On Thursday, December 5, 2019, Santé Israël, together with Maccabi Health Services, the Jerusalem Municipality, the Qualita organization for French-speaking immigrants, and the National Insurance Institute, held an information evening about health care rights. Some 80 people were in attendance!
Raising awareness about health care rights
The meeting was held at the Qualita offices, in downtown Jerusalem.
A lot of information was provided
Carol Azoulay, who is in charge of working with the French-speaking community in Jerusalem and the central region for Maccabi Health Services, spoke about rights included in the HMO’s supplemental insurance plans. Many members are now aware of rights they are eligible for.
From experts in a lot of areas
Ayala Blum, Director of the Office for Rights Realization for French-speaking immigrants of the Jerusalem Municipality, who also works for Qualita, talked about her role as a source of information about rights in general, above and beyond the health care field. Dr. Yves Bensoussan, a doctor in at the National Insurance Institute in Jerusalem, who helps many French speakers, spoke about common issues: disability for children and adults, rights for seniors who are retiring. And of course, Santé Israël Director Marie Avigad introduced Santé Israël.
Cooperation between a number of bodies, with best results for everyone
Then there was a time for questions and the issues raised:
- What are the health insurance supplementary cover? What are the rates?
- Rights regarding maternity leave for a salaried employee and an independent worker
- The difference between HMO and the National Insurance Institute
- Different situations that enable people to become eligible for disability payments
- What is nursing care insurance and what is the difference between nursing care insurance provided by the HMO’s and nursing care benefits provided by the National Insurance Institute? (Answer on the Santé Israël website: https://www.sante.org.il/
couvertures-des-caisses/ and https://www.sante.org.il/ personnes-agees/_) - Where to go in an emergency
- Discounts for dental care for children and the elderly
- Eyewear for children and adults
- Work disability
- Social security rights for a patient being treated with chemotherapy
- Mental health – How to get treatment through HMOs
- Free telephone translation service from the Ministry of Health and the fact that doctors are required to use it if requested by the patient
- MDA services – payment and situations where there is no charge
After this session, Marie received a number of requests on Facebook to have similar meetings in other cities, such as Ashkelon, Ashdod, Netanya, in the north. Stay tuned for more!
And here’s a Facebook post from Sante Israel:
And another from Qualita:
Many thanks to the Pharmadom Foundation for their continued support of Santé Israël over the years.
