Abolition of Conventional Health Insurance Card

The government of Japan brought a broad confusion in health insurance system in Japan. It stopped issuing new health insurance card, which is necessary for a patient to have medical treatment in hospitals or clinics, on December 2nd. The government demands all the nationals to replace each health insurance card to My Number Card, new identification card created basically to control tax income. Although most people obtained My Number Card, there are some who have not. Universal health insurance system is questioned whether it can be maintained or not.

With fiscal concern in the highly aged society, Yoshihiko Noda Cabinet discussed necessity of personal identification number for all the people in Japan to control accurate taxation and distribution of allowances for integrated reform of tax and social security. The successor, Shinzo Abe, unilaterally passed a legislation to distribute twelve-digit personal identification number, or My Number, to the individuals. Abe decided to issue My Number Card, a kind of integrated circuit (IC) card, in 2016.

 

Digital Minister of Fumio Kishiba Cabinet, Taro Kono, announced in 2022 that the government would integrate conventional health insurance card to My Number Card in fall 2024. Because there was not intensified discussion on the issue in the Diet, broad concern on the possibility of some people dropping out of the health insurance system. However, the government did not show any attitude to review that decision.

 

By the end of October, 2024, 94 million people (76 percent of all population) Japan have obtained My Number Card. 77 million (82 percent of My Number Card holders) have integrated their My Number Card to health insurance card. It means that about 60 percent of all the citizens have integrated “My Number health insurance card.”

 

So, how is the government going to treat the rest of forty percent non-cardholders? Most people can continue to use old health insurance card for a year. People who do not have My Number health insurance card will receive the certificate that guarantees membership of health insurance. The patient can have medical treatment in hospital by showing that certificate.

 

My Number health insurance card has been used only by 15 percent of the cardholders. Main reason is skepticism against the card system. There were a number of mistakes in which information of a person was integrated to another person’s card. “It will contribute to appropriate medical treatment based on personal health information,” said Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to achieve confidence of the people in the discussion of the House of Representatives.

 

Even how the patients believe the government and willing to use My Number health insurance card, some medical institutions have not been ready for new system. They demand their patients to use old health insurance card for the time being, because they have not introduced the device to read the card through IC chip. The confusion stems from urgent introduction of new system without fundamental confidence of the people to the government.

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