No. 1367 Cancel Decision to Abolish Health Certificate
It is arbitrary, but, in practice, it is obligatory. This says about a new health certificate to be covered within the so-called My Number Card, an ID expressed in a numerical form. Contradictions appear during and after the registration, yielding serious anxieties and confusions among people. The government must cancel the decision of the expiring date of December 2 this year when the current health certificate will be put an end.
CONFUSIONS ARISE BY OBLIGING CONVERSION TO DIGITAL ID REGISTRATION FOR HEALTH SERVICE
The controversial My Number Card system was introduced on the basis of individuals’ voluntary will. But the government has been adhered to abolition of the current independent health certificate card; the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Welfare tries to take advantage of the My Number system to incorporate one’s clinical records into the comprehensive ID card.
Request from business circle, rather than protection of people’s health
In the background of the government’s implementation lies a request from the business section of the country which wants to use accumulated medical data of each one of the people for making money.
However, last year, in total as many as 16,000 cases were reported in terms of mistakes made during the registration processes and wrong descriptions of the ratios to be owed in the payment by patients. Other troubles include an erroneous display of ‘no information available for ID’ on the card reader equipment. Inconveniences have been revealed. Such troubles do not occur under the existing health certificate scheme.
As far as the system is concerned, there is no institutional necessity in eliminating the today’s practice by introducing new, digital enrollment. We see an ugly intention of the government which prefers requests from the business world to people’s health in its enforcement of abolition.
Only 9.9% of people use digital certificate
Anxieties and confusions prevail due to the government’s illegitimate, illicit enforcement. People, if they do not join the new digital scheme, are worried about ‘what to do when they are told at clinics and pharmacies about the end of the current service’, thinking that ‘they must obtain a new qualification’.
The current health certificate is valid from this August till July 2025. But the government is not active in letting people know about that the existing health certificate is effective for a year and that the government will issue a confirmation letter on qualification. The insurers, including the Health Insurance Union, do not work extensively to let the people know about the processes. Under these circumstance hospitals and pharmacies are obliged to tell visitors about the new certificate.
In addition, although 74% of the registered inhabitants have their My Number Card, of which 79% obtain their health certificate. But only 9.9% (as of June 2024) of them use the My-Number-connected health certificate. Actually, people do not agree positively to the digital system.
Hospitals are closed due to heavier costs
Another problem is bankruptcies of hospitals in the depopulated regions: the new system requests clinics on the obligatory basis to reconfirm patients’ qualification and to arrange payment procedure on-line. The system introduction is costly, and therefore, some clinics and dental offices give up operating.
The government has spent in total 2.1 trillion yen on implementing the My Number point scheme in order to promote the unpopular My Number Card system. Criticisms are raised on the government’s waste of money, too, as it pays subsidies to hospitals and pharmacies which increased the number of users of the new certificates. The plan needing such tremendous expenditure must be canceled.
