Photo/Illutration A machine used to read data from a My Number Card used for health insurance purposes (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

More embarrassing errors have surfaced with the My Number personal identification system, with 776 patients unexpectedly finding their medical fees not covered by national health insurance, new data showed.

These patients had to pay their bills in full at hospital counters and later request reimbursement from their insurance providers, according to the Japanese Medical and Dental Practitioners for the Improvement of Medical Care. 

The figure rose from the 533 patients as of June 8.

The national survey, released on June 21, covered the period from April 1 to June 19.

Of 8,437 medical institutions surveyed, 65.1 percent came across an error with the system, including 114 cases where the patient’s My Number account was linked to the health care data of another individual.

Another survey found that 56.5 percent of My Number card holders received almost no benefit after they linked their health care insurance data to the card.

The health ministry survey, conducted on 1,000 people, was released on June 21.

The ministry is working to come up with solutions to the insurance payment problem by the end of June.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida apologized on June 21 for the growing number of mishaps found in the My Number system, saying he took the issue very seriously.

Earlier in the day, Kishida launched a cross-ministry task force to investigate and address the crisis. 

Despite all the concerns, however, Kishida is pushing ahead with his plan to integrate the existing health insurance cards into the My Number cards by autumn 2024.

(This article was written by Hayato Murai, Yuriko Suzuki and Shohei Sasagawa.)

Related News