Before you start

Registered resident status — citizenship, a teudat oleh or recognised residency. B/1 holders and visitors are excluded
Registration with Bituach Leumi, which triggers health-fund enrolment
A Teudat Zehut or, for olim, a temporary ID number
An Israeli payment method for contributions and the supplemental plan

Step-by-step

1
Register with Bituach Leumi
Public healthcare follows from registered residency. Olim are usually registered on landing; others register at the Ashdod branch or online. This is also what applies the olim health-tax exemption for roughly the first six months.
In personWho: You, with Bituach LeumiImmediate for olim; 1–3 weeks for a change of status
2
Choose one of the four health funds
Every fund must accept you and provide the identical statutory basket, so compare clinics, apps and supplemental tiers rather than cover. In a quarter-based city, check which fund has a clinic inside your own rova — the whole point of the planning is that daily services should be walkable.
OnlineWho: You, through Bituach LeumiFree; the basic basket is health-tax funded
3
Add the supplemental plan (bituach mashlim)
Almost every resident adds their fund's own supplemental tier for faster specialists, choice of surgeon, partial dental and overseas cover. It is a separate and much cheaper product than standalone commercial insurance.
Mobile appWho: Your kupahRoughly ₪50–150 a month
4
Register with a family doctor and learn the referral rule
Most specialist appointments require a hafnaya referral from your GP. Book and renew prescriptions through the fund's app. Copays are small with a quarterly ceiling.
Mobile appWho: You
5
Know what Assuta Ashdod does and does not do
Assuta Ashdod covers emergency, general medicine, surgery, obstetrics and a growing specialist range for the city. It is a young hospital, not a decades-old tertiary centre, and some complex services are still referred to Kaplan in Rehovot, Barzilai in Ashkelon or the Tel Aviv hospitals. Ask your GP where your specific condition would be treated.
Mobile appWho: You
6
If you are on a B/1: get the employer's policy in writing
The Foreign Workers Law obliges your employer to provide private medical insurance. Obtain the policy document, the insurer and the hospital network before you need them. It is not the national system and does not behave like it.
Via employerWho: Your employer

Documents you’ll need

Teudat Zehut, or teudat oleh and temporary ID for new immigrants
Bituach Leumi registration confirmation
Proof of Ashdod address for clinic assignment
Payment details for contributions and the supplemental plan
For B/1 holders: the employer-provided private policy

Things most newcomers don’t know

Ashdod's hospital is younger than most of its residents' careers, and that is the local health story.

A city of nearly 230,000 had no hospital until 2017. Assuta Ashdod opened with about 300 beds under a government tender and is operated by Assuta, part of Maccabi Healthcare Services — so before you assume 'there's a hospital in town', check whether your fund and your condition route you there or still send you to Kaplan in Rehovot or Barzilai in Ashkelon. It is a real question with a definite answer.

Source: Assuta Ashdod Medical Center

Living and working in Ashdod does not put you in the health system.

Entitlement follows registered residency, not presence or employment. B/1 foreign workers, remote workers and visitors sit outside it entirely and an emergency-room bill lands wholly out of pocket. The Foreign Workers Law places the duty on the employer for B/1 staff, which only helps if you have actually seen the policy and know which hospitals it covers.

Source: Bituach Leumi — foreign worker entitlement; Foreign Workers Law 5751-1991

Pick your health fund by which rova its clinic is in.

The four funds provide an identical legal benefits basket, so the only differentiators that matter day to day are clinic location, app quality and the supplemental tier. Ashdod's whole design premise is that each quarter is self-contained, so a fund with a clinic in your own rova is a materially different experience from one two quarters away. The choice is reversible a few times a year at no cost.

Source: Ministry of Health — National Health Insurance Law

The olim health-tax waiver ends without a reminder.

New immigrants with no or low income are typically exempt from health tax for roughly the first six months from aliyah, after which contributions start automatically through Bituach Leumi. A payment gap can disrupt cover. Diary the end of month six rather than waiting for a letter.

Source: Bituach Leumi — registration and contributions for new olim

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming residence in Ashdod means coverage — B/1 holders, remote workers and visitors are outside the system.
Assuming a local hospital means every service is local; some are still referred to Rehovot or Ashkelon.
Booking a specialist without a GP referral (hafnaya) and paying full price.
Choosing a health fund by brand rather than by which rova you can actually walk to.
Dialling a single emergency number — it is 101 for a Magen David Adom ambulance, 100 police, 102 fire, 104 Home Front Command.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.