Understanding Japan’s My Number Health Insurance Card System: Key Changes & Benefits Explained

My Number Health Insurance Card System in Japan

Japan is transitioning to the “My Number” health insurance card system. Starting December 2, My Number ID cards will serve as health insurance cards. Here are key points to understand about this change.

Usage of Existing Health Insurance Cards

• Valid Until 2025: Current health insurance cards can still be used for up to one year. Cards for company employees and public servants don’t expire until December 1, 2025.
• Self-Employed Individuals: Their cards will have specific expiration dates. If they change jobs or move, their cards become invalid.

If You Don’t Have a My Number Card

• Co-Payment: Without a My Number health insurance card, you won’t pay the full amount for medical care. You can present a “status confirmation certificate” to pay a standard co-payment of 10% to 30%.
• Certificate Issuance: Health insurance associations will automatically send the certificate after December 2 to those without My Number cards.

Clarifications on the Status Confirmation Document

• Different Documents: The document called “notification of status information” is not the same as the status confirmation certificate. The notification contains your insurance card number and is not sufficient for medical treatment.

Government Objectives

• Digital Health Transformation: The government aims to standardize healthcare data to improve treatment quality and promote disease prevention.
• Cost Savings: The shift to electronic cards is expected to save approximately 10 billion yen (about $66 million) each year.

Benefits of Using the New System

• Access to Medical History: My Number cards can provide quick access to past visits and medications to avoid unnecessary prescriptions.
• Simplified Payment Process: Patients using the new system for high-cost medical expenses do not have to pay upfront, simplifying the reimbursement process.

Privacy Concerns

• Details regarding what information doctors can access about your medical history are not specified in this document.

Current Usage Statistics

• Widespread Adoption: As of the end of October, 75.7% of Japanese people have a My Number ID card, and 82% of those registered for the health insurance card system. However, only 21.4% actively used it for medical services.

Challenges to Increased Usage

• Erroneous Information: Incorrect data on My Number cards has led to low usage. The government has identified these errors arising from local government processing.

Options for Cardholders

• Removing Health Insurance Functions: As of late October, users can opt out of having their My Number ID cards function as health insurance cards. The process takes about a month.

This transition aims to modernize healthcare management in Japan, providing significant benefits to patients while addressing privacy and information accuracy concerns.