The current health insurance card, firmly maintained by Shigeru Ishiba’s Cabinet, will be phased out in December. In the House of Representatives election, the parties agree on whether to end the bill or continue with it.
The “Licence Miner,” which incorporates driver’s license functions into the My Number Card, allows users to use their traditional driver’s license even after the service has started. Why is “minor” the only option for insurance cards? (Hiromi Nagakubo)
◆ Driving licenses are under the sole control of the police administration
“Taro Kono (former digital minister) wants to unify driving licences, but I don’t think driving licenses will go away, at least for the time being.”
“Incorporating driver’s license information into smartphones is a completely blank slate,” Minister Kono pointed out in the diet.
A former National Police Agency officer, familiar with transport policy, has carried out a check on the standardization of My Number cards.
Issuance of driving licenses was solely under the administration of the police.
On September 8, four days before the National Police Agency announced the start of Maina’s driver’s license, Ishiba, who announced his candidacy for election as president of the Liberal Democratic Party, mentioned the possibility of using the existing health insurance card as well. Suddenly, attention was drawn to the difference in the handling of driving licenses and insurance cards.
◆ The selection system is the default route from 2022
Perhaps aware of public opinion, the person in charge of the National Police Agency responded to the interview by saying, “As a police department, we are just going ahead with what is prescribed by law. It has nothing to do with mini insurance cards. ” I stuck a nail in it.
According to the person in charge, an optional system was the default policy from the time the relevant bill was introduced until the 2022 regular session of the Diet.
Initially, there was also the option of purchasing a paper insurance card.
In October 2022, Digital Minister Kono changed his policy at the time and changed it to “total eradication.”
Although the National Police Agency emphasizes that driving licenses and insurance cards are two different things, the government’s plan to integrate the two My Number cards was put into the government’s plans from an early stage.
◆ Three reasons why the National Police Agency retains traditional driving licences
Diet members also seemed to question the difference in response between the two. The matter was followed up in the Diet a year ago.
In its response to the Diet, the National Police Agency cited three reasons for not abolishing traditional driving licences.
① There are countries where you are required to show a traditional driving license when driving abroad.
② Some people do not have a My Number card even if they pass the driving license test.
③ The mobile device used by police officers to read information on minor driving licenses may not have radio waves in mountainous areas.
However, if you create another certificate called a “quality certification letter” such as an insurance card, there will be no problem even if you approve it.
◆ “It’s a question of keeping your traditional driver’s license.”
A former National Police Agency official at the beginning of the article rejected the idea, saying, “We’re going to create something that will have the same functions as current driver’s licenses. In that case, we could use the old driver’s licenses. just leave. ”
According to the statements of the former executives, there is no need to abolish insurance cards.
This is because the quality certification letter envisioned by the government will be almost the same as the current insurance card. It also saves you the cost and hassle of obtaining certification documents.
However, regarding the importance of ending it, an official from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said in an interview: “This is to encourage more people to use Myna Insurance Cards.”
Digital Minister Masaaki Taira speaking about the Myna Insurance Card at his inauguration press conference at the Digital Agency on 2 October.
◆ Abolition of insurance cards “benefits are in order of magnitude”, says Digital Minister Taira
Digital Minister Masaaki Taira stated the reason for ending the current insurance card at his inaugural press conference on 2 October.
What Digital Minister Taira emphasized was “optimizing medical costs.”
“I want people to keep in mind how much money social security as a whole spends on medical care. The benefits of digitization (compared to driver’s licenses) are an order of magnitude different.”
The company intended to reduce medical costs by digitizing medical care based on mini health insurance cards.
◆ The desire of the economic community to reduce medical costs
Behind this move is the intent of the business community, which is concerned about the increase in medical costs for the elderly. This is because companies pay most of the insurance premiums that provide financial resources.
Tsuyoshi Niinami, representative secretary of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, sparked controversy by saying that the current insurance card would be phased out by the “delivery date” at the Prime Minister’s official residence in July 2023.
The business community also supports the dissemination of Mini Health Insurance Cards in order to improve the quality of medical care, reduce the burden on medical workers, and optimize medical costs.
Digitization is expected to help reduce medical costs by sharing patient information among multiple medical institutions, thereby preventing duplicate medication.
At the government’s Economic and Fiscal Policy Council in 2021, then-chairman Keidanren and others cited the integration of My Number cards with insurance cards and driver’s licenses as a way to “make full use of the My Number system.”
However, it was the insurance card that went so far as to call for its termination, saying, “The issue should be stopped and full integration should be achieved.”
Minor licenceThe operation starts from March 24, 2025. The license type and expiry date are not printed on the ticket, but are recorded on the IC chip of the My Number card. All you have to do to change your address or name is to notify the local government. Acquisition and renewal fees will also be lower. If you get a minor license, the new license will cost 1,550 yen, 500 yen cheaper than the current one, and the renewal price will be 2,100 yen, 400 yen cheaper. Traditional driving licenses are more expensive than current ones, new licenses cost ¥2,350 and renewal costs ¥2,850. It is also possible that both.
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The Tokyo Shimbun is seeking information and comments regarding the Myna Insurance Card. Email: [email protected]; email: 100-8505 (no need to address) Tokyo Shimbun Digital Editorial Department “Maina Insurance Card Cover Team.”
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