Radical change to the health card. Announcement of the Minister of Digitization

Bogdan Ivan, the Minister of Digitalization, announced that the health card system is to be rebuilt, and it will also be available in electronic format.

According to the Minister of Digitization, the national health card system is outdated, which is why it is to be redone.

Moreover, Bogdan Ivan emphasized that it will also be available in electronic format, on the phone, like a bank card.

“The health card system is to be completely redone. It will also be in a wallet, in electronic format.

The system was made with very old technology, 16 years ago. There is no way to double the number of beneficiaries, to have new technologies, with something that has not been technically updated in the last 16 years”, said the minister to Digi 24.

“What is important is that 100 million lei were saved from the PNRR, thanks to the work of the CNAS. Together with them and our team we found a technical solution to save this project, it is now in the public procurement procedure and is to be completely redone.

It will be both in physical format and in a wallet (electronic wallet, no), just like a bank card,” he explained.

“Everything will be traceable, meaning you won’t be able to be prescribed aspirin 10 times in a day and have it billed. Everything will be traceable and transparent, in order to know what is happening with the money of the Romanian state, paid by people through fees and taxes”, said Bogdan Ivan.

What is the national health card?

The CEAS health card is a project of national interest whose main purpose is the transparency and efficiency of the funds used in the social health insurance system. The national health card is the access code for all CNAS IT systems.

What does the card contain?

The national health card received by the insured contains only the identification data of the insured. The following information is printed on the card and in the card’s electronic memory:

• Name and surname of the insured
• The unique identification code in the social health insurance system
• Identification number of the national health social insurance card (CID)
• Date of birth
• Card validity period (5 years)

Only at the request of the insured, the family doctor can write medical data on the health card.

Who gets the national health card?

Insured persons over the age of 18 will receive the national health card.

Children up to the age of 18 benefit from free medical services according to the law.

How do you activate the health card?

The activation of the health card will be done at any medical service provider (primary medicine office, hospital, outpatient clinic, laboratory) to which the insured will call the first time after receiving the card. It is not necessary for the insured to go specifically to the doctor to activate the card.

The activation operation takes a maximum of 30 seconds and consists in replacing the card’s initial pin code (000) with a four-digit pin code chosen by the insured, which he must not divulge. The PIN code remains the property of the insured, just like the one on the bank card.
Up to now, more than 6.2 million national health insurance cards have been activated in the system

How do you use the health card?

Once activated, the health card will be presented whenever the insured calls the providers under contract with the health insurance company for medical or pharmaceutical services. The provider will insert the card into the reader, and the insured will type the pin code.

The use of the card is proof that the insured was present at the medical service provider. In this way, the service he benefited from is validated, with a view to settlement from the social health insurance fund.

For emergency medical services, it is not necessary to use the health card. These services are part of the minimum package of medical services, which are granted to both insured and uninsured persons.

What do we do if the health card is blocked?

If the insured types the PIN code of the health card incorrectly, five times in a row, it is blocked.

In this situation, the doctor will call the helpdesk number 021.202.6995, where a ticket number is assigned, and by e-mail, at [email protected], the information regarding the blocked card is given.