任意なのに事実上強制する―、マイナンバー保険証のことである。この矛盾だらけの制度が深刻な不安と混乱をもたらしている。政府は、12月２日とする現行保険証の廃止を撤回すべきだ。
マイナンバーカードは、任意取得だ。しかし、政府・厚労省は現行の健康保険証を廃止し、マイナカードに健康保険証をひも付けたマイナ保険証に固執する。
命より財界の要請
政府がマイナ保険証を国民に強制する背景には、国民の医療情報を集積して活用したいという経済界の要請がある。
しかし、ひも付けミスや負担割合の誤表示が昨年１万６千件も発覚、カードリーダーに「資格情報なし」と表示されるなどトラブルが多発している。現行の健康保険証では起きないトラブルだ。
つまり、マイナ保険証を導入しても現行の保険証を廃止する制度上の要請は全くないのである。廃止強行に、国民の命より経済界の要請を優先する政府の醜い意図が透けている。
利用率は９・９％
政府による法的根拠もない違法な強制が、国民に不安と混乱を拡げている。マイナ保険証を利用していない人が病院や薬局などで保険証の12月廃止を告げられ、「健康保険証が廃止されたらどうなるのか。マイナ保険証を作るしかないのか」と悩んでいる。
８月から使われている保険証の有効期限は来年７月まで。ところが、その保険証が１年間有効であることや、資格確認書の交付を政府が宣伝せず、健康保険組合など保険者から丁寧な周知がされていない中で、医療機関や薬局でマイナ保険証をゴリ推しされていることが原因だ。
そして、住民登録者の74％がマイナカードを持ち、その79％がマイナ保険証登録をしながら、マイナ保険証使用は９・９ ％（ 今年６ 月時点）という現状がある。マイナ保険証は国民に受け入れられていないのだ。
負担が重く廃業も
さらに医療機関へのマイナ保険証による患者の資格確認原則義務化、レセプトのオンライン請求の原則義務化が過疎地などで閉院を増やしている問題もある。システム導入の負担が重く、廃業する診療所や歯科医院が出ているというのだ。
また、マイナカード取得を促進するためにマイナポイントで使った総額は２兆１千億円。さらにマイナ保険証の利用が増えた病院や薬局に出す支援金というバラマキ・無駄遣いという問題もある。そこまでしなければ普及しない制度は、止めるしかないのだ。
英訳版↓
No. 1367 Cancel Decision to Abolish Health Certificate
It is arbitrary, but, in practice, it is obligatory. This says about a new health certificate to be covered within the so-called My Number Card, an ID expressed in a numerical form. Contradictions appear during and after the registration, yielding serious anxieties and confusions among people. The government must cancel the decision of the expiring date of December 2 this year when the current health certificate will be put an end.
CONFUSIONS ARISE BY OBLIGING CONVERSION TO DIGITAL ID REGISTRATION FOR HEALTH SERVICE
The controversial My Number Card system was introduced on the basis of individuals’ voluntary will. But the government has been adhered to abolition of the current independent health certificate card; the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Welfare tries to take advantage of the My Number system to incorporate one’s clinical records into the comprehensive ID card.
Request from business circle, rather than protection of people’s health
In the background of the government’s implementation lies a request from the business section of the country which wants to use accumulated medical data of each one of the people for making money.
However, last year, in total as many as 16,000 cases were reported in terms of mistakes made during the registration processes and wrong descriptions of the ratios to be owed in the payment by patients. Other troubles include an erroneous display of ‘no information available for ID’ on the card reader equipment. Inconveniences have been revealed. Such troubles do not occur under the existing health certificate scheme.
As far as the system is concerned, there is no institutional necessity in eliminating the today’s practice by introducing new, digital enrollment. We see an ugly intention of the government which prefers requests from the business world to people’s health in its enforcement of abolition.
Only 9.9% of people use digital certificate
Anxieties and confusions prevail due to the government’s illegitimate, illicit enforcement. People, if they do not join the new digital scheme, are worried about ‘what to do when they are told at clinics and pharmacies about the end of the current service’, thinking that ‘they must obtain a new qualification’.
The current health certificate is valid from this August till July 2025. But the government is not active in letting people know about that the existing health certificate is effective for a year and that the government will issue a confirmation letter on qualification. The insurers, including the Health Insurance Union, do not work extensively to let the people know about the processes. Under these circumstance hospitals and pharmacies are obliged to tell visitors about the new certificate.
In addition, although 74% of the registered inhabitants have their My Number Card, of which 79% obtain their health certificate. But only 9.9% (as of June 2024) of them use the My-Number-connected health certificate. Actually, people do not agree positively to the digital system.
Hospitals are closed due to heavier costs
Another problem is bankruptcies of hospitals in the depopulated regions: the new system requests clinics on the obligatory basis to reconfirm patients’ qualification and to arrange payment procedure on-line. The system introduction is costly, and therefore, some clinics and dental offices give up operating.
The government has spent in total 2.1 trillion yen on implementing the My Number point scheme in order to promote the unpopular My Number Card system. Criticisms are raised on the government’s waste of money, too, as it pays subsidies to hospitals and pharmacies which increased the number of users of the new certificates. The plan needing such tremendous expenditure must be canceled.
August 21, 2024