SerpApi.Org
Israeli insurance companies are increasingly encouraging health policyholders to receive medical care at home rather than visit hospitals or emergency rooms, with some offering financial incentives to promote the shift.
Nechama Goldwasser, chairwoman of the Health Committee at the Israel Insurance Agents Bureau, said during the bureau’s annual health conference that insurance companies are promoting the trend through financial incentives, creating what she described as a win-win situation for both sides.
Insurance companies can reduce unnecessary expenses, sometimes by thousands of shekels per medical case, while policyholders receive more efficient treatment in the comfort of their homes and reimbursement for part of the treatment costs, Goldwasser said.
Financial incentives encourage patients to seek care at home
This practice was previously common in complex surgeries, when insurance companies encouraged patients to have the cost of procedures covered through their health funds, in exchange for reimbursement of part of the surgery expenses.
Goldwasser said modern medicine and technology now allow various treatments to be provided at patients’ homes, including ECG tests, orthopedic treatments, treatments for sudden fever and other medical services. The service helps reduce overcrowding in emergency rooms while improving patient care.
Israel Insurance Agents Bureau President Moshik Ben Porat said during the conference that medical treatment that previously required a hospital visit has become an accessible service available to customers at home through advanced technologies.
"The insurance agent has become the professional who sees the interests of the insured and organizes the most efficient treatment for them. This is why all insurance agents must join the bureau in order to strengthen the agent," Ben Porat said.
Health insurance reform reshapes coverage for hundreds of thousands of policyholders
Avi Ovadia, director of the Health and Long-Term Care Division at the Capital Market Authority, said in response to a question from Shay Tener, the professional director of the Health Committee, that Since the health insurance reform began about two years ago, approximately half a million policyholders have switched from first-shekel insurance policies to supplementary plans that complement health fund coverage.
According to Ovadia, policyholders currently receive all required medical services in accordance with their existing policies. He added that the Finance Ministry intends to change the rules to allow insurance companies to resume marketing long-term care insurance policies.
During his remarks, Ovadia said he had received complaints that some insurance agents move customers from one company to another without thoroughly examining their medical condition and medical history, which could harm clients.
However, he emphasized that these were isolated cases and that most insurance agents act solely in the interests of policyholders.
