No, Israeli citizens don’t get free healthcare, organ donations in the U.S.

Since war broke out between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip in October, the U.S. has given more than $180 million in aid to Israel. 

Recent online posts suggest that in addition to providing aid to Israel, Israeli citizens get access to free healthcare in the U.S., including but not limited to priority placement on transplant lists to receive organ donations. 

One post on X with millions of views includes a clip from a TikTok video and claims “Israelis can get free healthcare in the US and receive organs ahead of Americans.” 

Another post says, “Israelis can fly to the US and receive medical procedures for free including American organ donations meanwhile Americans have to pay for those same procedures and don’t have free healthcare?”

Commenters wondered if there was any truth to the claim. 

THE QUESTION

Do Israeli citizens get free healthcare or priority organ transplants in the U.S.?

THE SOURCES

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Wendy Parmat, faculty director at Northeastern University’s Center for Health Policy and Law
• National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)
• Israel’s National Health Insurance Law
• Healthcare.gov

THE ANSWER

No, Israeli citizens don’t get free healthcare or priority organ transplants in the U.S.

WHAT WE FOUND

Israeli citizens who travel to the U.S. for medical care don't get treated for free. They also don't have any special status based solely on nationality that grants priority for transplants or other services ahead of American patients.

When someone travels to another country for healthcare, that type of travel is known as medical tourism. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “most medical tourists pay for their care at the time of service.” 

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) also says to obtain a medical tourist visa, international travelers must “provide documentation that they have sufficient funds to cover expenses for their visit and departure from the U.S.” 

Wendy Parmat, the faculty director at Northeastern University’s Center for Health Policy and Law, told VERIFY she doesn’t know of any federal program that provides free healthcare for Israeli citizens, as the viral posts allege.

The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), a private, non-profit organization that manages the United States' organ donation and transplant system, says non-citizens can receive organ transplants through the U.S. healthcare system, but they still have to cover the cost of the medical care. 

A non-U.S. citizen would also have to follow the same protocol to receive an organ transplant as a U.S. citizen, UNOS told VERIFY. Israeli citizens, nor citizens from any other country, don’t receive preferential treatment for transplants, as the posts claim. 

“Organs are allocated based on medical urgency, biological matching between donors and recipients, waiting time and other medical and logistical factors. Social factors are not considered,” UNOS said. 

In 2023, there were 46,630 transplant procedures done in the U.S. Only 30 of those recipients were from Israel, according to data from UNOS.  

Israel does have universal healthcare coverage for its citizens that is offered through four major providers, according to Israel’s National Health Insurance Law. Treatment conducted abroad is not typically covered by those providers, though some may reimburse the patients in certain cases. 

Some states provide health care benefits for people who are in the country illegally, but they have nothing to do with Israeli citizens traveling to the U.S. People who are in the U.S. with temporary visas or green cards are also eligible to receive benefits through Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), but there is typically a five-year waiting list.