Does "Kalit" continue to give free drugs to its employees against the law?
The largest health fund in Israel has been providing benefits to employees for many years.
The benefits are estimated at approximately NIS 100 million, and are actually based on the fund's budget, and on the account of the services for all the insured.
Even though the fund signed a commitment to stop providing benefits to new employees, "Israel Hayom" received advertisements for the recruitment of occupational therapists for child development and rehabilitation clinics.
The ads offer them "personnel benefits: free 17 forms, free medications and a discount for the employee and the immediate family."
The benefits are estimated at about NIS 100 million.
General Health Insurance Fund, photo: Yehoshua Yosef
In "Klelit" it has been customary for years to give medicines free of charge to cash register employees and their first degree family members.
This is an agreement made with the strong workers' committee of the fund, as part of the working conditions.
Approximately 49,000 employees of the fund are also entitled to referrals to professional doctors, outpatient clinics, institutes and imaging tests without a commitment form (Form 17), and without payment of a quarterly fee (an amount of 36-27 NIS, depending on the service).
The State Comptroller found in a 2013 report that the cost of personnel benefits in general amounts to 82 million shekels per year. In a class action lawsuit filed against "Kalelit", it is claimed that this is a tax benefit for employees at a cost of approximately 16 million shekels, which comes at the expense of the insured. Despite the criticism of the State Comptroller on the subject, along with attempts by the management of the fund to cancel the benefits and petitions to the High Court, it was determined that the benefits are part of the employment agreements at the fund and they remained as such.
Dr. Ehud Dodson, former general director of the General, photo: Dodo Greenspan
The deadline has long passed
This practice was supposed to stop in 2019.
In the same year, the health funds signed stabilization agreements with the Ministry of Health, agreements in which government support is transferred to the funds in return for meeting certain goals.
For "Klelit" the agreement stipulates that it will stop providing "personnel benefits" to new employees.
In the section, which was signed by Dr. Ehud Dodson, the General Director at the time, it is written in the interpretation that as of January 1, 2019, General will cease to give new employees benefits in the provision of medical services, including exemption from payment for the purchase of medicines or exemption from payment for receiving a commitment form (Form 17) or discounts on membership fees.
"Benefits for health workers are acceptable".
Klalit, photo: Dodo Greenspan
The Ministry of Health responded: "In 2019, the General Health Insurance Fund was fined NIS 100 million, which is the maximum amount possible under the terms of the stabilization agreement that defines conditions that a health insurance fund must meet in order to receive support funds. As for the ads in question, we intend to review the issue of personnel benefits as soon as possible."
Maklalit stated: "Benefits for health workers are accepted in the health system. These rights are anchored in collective labor agreements. Petitions submitted on the subject to the High Court were rejected."
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