My Number Cards for Health Insurance: Govt Must Do Its Utmost to Prevent Confusion

Editorial

14:00 JST, December 3, 2024

The government’s coercive decision-making has led to confusion in people’s lives. It is urgent to put in place a system, like there was before, that ensures everyone can visit a medical institution without feeling anxious.

New health insurance certificates are no longer being issued. From now on, the use of My Number identification cards that function as health insurance certificates, also known as My Number insurance cards, will be the norm.

For those who do not have a My Number insurance card, health insurance associations or municipalities will issue “eligibility certificates.” The certificates will be valid for a maximum of five years.

For the time being, certificates issued by health insurance associations to which company employees belong can continue to be used for up to one year.

Meanwhile, the government said the majority of health insurance certificates for the medical insurance program that covers elderly people aged 75 and older will expire next summer. The government must prioritize its efforts for elderly people to prevent further disruption next summer.

The government is responsible for unnecessarily complicating the system, which allowed people to visit any medical institution with just one health insurance certificate.

The government decided on a policy in 2022 to “aim to introduce a system that allows people to choose between the My Number insurance card and the conventional insurance certificate” over about a two-year period. However, then digital minister Taro Kono abruptly announced in October of that year that health insurance certificates would be abolished, and the certificates’ functions would be replaced by the My Number insurance cards.

After that, a series of errors were discovered one after another, such as the linking of other people’s information to My Number insurance cards, but the government officially decided to go ahead with the full introduction as planned, saying that “the public’s concerns have been dispelled” as a result of a comprehensive review.

However, problems have continued, such as card readers for My Number insurance cards not functioning due to online connectivity issues.

As of October this year, the usage percentage of the My Number insurance card at hospitals and pharmacies stood only at 15%. This clearly indicates that there is still deep-rooted distrust of the My Number insurance cards.

It is important for administrative bodies to promote digitalization. It would be much more convenient, for example, to be able to submit online notifications of moving in or out of municipalities and applications related to child-rearing.

However, it is only reasonable that reforms that have a significant impact on people’s lives should be steadily implemented while gaining the understanding of those concerned. It must be said that the government has neglected such efforts.

There is a sense of uncertainty about how to receive medical treatment among members of the public, including those who do not have My Number insurance cards or those who do have the cards but do not know how to use them. The government should repeatedly provide detailed explanations.

Depending on the situation in the future, it may also be necessary to consider extending the period of validity of the current insurance certificates, which are now good for up to one year.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 3, 2024)