CFE top-up insurance in Israel: resident or not, what the CFE pays at 42%
What the CFE pays in Israel in 2026, why Israeli residents and non-residents face different situations under the State Health Insurance Law, a worked example in shekels since hospitals publish no prices, and the points to check in a top-up.
Reviewed by a licensed advisor
Whether you need a CFE top-up in Israel depends first on your status there. On the CFE scale Israel is a zone 3 country: a stay in an Israeli hospital since 1 January 2026 brings back 42% of its real cost, imaging and tests 30%, and each consultation 21 €, and because the CFE has no direct billing there, you advance every bill. For a French national who is not an Israeli resident and has no public cover, that leaves 58% of any stay to fund, and a top-up is usually needed.
Israeli residents are in a different position, because the State Health Insurance Law covers them through a health fund. Below are the zone 3 rates, the two status cases, a worked example in shekels and the questions to put to a top-up insurer; what is the CFE covers the zones in general.
Who is covered by Israel's public health insurance?
The National Insurance Institute states that "under the State Health Insurance Law, effective from January 1, 1995, every Israeli resident" has health insurance coverage, and that all residents "must be registered with one of the country's health maintenance organizations", the kupot holim, which provide a standard health basket. Residence means a life centred in Israel: permanent home, family, children's school, main workplace or place of study. The same page adds: "A non-resident person (such as foreign workers) is not covered with public health insurance, but one may arrange private insurance on his behalf."
So two French profiles meet very different rules:
Israeli resident, registered with a kupat holim: the public basket is the first cover. The CFE documents we read do not describe how CFE membership combines with an Israeli health fund, so ask the CFE before paying for both.
Not an Israeli resident (for example posted by a foreign employer, or living there without resident status): no public cover, so the CFE and a top-up, or a first-euro contract, carry everything.
Source: National Insurance Institute of Israel, the State Health Insurance Law, read 4 Nov 2026.
What does the CFE pay for care in Israel?
Treatment in Israel | CFE rate, zone 3, 2026 |
|---|---|
Admission to hospital, any department, day surgery and intensive care included | 42% of the real cost |
Chemotherapy | 40% |
Radiotherapy | 52% |
Imaging and technical acts | 30% |
Laboratory | 30% |
Pharmacy | 55% |
Consultation | 21 €; paediatrician for a child aged 0 to 6: 24.50 € |
Uncomplicated birth | 3,164.11 € vaginal, 3,573.64 € caesarean (fixed) |
Israel shares zone 3 with Japan, Germany, Spain and its Gulf neighbours Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman. In Israel as elsewhere, each percentage is taken from the real bill and the CFE sets no ceiling, so your own share is uncapped too. A long-term condition recognised by the CFE raises some outpatient rates, but not the hospital rate abroad.
Source: CFE, guarantees 2026 (arrêté of 17 December 2025) and CFE list of countries by zone, read 4 Nov 2026.
How much would the CFE pay on an Israeli hospital bill?
We looked for prices published by Israeli hospitals for patients and found none we could use. Herzliya Medical Center's price pages now return "Page not found"; Hadassah, Assuta, Sheba and Rambam print no patient price we could find. The Ministry of Health price list is, in its own words, for settlement within the health system between institutions, not a price list for foreign patients. What follows is arithmetic on round bills in shekels, chosen for the example rather than taken from a tariff:
Illustration | CFE pays | Left to a non-resident with the CFE only |
|---|---|---|
Hospital stay billed ILS 10,000 | ILS 4,200 (42%) | ILS 5,800 |
Surgery with intensive care billed ILS 100,000 | ILS 42,000 (42%) | ILS 58,000 |
MRI billed ILS 2,000 | ILS 600 (30%) | ILS 1,400 |
Since a share is a percentage, no currency conversion is needed to show it. The CFE itself pays in euros by transfer, after you claim online with the paid invoice.
