Health Insurance Claim Deadlines: How Long After Treatment You Can Still File

Do you have a drawer full of receipts from last year's treatments, and you're not sure whether you can still submit them to your insurer? The short answer: you usually have three years from the date of treatment, and under some health policies — five. That's a wider window than most people think, but it holds a few traps worth knowing, first among them the fact that filing the claim with the insurance company does not stop the clock.

How much time you really have

The Insurance Contract Law (חוק חוזה הביטוח) sets the statute of limitations (התיישנות) for a claim for insurance benefits at three years from the date of the insured event. At the end of November 2020, an amendment to the law took effect that extended the period to five years for life insurance, illness and hospitalization insurance, and long-term care insurance. The amendment is not retroactive: it usually applies to policies purchased or renewed after it took effect.

What does this mean in practice? If you have a private health policy that was renewed in recent years, the five-year period likely applies — but that depends on the policy type and on when it was purchased or renewed. So the first step is to check what your policy says. If it isn't within reach, here's how to get a copy of your policy from the insurance company.

When the clock starts

The count starts from the day the insured event (מקרה הביטוח) occurred. In reimbursement claims for medical treatments, the insured event is usually the treatment itself — the doctor's visit, the test, the surgery or the medication purchase — not the diagnosis that preceded them.

For ongoing treatments, such as a series of physiotherapy sessions or therapy appointments spread over months, the practical meaning is that each treatment usually counts separately: every receipt has its own limitation window, starting on the date of that treatment. A treatment from four years ago may fall outside a three-year window, while the later treatments in the same series are still inside.

There is one important exception: when the claim is for disability caused by illness or accident, the law says the count starts from the day the insured's right to claim benefits arose under the policy terms — that is, not necessarily from the day of the event itself.

Old receipts: still worth filing

Here's the good news for anyone who put off the paperwork. A receipt from last year, or even from two years ago, is usually well inside the limitation window. The fact that time has passed does not erase the right to file — it only brings the end of the period closer.

Note two caveats. First, some policies require notifying the insurer close to the time of the insured event, and a long delay can complicate the claim review even before the limitation period has run out. Second, the more time passes, the harder it becomes to track down medical documents and referrals. So the practical rule is simple: if receipts have piled up — file now, don't wait. Here's how to file a reimbursement claim with your insurance company, step by step.

What stops the limitation clock — and what doesn't

This is the most important point to know, because it surprises many policyholders: filing a claim with the insurance company does not stop the limitation clock. Extended correspondence, phone calls or negotiations over the reimbursement amount — none of these usually stop the clock either. What does stop it is filing a lawsuit in court.

The meaning: if you filed a claim with the insurance company and the review drags on, the period keeps running in the background. The law even requires the insurer to clearly inform the policyholder of the limitation period and of the fact that filing a claim with the insurer does not stop it — including reminders toward the end of the period. If you're approaching the end of the window with no decision, don't rely on the correspondence to preserve your rights; in that situation it's worth considering legal advice.

How quickly the insurance company must respond

Alongside the statute of limitations, which constrains you, there's also a timeline that binds the insurance company. Under the directives of the Commissioner of the Capital Market (הממונה על שוק ההון) on claim handling and settlement, the insurance company must respond in writing to a written inquiry within a reasonable time, and no later than 30 days from receiving it. The insurance company is required to manage the claim review and update you on which documents are missing.

In addition, the Insurance Contract Law states that insurance benefits are to be paid within 30 days from the day the insurer had the information and documents needed to determine its liability, and that an amount not in dispute is to be paid even while other parts of the claim are still under review. If responses are delayed beyond that, you can file a complaint with the Commissioner of the Capital Market, Insurance and Savings.

What to do now: a short checklist

• Find your policy and check which limitation period applies to it — three years or five.
• Gather all your receipts and documents, including old ones: whatever is inside the window can usually still be filed.
• File the claim as soon as possible and keep a copy of everything you sent, including dates.
• Track the timeline: a written response should arrive within 30 days.
• Remember that the clock keeps running even after you file — don't let an open review drag on to the end of the period.

Important to say: everything here describes the standard rules, and your policy is what governs. Limitation terms, notification duties and the filing route vary between companies and between policies, so checking against the policy itself is always the first step.

How Ravit can help

The answers relevant to you are in the policy itself. Send Ravit your policy documents on WhatsApp, ask in plain language, and get an answer based on your policy with a reference to the relevant clause — and when there’s no certainty, Ravit says so honestly instead of guessing.

The information in this article is general only and does not constitute medical, insurance, legal, or pension advice, and is not a substitute for reading your policy terms or consulting a licensed professional. Coverage, amounts, and conditions vary between policies and change over time — always verify against your own specific policy and an authorized professional.