Mental health reform in Israel: Challenge and opportunity part II: Implementation of the reform – Issues and problems

On May 10, 2012, the Israel Government Secretariat issued an order, transferring “Full Insurance Responsibility in the Area of Mental Health from the State to the Health Funds,” and, in fact, approving what has been known as the Insurance Mental Health Reform. Accordingly, this reform was implemented on July 1, 2015. This is the second part of an article examining the opportunities and challenges associated with implementation of this reform. The first part was devoted to an analysis of the mental health service system on the eve of the reform. This part presents essential issues and problems that must be addressed to ensure the success of the reform’s implementation and its realization. This paper analyzes the issues that remained unresolved when the decision on the reformwas reached and must now be dealt with by the reform’s implementers and the state. In conclusion, the paper lists several recommendations for contending with the problems that might arise in the course of the reform’s implementation.