When the State of Israel was founded in 1948, Clalit was instrumental in providing medical care for the massive influx of new immigrants.

Today, it is the largest provider of public and semi-private health services in Israel.

The name "Clalit" means "general" in Hebrew and derives from the Histadrut's full name – HaHistadrut HaKlalit shel HaOvdim B'Eretz Yisrael (lit.

Clalit is the largest of the four health funds with around 4.6 million insured members, representing slightly over half of the Israeli population in 2020.

Clalit runs its own network of hospitals in Israel (although it provides services, especially emergency care, for members of the other national health funds as well).