Health insurance cards
You will be issued “a health insurance card” as proof of insurance when you join the Health Insurance Society.
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- Do not forget to show your health insurance card at the reception counter of the hospital when visiting for medical care.
- Promptly notify the Health Insurance Society if you lose your health insurance card or there is any change in the information indicated on the card.
Showing your health insurance card at the counter of the hospital when seeing a doctor gives you access to the required medical care while paying only a portion of the associated costs.
Handling of health insurance cards
When you receive your health insurance card, promptly write your address in the space provided.
To get examinations or treatment at an insurance medical care institution or similar facility, present your Individual Number Card for electronic verification of eligibility or present your health insurance card at the counter. (You must complete procedures in advance to link your Individual Number Card to your health insurance card.)
Submit your health insurance card to your employer* within five days after loss of eligibility as an insured person.
Improper use of a health insurance card may constitute criminal fraud, with a penalty of imprisonment.
Unauthorized alteration of the information printed on your health insurance card (not including the address space) or lending of the card to another are prohibited.
Promptly submit the relevant notification documents to the employer* if you lose your health insurance card or any of the information printed on it changes.
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- * Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Persons should submit them to the Health Insurance Society.
Your health insurance card is an important identification document. Keep it in a safe place.
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Indicating whether you intend to be an organ donor
As a result of amendment of the Law on Organ Transplantation, a space for indicating whether you wish to be an organ donor has been added to the reverse side of the health insurance card. See the website of the Japan Organ Transplant Network for more information on organ donation.
Members aged 70 or above are issued “elderly benefits cards”
Since the percentage of medical care costs paid by elderly persons aged 70-74 to medical care institutions varies with income, these persons are issued “elderly benefits cards” showing their copayment percentages. When receiving medical care at a medical care institution, show your “elderly benefits card” together with your health insurance card. (In general, presenting an elderly benefits card will ensure that the amount you pay at a hospital will not exceed the cost-sharing maximum amount. In certain cases, you may also need to present a Certificate of Application of Maximum Copayment Amount.)
If your copayment percentage changes, you will be issued a new elderly benefits card to reflect this change.
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Using your Individual Number Card as your health insurance card
The online eligibility verification system has been introduced to make it possible to verify eligibility information online based on the IC chip on the Individual Number Card or the health insurance card code and number. You can use your Individual Number Card as a health insurance card at medical care institutions and other facilities that have adopted the online eligibility verification system. (Requires advance registration on Mynaportal etc.)
See here for more information.
The online eligibility verification system brings some changes to health insurance cards
With the introduction of the online eligibility verification system, a two-digit branch number has been added to the code and number on each health insurance card to allow individual identification.
All newly issued health insurance cards indicate a branch number in addition to the code and number. Note that health insurance cards without branch numbers will still be accepted.
