Cupping Therapy: What to Check in Your Coverage

Cupping therapy made headlines when international athletes appeared with the characteristic round marks on their backs, but in Israel the treatment has long been offered at Chinese medicine and complementary medicine clinics. Before booking a session, it's worth understanding what the treatment actually involves, who is qualified to provide it, and how it fits into the insurance landscape — because that's exactly where most surprises happen.

What cupping is and why people use it

Cupping is a treatment that originates in traditional Chinese medicine, in which cups (glass, bamboo, or silicone) are placed on the skin and a vacuum is created inside them — using a "dry" method (no skin puncture) or a "wet" method (with a minor skin puncture). The stated goal is usually to ease muscular tension, back and neck pain, and sometimes to improve the sensation of local blood flow. The treatment is often offered alongside acupuncture, and is sometimes provided by medical massage therapists or physiotherapists who've added dedicated training.

Important to know: like other complementary treatments, cupping is not recognized in Israel as a conventional paramedical treatment, and the scientific evidence for its effectiveness is limited and mixed — so it's considered a complementary treatment, not a substitute for medical care.

Where this fits in the insurance landscape

Coverage for cupping, where it exists, almost always comes through one of two tracks:

• שב״ן — some שב״ן plans include cupping under a complementary medicine category, sometimes bundled with acupuncture from the same practitioner, and sometimes not mentioned at all.
• A complementary medicine service rider on private insurance — a dedicated rider with a list of recognized treatments; check whether cupping is listed separately.

There is usually no coverage for cupping through the base medical coverage of a private health policy or through the standard health basket.

What to check before starting treatment

• Whether the treatment is named explicitly — sometimes cupping is mentioned by name, and sometimes it's included only as part of acupuncture treatment rather than as a standalone treatment.
• The practitioner's training — HMOs and insurers tend to recognize the treatment only when it's provided by a practitioner certified in Chinese medicine or complementary medicine.
• Annual cap and number of sessions — like most complementary treatments, there's usually an annual limit worth confirming in advance.
• Documentation — a detailed receipt with the practitioner's name and the type of treatment is usually required to file a claim.

If you're interested in Chinese medicine more broadly, it's also worth reading about herbal medicine and Chinese medicine, and about the option to get treatments at a more regulated price through HMO complementary medicine clinics.

A medical question, not just an insurance one

Cupping can leave temporary marks on the skin and isn't suitable for every condition — clotting disorders, open wounds, pregnancy, or certain skin conditions usually call for a consultation with a treating physician first. It's worth combining this check with checking your insurance coverage, rather than stopping at "how much does it cost." Anyone whose main motivation is chronic back pain should also read the broader article on back pain clinics, which surveys the full range of available options.

How Ravit can help

It's not always easy to know whether cupping is named explicitly in your שב״ן terms or policy. Send Ravit your documents on WhatsApp, ask in plain language, and get an answer based on what's actually written in your own terms — 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.