The Japanese government has announced plans to integrate health insurance cards into the My Number digital ID infrastructure. The existing health insurance card system will be phased out by the fall of 2024.
Integrating the health insurance cards into MY Number will allow people to access healthcare services via facial biometrics and make it easier for healthcare professionals to access a person’s medical history.
However, only 30% of medical institutions have My Number readers and only 20% of the population have registered My Number for use with health insurance.
The government plans to ensure all healthcare facilities have digital ID readers by April 2023. It will also allow citizens enough time to register their health insurance cards with My Number before doing away with the current system.
Japan also plans to integrate driver’s licenses with My Number by the end of March 2025. However, the current driver’s license system will not be abolished. Other services that will be integrated with My Number include vehicle registration fees, traffic fines, and passport applications.
