Fact Check

Israel Offered ‘Free Therapy’ with BetterHelp Co. for Those ‘Affected by the War’?

In the wake of Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel in October 2023, the country’s official X account gained attention.

Published Oct 16, 2023

Updated Oct 17, 2023
 (Screenshot via Twitter)
Image Via Screenshot via Twitter
Claim:
The official X account for the state of Israel posted a promotion with mental health services company BetterHelp, offering “6 months of free therapy to those affected by the war in Israel.”

As violence escalated in Israel and Palestine in early October 2023, many online readers noticed an unusual promotion posted on the official X account for the state of Israel: six months of free mental health services with the company BetterHelp for people in Israel “affected by the war.”

In a viral TikTok, user pearlmania500 shared a screenshot of the post from X, expressing surprise at the announcement: “Israel declared war, and then they declared a collab with BetterHelp. [...] What the f*ck is next? HelloFresh for Ukraine? UberEats for Syria?”

This was indeed a real post on X, published by the verified account of the state of Israel. The full post, published on Oct. 10, 2023, stated: “Thank you to all of the incredible Israeli companies, volunteers and individuals who are coming together to help as many people during this horrific time. @betterhelp, a company which offers therapy is providing 6 months of free therapy to those affected by the war in Israel.”

The conflict began on Oct. 7, 2023, when the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel from Gaza, resulting in the deaths of 1,400 Israelis, as of the time of this writing. Israel subsequently declared war and attacked and blockaded Gaza, actions that resulted in the deaths of more than 2,000 Palestinians, as of this writing. There are at least 200 known Israeli hostages taken by Hamas militants. Experts, according to The New York Times, believe the hostages are being held in underground tunnels in the Gaza Strip. Hamas' attacks came after months of surges in violence against Palestinians by the Israeli military. Gaza is presently facing a humanitarian crisis as a result of Israeli strikes.

We looked up BetterHelp's "Israel Support" page. There is no restriction on who receives therapy from the service, which states on the website that it "is available to anyone impacted, regardless of location and nationality." The company does, however, require users to submit a valid payment method to prevent abuse, adding that the card will not be charged. The website directs users to a questionnaire asking them to put in their identifying information, including marital and economic status.


(Screenshot via BetterHelp.com)

Chris Stenrud, a spokesperson for Teladoc Health, a telemedicine company that acquired BetterHelp in 2015, reached out to us to emphasize, "This is an independent initiative, and we have not worked with the Israeli government on this or any other organization. The support is not limited to Israelis and applies to anyone affected by the war, anywhere."

We should note that Alon Matas, the founder and president, according to his profile on Teladoc, has led “product development and strategy for startups, enterprises and the Israeli Defense Forces.”

We should also note that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said that BetterHelp had previously shared customers’ health data — which it had promised to keep private, including information about mental health challenges — with companies like Facebook and Snapchat. In March 2023, BetterHealth agreed to settle with the FTC by returning $7.8 million to customers, and an FTC order restricted how they could share consumer data in the future.

Given that this was a real post from the verified account of the state of Israel, we rate this as a “Correct Attribution.”

Sources

"Alon Matas, President BetterHelp." Teladoc. https://www.teladochealth.com/about/leadership/alon-matas/#:~:text=Alon%20Matas%20is%20the%20president,operations%2C%20partnerships%20and%20product%20development. Accessed 17 Oct. 2023.

"2021 Investor Day." Teladoc, 18 Nov. 2021, s21.q4cdn.com/672268105/files/doc_presentations/2021/Teladoc-Health-2021-Investor-Day-Final.pdf.

Al-Mughrabi, Nidal, et al. “Israeli Strikes on Gaza Intensify as Humanitarian Crisis Deepens.” Reuters, 16 Oct. 2023. www.reuters.com, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gaza-border-crossing-set-reopen-israeli-troops-prepare-ground-assault-2023-10-15/. Accessed 16 Oct. 2023.

“BetterHelp Shared Users’ Sensitive Health Data, FTC Says.” AP News, 2 Mar. 2023, https://apnews.com/article/betterhelp-ftc-health-data-privacy-befca40bb873661d1f8986bb75d8df07. Accessed 16 Oct. 2023.

"Israel-Hamas War News.” CNN, 15 Oct. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-news-hamas-war-10-15-23/index.html. Accessed 16 Oct. 2023.

“Gaza and West Bank Death Toll Reaches 2,383 Palestinians - Ministry.” Reuters, 15 Oct. 2023. www.reuters.com, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gaza-west-bank-death-toll-reaches-2383-palestinians-ministry-2023-10-15/. Accessed 16 Oct. 2023.

Gettleman, Jeffrey, and Tamir Kalifa. “For Hostages’ Families, an ‘Endless Loop of Hope and Despair.’” The New York Times, 16 Oct. 2023. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/16/world/asia/israel-hostages-families-hamas-gaza.html. Accessed 16 Oct. 2023.

Ibrahim, Nur. “Were Israeli Babies Beheaded by Hamas Militants During Attack on Kfar Aza?” Snopes, 12 Oct. 2023, https://www.snopes.com/news/2023/10/12/40-israeli-babies-beheaded-by-hamas/. Accessed 16 Oct. 2023.

Israel, Oct. 10, 2023. X (Formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/Israel/status/1711683167986327901. Accessed 16 Oct. 2023.

“Netanyahu, Gantz Agree to Form Emergency Unity Govt and War Cabinet.” France 24, 11 Oct. 2023, https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20231011-%F0%9F%94%B4-live-israeli-airstrikes-on-gaza-continue-death-toll-mounts-on-both-sides. Accessed 16 Oct. 2023.

“Two Palestinians Killed during Israeli Military Raid in West Bank Refugee Camp.” PBS NewsHour, 24 Sept. 2023, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/two-palestinians-killed-during-israeli-military-raid-in-west-bank-refugee-camp. Accessed 16 Oct. 2023.

Updates

Oct. 17, 2023: The story was updated to include a statement from Teladoc Health that offers BetterHelp services and that emphasized it did not have a partnership with the Israeli government.

Oct. 17, 2023: The claim at the top of this story was clarified to state this was a promotion, not a collaboration. We also included more details on the founder of BetterHelp in the body of the story.

Nur Nasreen Ibrahim is a reporter with experience working in television, international news coverage, fact checking, and creative writing.