Home / Health / Japan's Health Cards Merge: My Number Integration Underway
Japan's Health Cards Merge: My Number Integration Underway
2 Dec
Summary
- Japan fully integrated health insurance functions into My Number cards on Tuesday.
- Existing health cards expired but remain valid until March next year.
- Public distrust due to past data leaks hinders My Number adoption.
As of Tuesday, Japan has fully transitioned to a system integrating health insurance card functions into My Number identification cards. Although existing insurance cards expired on Monday, they will remain valid for use at medical facilities until the end of March next year. This grace period aims to prevent confusion for citizens as the new system is implemented, allowing continued access to insured care.
The new My Number-integrated health cards offer potential benefits, such as easier access to patients' health records and prescription histories for medical institutions. However, the system faces significant hurdles. A history of personal data breaches and registration errors since the My Number system's 2016 introduction has eroded public trust, leading to a less than 40 percent adoption rate.
While 87.3 million My Number cardholders have registered their cards for health insurance, only 37.1 percent have actually used them for medical services. It remains uncertain if the expiration of traditional insurance cards will significantly boost the adoption of the My Number health insurance function.
