Health Insurance and Medical Care During the Year

What you're solving

You want two things. First, if your child gets sick or hurt, they can see a doctor quickly and you won't get a large bill. Second, any care they already get at home, like a prescription, therapy or allergy shots, continues without a break.

Both are much easier to arrange in the summer than from another continent in November. This guide is general information, not medical or insurance advice. The policy document and your own doctor have the final say.

How coverage usually works

Overseas students aren't part of Israel's national health system, which serves residents through four health funds. A health fund is called a kupat cholim (קֻפַּת חוֹלִים). Students are covered by a private plan for foreign students instead, and that plan usually sends them to a set network of clinics and doctors.

In most cases the program picks the plan. Masa's FAQ, for example, says medical insurance is included in the cost of its programs and that visitors are required to have health insurance. Some consulates also ask for proof of medical insurance with the student visa application, as covered in visas and paperwork.

To see what such a plan can look like, take the one Hebrew University describes for its overseas students. We're using it only because the school publishes the details:

• It covers the student only, and only inside Israel. Trips abroad need separate travel coverage.
• Pre-existing conditions may be excluded. A student can keep separate insurance or apply for an add-on, and even the add-on doesn't cover routine upkeep of the condition.
• Chronic conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure need special approval and an add-on.
• Pregnancy isn't covered under the basic policy.

Your program's plan may be more or less generous. The point is that "insurance is included" doesn't tell you what's covered. You have to read the policy.

What to ask the program

Send these by email and ask for the policy document itself, not a summary.

• Which plan is it, is it included in tuition, and what dates does it cover? Does it start on arrival day and run through the end of the program?
• Pre-existing conditions: are they covered, excluded, or covered with an add-on? What does the add-on cost and what's the deadline to apply?
• Mental health: are therapy and psychiatric visits covered? How many sessions, and with whom? Is care available in English?
• Prescriptions: are ongoing medications covered, and is there a copay?
• Dental and vision: is anything covered beyond emergencies?
• Emergencies: what happens with an ambulance or emergency room visit? Does the student pay first and claim later?
• Travel: is the student covered on trips outside Israel, including a visit home?
• Sports and hiking injuries: are any activities excluded?
• Who helps a sick student get to a doctor, and who calls the parents?

If your child has any ongoing condition, declare it on the insurance form. Leaving it off to keep things simple can lead to a denied claim later.

Keep or drop your home coverage?

Many families keep the student on their home plan for the year. It can cover what the Israeli plan leaves out, visits home, and the weeks before and after the program. Call your home insurer and ask what it covers abroad and whether it pays for care in Israel directly or reimburses you afterward. Don't cancel anything until you've read the Israeli policy.

Bringing medication

Israel's Ministry of Health guidance, as published by Israeli embassies in January 2026, says travelers entering Israel may carry up to a 90-day supply of medicines. That allowance doesn't apply to narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances, which are medicines that act on the brain and are tightly controlled. The Ministry notes this applies even if the product isn't a controlled substance in your own country.

That matters for some common prescriptions, including certain ADHD, anxiety, sleep and strong pain medications. If your child takes one, read the Ministry's page and ask the program and the prescribing doctor what's needed before packing it. Don't guess.

For any medication:

1. 1See the prescribing doctor a couple of months before the flight. Ask for a letter listing each medication by generic name, the dose and the reason for it.
2. 2Ask the program how students refill prescriptions in Israel. An overseas prescription generally can't be filled as is, so a local doctor has to write a new one. Find out whether the exact medication is available.
3. 3Ask your home insurer and pharmacy about getting a longer supply to cover the first months.
4. 4Pack medication in the original labeled containers, in the carry-on bag, with the doctor's letter and copies of the prescriptions. This follows CDC advice for travel with medicine.
5. 5Leave copies of the prescriptions at home.

Set up care before leaving

• Schedule a checkup, a dental cleaning and an eye exam. Bring spare glasses or contacts and the prescription.
• Ask the program which vaccines or medical forms it requires.
• If your child sees a therapist, discuss the plan for the year: remote sessions, a referral in Israel, or a break. Ask whether the therapist is allowed to work with a client who's abroad. See when things get hard.
• Write a one-page medical summary: conditions, medications, allergies, blood type if known, doctors' contact details. Give a copy to the student and the program.
• For students over 18, ask the program and your doctor what consent forms let staff and doctors speak with you.
• Tell the program about allergies and anything a roommate or dorm counselor should know in an emergency.

Emergency numbers in Israel

Save these in the student's phone before the flight:

• 101: Magen David Adom (מָגֵן דָּוִד אָדֹם), Israel's national ambulance service
• 100: Police
• 102: Fire and rescue

Also save the program's emergency contact and the insurance plan's phone number. For non-urgent problems, the plan's helpline or the program office is usually the first call. More in safety and emergencies.

Common questions

Is health insurance included in tuition?

Often, but not always. Masa says insurance is included in its programs' costs. Ask your program which plan it uses, whether it's in the price, and for the full policy document.

Are pre-existing conditions covered?

Don't assume so. In the plan Hebrew University describes for overseas students, pre-existing conditions may be excluded unless you arrange an add-on, and routine upkeep of the condition still isn't covered. Ask your program about its plan.

How much medication can my child bring into Israel?

Ministry of Health guidance says up to a 90-day supply, except for narcotic and psychotropic drugs, which have their own rules. Check the Ministry's page and ask your program before packing a controlled medication.

What number do you call for an ambulance in Israel?

Dial 101 for Magen David Adom. Police is 100 and fire is 102.

Will the Israeli plan cover my child on a trip to Europe or back home?

Possibly not. The example plan we read is valid only inside Israel. Ask your program, and buy travel coverage or keep your home plan if needed.