic and institute co-payments together.
Do new immigrants pay less?
The Ministry of Health records a reduced family ceiling of NIS 125.39 to NIS 156.73 a quarter for a family with a new immigrant or a member over retirement age.
Do chronic patients have a different limit?
The Ministry of Health published a separate monthly ceiling for chronic patients, computed quarterly. It is NIS 397.05 at Clalit and NIS 459.75 at Meuhedet and Leumit.
Who is exempt from the specialist co-payment?
The Ministry of Health lists the exempt population groups in section 17.1 of its 2026 circular. The exemption covers the specialist, outpatient-clinic and institute co-payments.
When did the 2026 rates take effect?
The Ministry of Health stated the rates in force from 1 April 2026, indexed to the 2025 health cost index. The circular itself is dated 23 September 2026.
How much does a tourist pay to see a doctor in Israel?
The Ministry of Health published no price for an uninsured visitor in its 2026 circular. The circular is the Ministry’s own instrument setting fund co-payments for insured members only.
Sources
- Ministry of Health, 2026. Circular of the Deputy Director General for Supervision of Health Funds 2/2026: Update of Payments for Health Services and Medicines for 2026. Health Care Organizations and Supplementary Regulatory Division, published 23 September 2026, in Hebrew. https://www.gov.il/BlobFolder/policy/sbn02-2026/he/files_circulars_sbn_sbn02-2026.pdf. Official or primary record.
