社会保障カード

(Aug. 17, 2008) The Yomiuri Shimbun
Juki Net key to better social security system
社会保障カード　住基ネットの活用が現実的だ（8月17日付・読売社説）

The process of designing a new social security card is gradually coming down to practical points, such as how it will be issued and what it will be used for.
社会保障カードを、どのような形で発行し、活用するか。構想が次第に煮詰まってきた。

The discovery of poor pension record management has increased the need for the new card, which will enable cardholders to access personal information about their pension, health care and nursing care programs in one place. The government plans to introduce the card as early as fiscal 2011.
年金や医療、介護などの情報を一体的に、常時確認できるカードの必要性は、杜撰な年金記録が発覚したことで強まった。政府は２０１１年度をめどに導入する方針だ。

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry's study panel on the social security card will soon compile a preliminary report based on discussions so far.
これを受けて、厚生労働省の有識者会議「社会保障カードの在り方に関する検討会」が議論してきた。近く中間報告をまとめる。

The panel envisages that the social security card will be equipped with an integrated circuit to make it difficult to forge, and that it will allow cardholders to access data on computer. The plan is for the new card to store only the bare minimum of necessary data on a person, such as an identification number.
これまでの検討では、偽造困難なＩＣカードを採用し、これを使ってパソコン画面でデータを確認できるようにする。カード自体には、識別番号など最小限の情報しか記録しない。

According to previous panel discussions, data related to the pension, health care and nursing care program would not be combined, and instead would be managed separately, as it is now. The identification number, or the social security number, could then be used as a "key" for linking the separate data.
年金、医療、介護など各制度のデータも一元化はせず、これまで通り別々に管理する。識別番号すなわち社会保障番号を“鍵”として、各データをつなぐ。

The access and use of the data by administrative organizations and health insurance associations would be recorded.
本人以外の行政機関や健康保険組合がデータを使用すれば記録が残る。

The panel also envisages that a new card will be issued by municipalities, making it more accessible than a centrally administered card.
また、カードは身近な行政窓口である市町村が交付することを想定している。
envisages＝思い描く、心に描く

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Juki Net should be utilized
（住民基本台帳カードの活用すべき）

However, the panel is not expected to go further in exploring the details of a separate new card, apparently considering the possibility of using the same card as is used for Juki Net, the national computerized resident registry network.
検討会はそれ以上、踏み込まない見通しだが、これは住民基本台帳カードの活用を念頭に置いたものであろう。

Building a new social security card system within three years would be inefficient, as it would likely have some overlap with Juki Net, and anyway would be difficult. Allowing the Juki Net card to double as the social security card makes sense, and the government should make a decision on the matter as soon as possible.
住基ネットがあるのに、新たなシステムを３年以内に構築するのは非効率の上に難しい。住基カードを社会保障カードとして使うのが現実的ではないか。政府は早く結論を出すべきだ。

Introducing a social security card and social security number could be extremely beneficial.
社会保障カードと社会保障番号を導入するメリットは大きい。

With the card and number, members of the public could check on their information whenever they wanted, including premiums paid, medical care and other public services received, and anticipated pension benefits.
各制度の保険料をこれまでにいくら納付し、医療などの公的サービスをどれだけ受けてきたか、年金は将来いくら受け取れるのか、といった情報をいつでも確認することができる。

In addition, allowing proper disclosure of information about revenue, expenditures, benefits and liabilities would help people gain a better understanding of the social security system. It would also mean erroneous records could be fixed quickly.
これまでの収支や将来の受益見通しの情報がきちんと提供されれば、社会保障制度への理解は深まるだろう。記録に誤りがあれば、迅速に正すこともできる。

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Increasing scrutiny
（高まる安全性）

Allowing the public to see information themselves, and providing a more interactive method of record keeping, would mean management of the social security system would be under constant scrutiny.
「可視化」と「双方向性」が生まれることは、社会保障制度の運営状況を国民が常時監視できるということだ。

Such a system also would remove one of the bureaucratic evils of the "apply first" policy, which places the onus on members of the public to point out problems. It would also streamline the administrative process by meaning cross-system calculations, such as adding up medical and nursing care expenses and issuing refunds, would be carried out automatically. This would save money.
医療と介護にかかった費用を合算して負担が重すぎる分を払い戻すといった、制度をまたがる措置も自動的に行われ、申請主義の弊害はかなり解消する。事務の簡素化で、経費も節減できる。

By utilizing tax payment information, it also would be possible to provide relief for low-income earners, including exempting them from pension premium payments based on a detailed assessment of their income levels.
納税情報を活用することで、所得に応じてきめ細かに年金保険料を免除するといった低所得者対策も可能になるだろう。

The introduction of the social security card system should be promoted steadily and without delay.
着実に、遅滞なく導入を進めるべきである。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Aug. 17, 2008)
（2008年8月17日02時05分 読売新聞）