In a purposeful effort to encourage the employment of locals, the authorities have been providing extra hours of domestic help if households choose an Israeli carer. However, this is thought to have had only a modest impact. Given that there remain substantial pockets of low-skill Israeli labour with hitherto weak attachment to the labour force and plenty of potential carers in neighbouring economies, the continuing heavy dependence on foreign workers from far afield does suggest that further re-balancing is required. Furthermore, health promotion and education has to play a key role in narrowing inequalities in health outcomes, as they are to some extent driven by differences in lifestyle, diet, awareness of medical issues and attitudes towards accessing medical services.