A third of Israelis experienced mental distress over the past year, a 9% increase from 2021, according to the recently published results of a survey by the Jerusalem-based Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute.
Further, 80% of respondents attributed their mental distress in 2024 to the Israel-Hamas War, the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas terrorists.
When evaluating the medical assistance provided by their health maintenance organization (HMO), 19% reported that they received professional help.
Out of these, 88% of these were satisfied or very satisfied with the assistance their HMO provided.
Almost half of the respondents stated they believe that perceived personal connections and communication between HMOs and their members are necessary in order to provide and receive quality medical services.
Key findings:
A supermajority of respondents praised their HMO, specifically with 89% stating that they were satisfied or very satisfied. For most services, the satisfaction rates exceeded 90%. Additionally, 90% of those who sought HMO authorization for additional support or services in the past year reported that they obtained it easily.
A large majority, namely 73%, of respondents believed that their HMO did their best during the Israel-Hamas War.
Almost two-thirds of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with the healthcare system, and a similar amount appreciated the system's efforts to meet public needs over the past year.
Availability and wait times:
A sizeable minority of respondents, 22% nationwide, waited more than five days to see a family doctor, although there were significant disparities nationwide, with the number reaching 30% in Tel Aviv but only 14% in Jerusalem and 12% in Haifa.
Almost a third of respondents, 32%, reported that they skipped medical treatment due to long wait times. 19% of respondents reported that they avoided treatment due to logistical concerns such as the distance needed to travel, and 12% refrained from seeking medical care, consultations, or medication due to the financial cost. However, these figures were similar to findings in a 2021 survey by the same organization.
Rise in telemedicine
The survey found that usage of telemedicine services has grown significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic and maintained high popularity in the past year.
A large majority of respondents, in total 64%, accessed their personal medical records online, with 55% using their HMO's website or app.
Almost half, at 47%, of respondents had virtual consultations with medical personnel via phone, video, or instant messaging chat. This increased from 44% in 2021.
HMO-specific findings and performance
Out of the four HMOs, Maccabi members responded that they had the longest wait for specialists. 41% of Maccabi members responded that they waited for over a month, as compared to 34% for Clalit members, 32% for Leumit members, and 27% for Meuhedet members, respectively.
Leumit, despite being the smallest HMO, had the highest satisfaction rate recorded, with 80% of its members feeling that their HMO did its best to meet their healthcare needs. This is in contrast with 74% of Clalit's members and 71% of Meuhedet and Maccabi's members reporting the same.
This was part of a biennial survey by the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute, evaluating which Israeli HMO has the most satisfied members.
The Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute publishes this survey every six months to track public opinion on healthcare service quality and system performance in Israel.
Conducted with the support of the Health Ministry, the survey has been running since 1995, assessing patient experiences in areas such as primary care, specialist consultations, telemedicine, mental health services, satisfaction with HMOs and the healthcare system, and wait times for services.
The most recent survey was conducted after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas War, between June and December 2024, and included a representative sample of 2,558 adult respondents.