Praising the HMOs for Israel's COVID-19 vaccine success
If one compares Israel’s achievement with other countries, such as the US, it is clear that its health system is faring far better.
By JPOST EDITORIALA MAN receives a COVID-19 vaccine at a Meuhedet vaccination center in Jerusalem on Monday.(photo credit: OLIVIER FITOUSSI/FLASH90)
Although Israel is struggling to bring down the rate of coronavirus cases during its third lockdown, it is currently leading the world in inoculating a larger proportion of its population than any other country. It provided vaccines to more than 10% of its nine million citizens in just two weeks of its “Give a Shoulder” campaign, earning the much-deserved title, “The Vaccination Nation.”No small part of this laudable feat is due to the country’s four kupot holim (literally sick funds), or as they are officially called, Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) – Clalit, Maccabi, Meuhedet and Leumit. The HMOs, their management and medical teams, are doing an exceptional job and serve as a model to the world on how an efficient health system can operate.As Health Minister Yuli Edelstein noted on Sunday, “I am asked all over the world how Israel does it. The reasons are that we were prepared on time, signed on time with the leading companies, and convinced them that if they gave us the vaccine, the health funds would know how to administer it in a very short time. That is exactly what is happening.”All Israelis are entitled to healthcare as a fundamental right and membership in a medical insurance plan is mandatory. The country’s healthcare system is based on the 1995 National Health Insurance Law, which requires all citizens to join one of the four HMOs.While they all charge similar fees according to the age of the person insured, they operate as non-profit organizations and are legally prohibited from denying membership and services to any Israeli citizen. In a survey of 48 countries in 2013, Israel’s health system was ranked the fourth-most efficient in the world.Prof. Ran Balicer, Clalit Health Services’ chief innovation officer who also serves as chairman of the government’s National Expert Advisory Panel, told The Jerusalem Post’s Maayan Hoffman that the HMOs have learned over the years to deal effectively with medical crises of all kinds.“We have become used to working in a state of emergency,” Balicer said. “Our four health funds are used to moving quickly, instantaneously gearing up for emergencies and providing complex reassignments of a lot of personnel.”According to a 2020 survey conducted by Myers-JDC-Brookdale, 90% of Israelis are satisfied with their health funds. Only one percent annually choose to switch to an alternative health fund. “This tells you something about the level of trust and infrastructure built over the years,” Balicer said.And so far they have succeeded. A majority of those who received their first vaccinations reported excellent treatment at all four health funds, which have opened hundreds of vaccination stations throughout the country. Although there may be a temporary delay as Israel awaits the delivery of more vaccines from abroad, the country has reached 150,000 vaccinations a day, and the government aims to have 2.25 million Israelis vaccinated by the end of January.If one compares Israel’s achievement with other countries, such as the US, it is clear that its health system is faring far better. The Centers for Disease Control reported at the beginning of 2021 that some 4.2 million Americans had been vaccinated, a small percentage of the US population of more than 330 million and far short of federal officials’ goal of 20 million before the end of December.There is something to be said for the Jewish socialist principles behind the establishment of a kupa or communal health fund before the founding of the state. The idea was to maintain the age-old Jewish concept of gemilut hasadim (literally, giving lovingkindness) – providing for the sick, the elderly and the poor – as well as basic healthcare to all.As we begin 2021, which we hope will see an end to the pandemic, we salute the health funds and their employees. While it is easy to find fault with the way the outgoing government has handled the coronavirus crisis, we should also take time to express our gratitude for the vaccinations it has procured that are being administered so efficiently by the country’s HMOs. They are undoubtedly the best way to halt this plague.
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