News Japan's Digital Agency ignored by bureaucracy

Along with being short-staffed, more often than not, other ministries simply ignored requests from the Digital Agency. One item on its policy agenda was spreading the use of the My Number card system beyond just social security and tax payments. When the health ministry was pushing to have the My Number card take the place of health insurance cards, ministry officials came up with a plan to pay for equipment to read the cards that would be installed at medical institutions. It doesn't take a digital wizard to realize that allowing such institutions to tack on the cost of installation onto medical fees and having patients pay extra would not go down well with the public. Because those who took the trouble to convert their My Number card to take over the health insurance card functions would end up shouldering a greater burden, Digital Agency officials realized the public would never go for the plan.

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