Source: Israeli hospital and Ministry of Health pages checked on 4 Nov 2026; CFE guarantees 2026. The bills are illustrations and the shares our calculations.
Does the CFE pay Israeli hospitals directly?
No. Israel is absent from the 33 countries where the CFE pays hospitals itself. After settling the bill at Hadassah, Sheba or any other hospital, you collect the hospital's completed CFE hospitalisation form and submit your online claim within 2 years; 42% is then refunded in euros. Direct settlement with an Israeli hospital is possible only through a private insurer holding agreements of its own. Planned treatment elsewhere follows the zone of that country: in France it is the French tariff, in the United States zone 5, 19% of a stay.
Source: CFE membership guide 2026 (pages 10, 14, 15, 32 to 35) and CFE list of countries by zone, read 4 Nov 2026.
What should a CFE top-up cover in Israel?
If the idea of a top-up is new to you, start with what is a CFE top-up. In Israel, let your status drive the choice:
Non-resident: the uncapped 58% left on every Israeli hospital stay is the main risk; ask for real-cost reimbursement, a high annual limit and direct billing with Israeli hospitals.
Resident with a kupat holim: list what the public health basket already pays before buying a top-up on top of the CFE.
Cancer care: the CFE pays 40% of chemotherapy and 52% of radiotherapy in Israel; check what is left after both.
Outpatient care: 21 € a visit and 30% of tests.
Source: CFE guarantees 2026; National Insurance Institute of Israel, read 4 Nov 2026.
How Alea helps
Alea, a Hong Kong-based broker and the official CFE representative for Hong Kong, China and Singapore, also helps French expats in Israel: whether the CFE makes sense for your status, and a comparison of top-ups and first-euro formulas from more than 50 insurers. For the two routes, read CFE top-up or first-euro insurance; to join, see how to join the CFE and CFE waiting periods. Start with our CFE page, or talk to an advisor for a free quote with no commitment.
Which CFE zone applies to care in Israel?
Israel is in CFE zone 3. For care there since 1 January 2026, the CFE pays 42% of the real cost of a hospital stay, 40% of chemotherapy, 52% of radiotherapy, 30% of imaging and laboratory tests, 55% of medicines and 21 € per consultation. Births are fixed amounts: 3,164.11 € for a vaginal delivery and 3,573.64 € for a caesarean.
Can Israeli hospitals bill the CFE directly?
Israeli hospitals cannot bill the CFE: its hospital direct billing runs in 33 countries and Israel is not one of them. You pay, have the hospital complete the CFE hospitalisation form and claim online with the paid invoice. The CFE then pays 42% of the stay in euros. A private insurer with its own agreements can spare you the advance.
Am I covered by Israel's public health insurance?
Only if you are an Israeli resident. The National Insurance Institute says every resident is covered under the State Health Insurance Law of 1995 and must register with a health fund (kupat holim). A non-resident, such as a foreign worker, is not covered by public insurance and needs private cover. How the CFE combines with a health fund is not stated.
How much would the CFE pay on a hospital bill in Israel?
Israeli hospitals publish no usable patient prices, so here is an illustration. On a hospital bill of ILS 10,000, the CFE pays ILS 4,200 (42%) and ILS 5,800 remains for a non-resident with the CFE only. On ILS 100,000 of surgery with intensive care, ILS 58,000 would remain. There is no ceiling on that remaining share.
Can I join the CFE if I live in Israel?
French nationals living in Israel can join the CFE at any age, with no health questions. Apply within three months of settling to avoid a waiting period; later, it is 3 months under 45 and 6 months from 45. If you are an Israeli resident with a health fund, ask the CFE first how the two would work together.
What does a top-up add to the CFE in Israel?
For a non-resident in Israel, it pays what the CFE leaves, within its limits: 58% of a hospital stay, most of each consultation and 70% of tests, and may add direct billing with Israeli hospitals. For a resident with a health fund, compare it first with what the public basket pays, to avoid paying twice.
Written by
François Bossé
Insurance Advisor
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