The National Identification Card, National Health Insurance Card and Digital Citizen’s Certificate could be integrated into a single card by 2018, Minister of the Interior Chen Wei-zen (陳威仁) said yesterday.
Chen said the ministry plans to allocate NT$8.8 billion (US$269.5 million) to integrate the three cards.
His remarks sparked criticism from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chuang Ruei-hsiung (莊瑞雄), who said the Ministry of Finance had already reached an agreement with the Ministry of Health and Welfare to allow the National Health Insurance Card to be used to pay taxes, one of the functions of the Digital Citizen’s Certificate.
Chuang asked whether the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees the Digital Citizen’s Certificate and the National Identification Card, has coordinated with other departments, adding that developing redundant card features would be a waste of public funds.
The Digital Citizen’s Certificate allows users to verify their identity online to access a range of government services. The ministry has previously announced plans to integrate it with the National Identification Card, enabling the card to be used as a digital purse.
Chen said that integrating the three cards would be safer than adding Digital Citizen’s Certificate features to the National Health Insurance Card, but that meetings still had to be held with the Ministry of Health and Welfare before the Cabinet makes a final decision.
If plans to integrate the three cards are implemented, there would be no need to issue new National Health Insurance Cards, he said.
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