So last week, Shlomit from the insurance company told me I needed to fax my hospital documents in order to get reimbursed for my latest emergency room extravaganza.

“Fax?” I asked. “Fax,” she confirmed. “I can’t send a fax from where I live.”

“Where do you live?” “2026, Shlomit. I live in 2026.” Another pause.

Apparently she thought I was being difficult.

And this is Israel, after all, where technology exists in a state of quantum uncertainty. We have missile defense systems that intercept rockets in midair. We have artificial intelligence that can summarize entire books, diagnose diseases, and probably compose a decent prayer for Jerusalem if you ask politely.

I can order groceries while sitting in a bomb shelter.

I can pay for a babysitter using an app.

But if I want reimbursement from my insurance company, I apparently need to build a Time Machine and locate a fax machine.

A fax machine. Not a scanner. Not an email address.

(And don’t get me started on the post office.)

It’s literally bonkers: Somewhere in Israel, a piece of office technology that peaked around the same time as shoulder pads and cassette tapes is still standing between me and my medical........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)