Update on the Groundbreaking Health Insurance Program: In September 2021, Sabeel and the community launched a new, groundbreaking health insurance program. Previously, Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza did not have access to health insurance on an individual basis. Sabeel has been bringing people together to solve this problem affecting the community. Churches, non-profit organizations, laypeople, and businesses have been working together, including a Palestinian Christian-owned company that is financially supporting the health insurance plan.
In September and October, the insurance program was open for enrollment to Christian faith-based organizations, and in November, it was opened to all of the community. At the end of December, enrollment [will be closed, and it will reopen in March. Enrollment will reopen for one month every three months in order to minimize the risk to the project. For the first two months, enrollment included a combination of individuals and employees at organizations for a total of about 4,000 people.
The health insurance program provides a collective pool of money that everyone can use as much as they need. Approximately USD $30,000 each month are being used out of the insurance money pool to cover the medical expenses for people with chronic diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure. Previously, many community members were not able to take medication regularly because it was very expensive. Now, they are able to take their medication on a regular basis. Everyone who wished to enroll, including those who are currently in the hospital or are sick, was accepted in the program. Based on Sabeel’s research, this is already the biggest community health insurance initiative that exists. We hope that by the end of 2022 there will be around 10,000 members enrolled.