Buddhist Priest Arrested for Using Health Insurance Card He Found

Buddhist priest, Terukazu Hirokaga, was arrested after he was caught using another person’s health insurance card at an Osaka hospital to get treatment and prescription medication. The 55 year old Hirokaga said he found the card belonging to a man in his 60’s on the street in Tokyo. Police were able to track his illegal use of the card 115 times in numerous cities, including Okayama and Kyoto. He said he used the card in different cities to avoid detection.

I find this very sad. First of all, why doesn’t the priest have his own card? Next, why is he illegally using someone else’s card? Is he really ill, needing medical attention, or was he doing it to get the medication? What is he doing with all the medication he was prescribed at 115 visits? So many unanswered questions.

This type of card, with no picture, is what the priest was using. The newer “My Number” cards have the owner’s photo on it.