The four Kupat Holim HMOs - Clalit, Meuhedet, Leumit, and Maccabi, which were in heavy deficits long before the coronavirus crisis, spent NIS 132 million in 2019 on marketing activities, and set additional expenses on self-marketing in the amount of NIS 130 million under a budget item titled "service centers". This, according to the newspaper Israel Hayom. Kupot Holim are allowed to allocate a certain amount of their budget for advertising and marketing during routine hours amounting to only NIS 40-30 million.
Apart from that, despite the ban imposed on them by the Health Ministry last March to transfer insureds from one kupah to the other by this coming September, the funds continued to recruit insureds for themselves. Videos obtained by Israel Hayom show that Meuhedet and Maccabi performed Hassidic concerts on branded stages outside the coronavirus hotels. Clalit held a virtual show featuring the best singing stars in the haredi sector on the eve of Lag B'Omer. Behind the performers loomed posters with instruction on the importance of wearing a mask and maintaining hygiene and distance.