The government approves in a referendum: the expansion of the health basket for 2026 by 650 million NIS

The decision is brought to the approval of the ministers at the initiative of the Minister of Health and with the consent of the Minister of Finance, in accordance with the State Health Insurance Law, and based on the recommendations of the public committee for the expansion of the basket of health services. According to the proposal, most of the new services are expected to come into effect as early as March 5, 2026, while some services will come into effect on September 1 this year.

According to the decision, the cost of expanding the basket will be NIS 650 million per year. Of the amount, NIS 550 million will come from the budget earmarked for increasing the basket and NIS 100 million from the Ministry of Health’s budget. In addition, it was determined that in 2026 alone, an amount of approximately NIS 114.1 million will be transferred from the cost of the health services basket to the health funds to the Ministry of Health budget for the purpose of implementing some of the new services.

The list of additions to the basket includes a wide range of tests, treatments and advanced medicines in many fields of medicine. Among other things, these are advanced genetic tests to adjust treatment for cancer patients, the expansion of the screening program for the early detection of lung cancer through low radiation dose CT tests, the expansion of eligibility for sugar monitoring technologies for pregnant women with type 2 diabetes, as well as innovative treatments for patients with heart disease, lung disease, rare diseases and autoimmune diseases.

In addition, many medicines in the fields of oncology, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, neurological diseases and rare diseases will be added to the basket – where a significant part of the budget is intended for medicines for cancer patients. According to the document attached to the proposed resolution, about half of the additional budget is dedicated to drugs in the oncology field.

It was also determined that starting September 1, 2026, additional complementary services will also be included in the basket, including acupuncture treatments for cancer patients within the framework of integrative oncology, for patients suffering from unbalanced pain despite drug treatment during chemotherapy treatment.

The Ministry of Health emphasized that the expansion of the basket is based on the recommendations of the public committee for expanding the basket of health services, submitted after a comprehensive professional examination of hundreds of medicines and medical technologies.

The implementation of the decision also depends on the approval of the state budget for 2026 in the Knesset. Until the budget is approved, the government will operate within the framework of the continuous budget, in accordance with the provisions of the Basic Law on the State Economy.

The health system estimates that the expansion of the basket for 2026 is expected to allow thousands of patients in Israel to receive innovative treatments and advanced medicines in the public framework and to improve access to breakthrough medical technologies.