Photo: The Forum for Social Justice
MK German, the Minister of Health, stands at a crossroads: will she pave the way for better healthcare for Israel’s middle class, or will commercial corporations be given a free ride?
When MK Yael German arrives every Thursday to the German Committee hearings on the “Future of the Public Health System”, a group of activists receive her in person to demand that which 91% of the Israeli public desires – a quality public health system, similar to that which Israel used to be proud of.
The members of the German Health Committee know that privatized healthcare is problematic. However many of them, MK German among them, are more afraid of a secondary issue – the erosion of the state healthcare budget – and so prefer what they view as the lesser of two evils.
But creating a new problem will not solve an old problem. To restore the public health system to what it once was – one of the best in the world and cause of national pride – we need to deal with an issue bigger than the crunch in the healthcare budget – returning resources from the private health sector to public healthcare. We must pressure the Finance Ministry to be brave and to choose a new path, not to rely on an outdated system as in the past.
In order to acquire additional resources, we must redirect the NIS 3 billion that is currently spent on supplementary health insurance (that 80% of the public purchases) directly back into the public health system. This requires a complete separation between HMOs and commercial practices, requiring doctors to commit to the private or public sector, while providing adequate compensation and allowing the selection of doctors within the public system.
All this will NOT cost more – instead of paying for supplemental insurance and private insurance, we will pay 1% more in health tax for which the same services will be received.
Hadassah Hospital is first and foremost a component of the quality health system that we possess. It will be a better hospital without containing private health services and when it receives an appropriate level of public investment.
In order to hear the plan in detail and participate in this struggle for the welfare of all of Israel’s residents, you’re invited to an Activists Conference on Thursday February 13, 2014.
Click here for more information.
