What?? Read https://www.calcalist.co.il/local/articles/0,7340,L-3755829,...
To quote for the non-Hebrew readers: "83% of the people paid for extra insurance in addition to what they get from the government"
To quote for the non-Hebrew readers: "83% of the people paid for extra insurance in addition to what they get from the government"
Also, it's not "private" insurance in any meaningful sense. It's out of pocket adjustments for exactly the same services. This is what I was alluding to.
Also to make things clear, when you say people in the US pay hundreds of dollars a month, that's also true for many Israelis. The public insurance is not free if you have a job. The more you make the more you pay. If you work in tech it's likely you're also paying hundreds of dollars a month. (don't get me wrong, I think this system makes sense, it's the same as income taxes). The situation in the US isn't great but it's been much better in the last decade. For example, I live in Massachusetts and everyone in the state is required to have health insurance. If you're low income then you get your insurance from the state.